ECTMIH2017: World class science for health worldwide at the heart of European congress in Antwerp

From 16 to 20 October 2017, nearly 1,500 global experts are gathering in Antwerp for a scientific congress on tropical medicines and international health. The Institute of Tropical Medicine (ITM) is proudly organising the congress together with Be-cause Health and the Federation of European Societies for Tropical Medicine and International Health (FESTMIH).

ECTMIH2017 is the place where biologists, physicians, epidemiologists, anthropologists, and other health experts meet on a bi-annual basis from around the world. With this edition’s motto of ‘World class science for worldwide development’, the congress is hosting more than 100 scientific sessions among them plenaries, debates and satellite symposia.

ITM Director Bruno Gryseels is Congress Chair: “Belgium is a small country that can compete with the big players in international health. Together with experts from all disciplines we’re looking for fresh knowledge and solutions for health problems in the tropics that have global impact.  ECTMIH2017 is based on scientific progress and applying knowledge for the health of all people, particularly for vulnerable populations in the South.”

“Tropical medicine and health care is a fascinating research terrain that can deliver fundamentally new insights like no other discipline. The societal impact of our research has enormous potential and therefore depends, all the more, on innovation and the quality of the science being practiced,” says Gryseels.

By definition, European research in tropical medicine and health care is undertaken by working together with the South. ITM has structural connections with 18 institutional partners and has thousands of alumni in Africa, Asia and Latin America. The importance and the future of this collaboration is a crucial underlying theme of the congress, to which hundreds of scientific experts from the South will contribute.

Aku Kwamie from Ghana studied at the ITM in 2012. She sees ECTMIH2017 as an ideal incubator for new ideas and partnerships. “I started my career in the laboratory and now I’m working in public health. Like no other, I know how important it is for experts from different disciplines to come together to work on solutions. I’m looking to interact with anthropologists, biologists and epidemiologists from the whole world; together we’re laying the foundations for a healthier world."

The participants from ECTMIH2017 are meeting each other in the recently renovated  Flanders Meeting & Convention Center of the Antwerp Zoo. In more than 100 scientific sessions experts will present new insights in research on the fight against malaria, tropical parasites and viruses, bacterial infections and antimicrobial resistance with results from the laboratory, the clinic and the public health perspectives. The congress also includes broader topics such as migration, access to medicines, health financing and chronic diseases.

On Wednesday October 18, the film ‘Heart Of The Matter’, showcasing the work of Belgian researcher Peter Piot, will also celebrate its premiere during the congress.