The Lancet Palestinian Health Alliance (LPHA) held its 10th annual conference at the Grand Hyatt Hotel, Amman, Jordan on March 27-28, 2019. The conference was hosted this year by the Jordan University of Science and Technology (JUST). A total of 200 participants attended the conference from Jordan, Palestine, Lebanon, Qatar, Japan, Europe, the USA and Canada. The conference began with welcoming words by Dr. Saeb Khrisat, President of JUST and Dr. Asem Khalil on behalf of Dr. Abdulltif Abu Hijleh, President of Birzeit University (BZU).
An opening remarks session followed where Professor Graham Watt, the Chair of the LPHA Steering Group, reviewed the development process of the LPHA, and Tamara Lucas from the Lancet highlighted the LPHA contributions, tasks, and challenges ahead. This year at total of 320 abstracts were submitted, of which 26 were chosen for oral presentation and 69 for poster presentation. Presentations included the Great March of Return in the Gaza strip, Appraisal of Clinical and Survey Instruments, the Social and Political Determinants of Health, Adolescent and Child Health, Conflict and Health, Mental Health, Cancer Survival, Risk, Control and Experience, and UNRWA’s Situation Report, among several other topics.
The conference is one of the activities which are conducted throughout the year focusing on training and capacity strengthening of young researchers in conducting quality health research. The Institute of Community and Public Health at Birzeit University in the occupied Palestinian territory holds the secretariat of the LPHA and collaborates with the faculty of Health Science at the American University of Beirut (AUB) and JUST in holding the yearly conference alternating locations yearly. Next year the conference will be held at Birzeit University. The conference ended with a celebration of ten years of activities culminating with the yearly conference, and soliciting the views of participants on future activities. Published abstracts in the LancetOnline can be viewed in the attachment below
