This conference presents the preliminary work from a large international review of the potential role of private health insurance in complementing other known health financing instruments—government subsidies, social health insurance and community-based financing—in securing better financial protection and access to health care in developing countries.

For further information, go to the Impact Conference 2005 page at The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania website.

The International Center of Mental Health Policy and Economics (ICMPE) is pleased to be hosting the 7th Workshop on Costs and Assessment in Psychiatry: "Financing Mental and Addictive Disorders."

The subject areas for the submission of abstracts of original research are listed below. In the tradition dating to the 2000 6th Workshop in Chicago, we plan to publish selected abstracts in The Journal of Mental Health Policy and Economics. The deadline for Abstract submission is 30 October, 2004.

• Burden of Illness / Cost of Illness Studies
• Cost-benefit, Cost-effectiveness, and Cost-utility Analysis of Services for Mental and Addictive Disorders
• New Psychotropic Medications, Psychological Treatments, Psychosocial Interventions, Preventive Services
• Public and Private Financing of Psychiatric Services
• Parity in Financing Psychiatric and Medical Services
• Access to psychiatric services and treatments
• Financing Community Psychiatric Services for:Severe Mental and Addictive Disorders
• Medically Underserved Populations, Health and Socioeconomic Disparities
• Burden on Families and Out-of-Pocket Expenditures
• Involuntary Commitment Policies and Practices
• Analysis of Mental Health Policy Formulation and Implementation
• Mental Health Policies in Different Regions of the World

For more information, please visit our website.

The aging of populations, growth in chronic as well as communicable disease, and the globalization of media, travel, cost of healthcare, and rising economic development are fostering increasing interest from consumers, in both developed and developing economies, to demand more choice and value for their money in goods and services. An increasing sophistication of consumers also contributes to new calls for customized healthcare programs, health plans and health policy. The new demand, stimulated by chronic disease and expanded consumerism is expected to outstrip the capacity and budget of most public systems, New private sector initiatives are also needed.

This Summit gathers together some of the world's best thinkers and practitioners to explore how best to a) stimulate the private sector role in health system improvement, and b) how to earn consumer loyalty for health, health plans, health care providers and related new technologies. These panels will address private sector innovations in quality and performance improvement that represent real value to consumers and the public agencies and private health plans that help pay for their health care. Panels will also explore the implications of these trends for health manpower development, and capital investment.

For more information visit Health Summit

Sponsored by BMJ Publishing Group, Institute for Health Care Improvement, NHS - National Patient Safety Agency, NHS - Modernisation Agency, and NHSU.

For more detailed information please visit BMJ Publishing or contact the Conference Secretariat or call 44-207-383-6409

For details please visit: http://www.ispor.org/meetings/future/index.htm

The Sixteenth Annual Health Economics Conference will take place May 21-23, 2005, hosted by the Department of Health Policy and Administration at The Pennsylvania State University and jointly sponsored by the VA Management Science Group. The purpose of this invitational conference is to facilitate discussion of health economics research among a relatively small group of economists. Papers will be chosen for their originality and timeliness. All conference lunches and dinners for presenters and discussants will be covered by Penn State's Department of Health Policy and Administration. All other expenses, including transportation, are the participants' responsibility.

Anyone wishing to present at this invitational conference is asked to submit an abstract with a maximum of two pages, by January 14, 2005, electronically formatted (pdf preferred) to Barbara Fleischer (Please include "Annual Health Economics Conference" in subject line). Submitted papers should be unpublished. Decisions on accepted abstracts will be made by February 15, 2005 and completed papers must be received by the conference organizers by April 1, 2005. For further information, please contact Dennis Scanlon, 814-865-1925 or Jocelyn Vanderbrink, 814-863-6618.

The Sixteenth Annual Health Economics Conference will take place May 21-23, 2005, hosted by the Department of Health Policy and Administration at The Pennsylvania State University and jointly sponsored by the VA Management Science Group. The purpose of this invitational conference is to facilitate discussion of health economics research among a relatively small group of economists. Papers will be chosen for their originality and timeliness.

