OUR BOARD
The 2021 board consists of:
Kimberly Nehal
Chair
Kimberly Nehal is a Lecturer in Infectious Diseases and epidemiology at the Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam. Her main areas of interest are vaccination (policy), research methodology, and disease surveillance research. During her studies, she has focused on integrated disease surveillance in Sierra Leone. With her involvement in Uniting Streams, she aims to connect global health researchers in the Netherlands and worldwide. Kim served as vice chair in 2020 and is chair as of 2021.
Tom Jacobs
Vice Chair
Tom Jacobs is a PhD candidate at Radboud UMC Nijmegen. Trained as a pharmacist, Tom currently investigates clinical pharmacology of antiretroviral agents in children with HIV and other opportunistic infections in Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe. Previously he has studies reporting of adverse drug reactions in Ghana and worked on a project commissioned by WHO Europe about reducing OTC sales of antibiotics in Central Asia. Tom joined Uniting Streams to meet and learn from fellow global health enthusiasts. Tom serves as vice chair since 2021.
Eugenia Di Meco
Secretary
Eugenia di Meco is a MD specialised in Infectious Diseases. She has clinical experience in HIV and antimicrobial resistance in different hospital settings. She worked in the front line of migrant health, being involved in clinical and research activities in Lampedusa and in Rome. Lately, she shifted focus beyond the Italian borders, dealing with MDR TB in Afghanistan with MSF. For her “global health” is not only an area of research and practice, but mainly an approach that healthcare professionals should have in mind, in every context and every field.
Harry Coleman
Harry Coleman is a Junior Advisor in the Health Systems Strengthening team at KIT Royal Tropical Institute. In 2020, he finished his PhD at the Vrije University Amsterdam that focuses on a healthcare outreach service delivery model for homeless groups in Delhi, India. His main interests are in health policy and systems research, social science and mixed methodologies in global health, and global health politics. Harry joined Uniting Streams to discuss the sphere of global health action and research with others working in the field.
Suzanne Smit
Dr. G. Suzanne A. Smit is assistant professor Infectious Disease and Public Health at VU Amsterdam and focuses specifically on cCMV.During her positions at the Institute of Tropical Medicine, Antwerp; Ghent University; Université catholique de Louvain, Institute of Health and Society (IRSS), Brussels; and VU Amsterdam, she has designed, implemented, managed and supported multi-partner projects in Belgium, Europe, Vietnam and Zambia concerning laboratory work, epidemiology, field work, education and capacity building.
OUR ACTIVITIES
Throughout the year, Uniting Streams organizes events and scientific sessions to connect global health researchers and provide them a platform. We are always looking for new members to support these activities. If you're interested, let us know!
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic most events will be held online, and some shall be postponed until further notice.
Turbo Talk Sessions
Annual NVTG symposium
Uniting Steams organises scientific sessions at the annual conference of the Netherlands Society of Tropical Medicine and International Health (NVTG). During the 2021 symposium themed mind matters, 12 early career researchers were invited to pitch their research during turbo talk sessions.
These sessions provide an opportunity for (early career and junior) researchers to present their global health research to an audience consisting of tropical doctors (in training), policy makers, NGOs and other academics and global health professionals.
Fieldwork in Global Health
Do's and don'ts in fieldwork
Annually, an evening on fieldwork in Global Health for BSc, MSc and PhD candidates is organized by Uniting Streams.
During this evening researchers employing various research approaches (antropological/social/medical/health scientific) share their experiences and provide insights in the conduct of fieldwork in Global Health. Previous topics included: the social and cultural differences and how to be aware of them when doing fieldwork, intercultural communication in research (design), and pitfalls and practical aspects of research projects in the tropics.
TropQuiz
Global Health Pubquiz
Want to get to know other researchers in the field of global health in a fun way? Or are you just really competitive and up for a challenging game? The TropQuiz takes place every year in (early) spring.
So brush up your library of facts about global health, tropical medicine and research, music, movies and geography, and join us!
Global Health PhD and Postdoc Writing Retreat
Need help with that writer's block?
The Global Health PhD & Postdocs writing retreat offers participants the opportunity to work on their manuscript, join workshops to improve their academic writing and communication skills, and meet other global health PhD students and postdocs to share experience.
The workshops are facilitated by experts and senior researchers, and targets the major skills and concerns of young researchers.The 2021 edition was an online event in collaboration with Julius Center (UMC Utrecht), Utrecht University Summer School, APEC Ghana, North-west University South Africa, and the NVTG.
Global Health Symposium
Expert Talks on Global Health
Every year, Uniting Streams hosts a Global Health Symposium on a different topic related to global health. The previous edition, in summer 2019, hosted three expert talks about Novel Strategies in Healthcare.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the global health symposiums will be postponed until further notice. Keep an eye on the website and our socials.
Dutch Global Health Film Festival
Movies on Global Health
The NTVG, TROIE, Uniting Streams and Global Health Film are proud to present the annual Dutch Global Health Film Festival. Originally, the festivals screens a range of movies related to Global health across multiple cities in the Netherlands. This year, we look back on a successful online edition with 1500 registrations for 4 screenings from all over the world.
To revisit the panel discussions for the four screenings, click here
Robert Sauerwein Medal
An award for promising researchers in tropical infectious diseases
To honor his legacy, the Robert Sauerwein medal will be awarded every 2 years to researchers in the field of tropical infectious diseases. The prize consists of a medal and €500 and is jointly awarded by Radboud university medical center and Uniting Streams. Nominees are early career researchers (PhD students or within 3 years after PhD graduation) who are affiliated to a university or research institute in The Netherlands who have made major contributions to tropical infectious diseases.
The 2021 Sauerwein Medal was awarded to Dr. Menno Smit during the NVTG annual symposium.
OUR SOCIALS
stay updated!