All conference lunches and dinners for presenters and discussants will be covered by Penn State's Department of Health Policy and Administration. All other expenses, including transportation, are the participants' responsibility.

Anyone wishing to present at this invitational conference is asked to submit an abstract with a maximum of two pages, by January 14, 2005, electronically formatted (pdf preferred) to Barbara Fleischer . (Please include "Annual Health Economics Conference" in subject line). Submitted papers should be unpublished.

Decisions on accepted abstracts will be made by February 15, 2005 and completed papers must be received by the conference organizers by April 1, 2005 . For further information, please contact Dennis Scanlon (814-865-1925) or Jocelyn Vanderbrink (814-863-6618).

If you are interested in hosting the Annual Health Economics Conference in future years, please contact Ted Stefos (781-687-2440) or Jim Burgess (781-687-2488).

The University of Athens (School of Law, Economcis and Political Science) in collaboration with the Health Research Unit of the Athens Institute for Education and Research (ATINER) and the Department of Health and Care Administration of the Technological Educational Institute (TEI) of Athens and Kalamata organize their 4th International Conference in Athens, Greece, June 2-5, 2005.

The registration fee will be EUR300 (euro), covering access to all sessions, 2 lunches, 1 Dinner, coffee breaks and conference material. Special arrangements will be made with local hotels for a limited number of rooms at a special conference rate. In addition, a one-day cruise to picturesque Greek Islands will be organized.

The aim of the conference is to bring together scholars, researchers and students from all areas of health economics, management and policy. Special Sessions will be devoted to Equity and Poverty in Health, Pharmaceutical Economics, Quality of Life, Economic Evaluation, Health Care Reforms, Social Security, School Health Programs, and Health Related Business. All abstracts should be submitted in English. The length of abstract should not be longer than 300 words, and should preferably follow the following structure:

• Title
• Authors
• Affiliations
• Objective
• Material and Methods
• Results
• Conclusions

Selected (reviewed) papers will be published in a Special Volume of the Conference Proceedings.

Please submit a 300-word abstract (by email) by January 10th, 2005 to:

Web Site

For details please visit http://www.academyhealth.org/conferences/arm.htm

Details:

IAHSA invites you to share your expertise in the field of ageing services by submitting a proposal for the Sixth International Conference—join your colleagues in sharing practical ideas, innovative concepts and best practices that creatively address today's changing market forces and the evolving needs of older people!

While IAHSA will review and consider proposals on all relevant topics, we especially invite proposals that relate to the conference theme of Creative Solutions for an Ageing Society: Sharing the Wisdom, along with topics that address specific needs in housing and care supported by professionally documented practical experience and/or research findings.

• Active Ageing, Lifelong Learning, and Wellness
• Advanced Technology
• Applied Research
• Culture, Ethnicity, and Attitudes toward the Aged
• Dementia Care
• Design for Aging
• Finance and Strategic Development
• Human Resources and Staff Development
• Innovations in Service Delivery Models
• Management and Operations
• Partnerships
• Public Policy

For more conference details and information on submitting proposals please visit: http://www.aahsa.org/iahsa/iahsaonline/Proposal/default.asp

For details please visit: 5th World Congress Web site

The International Epidemiology Association (IEA), an organization in official relation with the World Health Organization, the Thai Consortium of Epidemiology and other agencies concerned with equity in health are hosting the XVII World Congress of Epidemiology in August of 2005. It will examine the contributions of epidemiology in advancing health and equity in the past and to define new approaches, including methodological advances and limitations that epidemiology can make towards equity in health for development into the future, highlighted by new scientific breakthrough, globalization, regionalization, inter-dependence of nations, and the need to empower countries to integrate epidemiology with other branches of sciences to tackle their own unique health problems among different groups of population.  Therefore, in addition to scientific discussions, several sessions will be dedicated to discussion around a framework which would contribute to the strategic focus of epidemiology so that it can contribute optimally to equity in health at the national, regional and global levels.  In doing so, the Congress hopes to be a vehicle to enhance the role played by epidemiology in the social fabric of national and world community.

For details please visit: wce2005.org

Health Outreach and Business Affairs of King Faisal Specialist Hospital and Research Center, a leading Tertiary care in the region, will host a conference on Health Care Economics and Endowments in collaboration with the WHO, the International Bank and the Saudi Arabian General Investment Authority. A distinguished group of international, and regional experts will participate in a discussion of the issues related to the following themes:

• Overview of healtlhcare Economics
• Financing healthcare services
• Healthcare Insurance
• Controlling cost and expenditures in healthcare delivery
• Role of private sector in health care delivery
• New initiatives in healthcare delivery and financing
• Global experiences in healthcare economics

For more information please visit Saudi Health Economics Conference

(Le texte français suit le texte anglais)

The ICSBHS is a biennial conference series that began in the United Kingdom, and has since been hosted by the Netherlands, Canada, Australia and the United States. The conference returns to Canada in 2005 and will be in Montreal, September 18-20, 2005, hosted by the Canadian College of Health Service Executives.

The series provides an international forum for the exchange of health services research and experience to improve access to and the quality of healthcare systems. Its focus is on the process of promoting the use of scientific evidence for clinical practice, health services management and health policy.

The co-chairs of the 2005 ICSBHS Program Committee are Dr. Peter C. Coyte of the University of Toronto, Dr. Jeremy Grimshaw of the University of Ottawa, and Mr. Joseph de Mora of Kingston General Hospital, all of Canada.

The Theme of the 2005 conference is: Improving Health by Advancing Healthcare: Linking Research, Policy and Action

The 2005 ICSBHS is the first significant international meeting to take place since the Ministerial Summit on Health Research held in Mexico City in November 2004. Our conference theme echoes the aim of the Summit to promote the practical application of health research in health systems and settings.

Therefore, the conference seeks abstracts that demonstrate:

• Research to Policy,
• Research to Action, or
• Policy to Action

To learn more, please click on the following link or copy and paste it in your browser: http://www.icsbhs.org/abstracts.html.

La CIFSSS est une série de conférences qui ont débuté au Royaume-Uni, puis elles ont eu lieu aux Pays-Bas, au Canada, en Australie et aux États-Unis. Le Canada accueillera de nouveau l’événement en 2005, à Montréal, du 18 au 20 septembre. Cette sixième conférence est organisée par le Collège canadien des directeurs de services de santé.

Ces conférences sont un forum international destiné à promouvoir des échanges sur la recherche et les expériences en matière de services de santé, afin d’améliorer l’accès aux systèmes de soins de santé et la qualité de ces derniers. Elles visent précisément à promouvoir l’utilisation des données scientifiques dans la pratique médicale, la gestion des soins de santé et la politique en matière de recherche.

Les coprésidents du Comité du programme de la CIFSSS 2005 sont le Dr Peter C. Coyte, de L’Université de Toronto, le Dr Jeremy Grimshaw, de l’Université d’Ottawa, et M. Joseph de Mora, de l’Hôpital général de Kingston, tous du Canada.

Le thème de la conférence de 2005 est le suivant: Améliorer la santé en faisant progresser les soins de santé : Établir le lien entre la recherche, les politiques et l’action

La CIFSSS 2005 est la plus importante conférence internationale depuis le Sommet international sur la recherche en santé qui s’est tenu à Mexico en novembre 2004. Son thème renouvelle l’objectif du sommet de promouvoir l’application pratique des résultats de la recherche en santé dans les systèmes et les environnements de soins de santé.

Par conséquent, nous sollicitons des résumés qui démontrent les liens:

• entre la recherche et la politique,
• entre la recherche et l’action,
• entre la politique et l’action.

Pour en savoir davantage, veuillez cliquer sur le lien suivant, ou recopiez-le dans votre navigateur : http://www.icsbhs.org/abstracts_fr.html.

For details please visit: http://www.isoqol.org/

For details please visit http://www.cochrane.org/

For details please visit: http://www.apha.org/meetings/future_past.htm

Abstract Submission Deadline: 3 October 2005, 1700 PST
Harm Reduction Conference

For details please visit: http://www.ispor.org/meetings/future/index.htm

For details please visit http://www.healtheconomics.us