Kampala International University Western Campus (KIU-WC) is to hold three days research dissemination and innovation conference dubbed multi-sectoral collaboration towards the prevention and management of non-communicable diseases.
According to organisers, the conference will avail a multidisciplinary platform for knowledge dissemination on non-communicable diseases (NCDs) to around 20,000 students in various universities within and outside Uganda.
The event is scheduled to take place from September 11-13, 2019, at new biomedical block, 3rd floor, KIU western campus in Ishaka-Bushenyi, Uganda.
It will also provide a platform for researchers to share the outputs of their research, stimulate young scientist to develop new interventions to manage non-communicable diseases and create awareness on non-communicable diseases that will in turn promote healthy lifestyles that are essential towards the fight against these diseases
It is also scheduled to Increase the investment in research and development through public funding and encouraging the investments of the business sector in research and innovation in non-communicable diseases and advocate for the inclusion of health promotion and public health approaches to the global burden of non-communicable diseases in health science school curricula.
Africa has previously been challenged by infectious diseases; however, the continent is now currently facing a new challenge of non-communicable diseases. In Uganda for example, according to the 2018 WHO report on non-communicable diseases, a death rate of 33 per cent was accounted for due to the prevalence of non-communicable diseases. Consequently, there is an urgent need for Africa to start addressing this challenge and develop interventions towards these diseases that are suitable for resource limited settings.
The key note speakers include Prof. Andre Renzaho of Western Sydney University, Australia, Dr. Gerald Mutungi; Commissioner Non-Communicable Diseases Uganda, and Prof. Fred Wabwire Mangen of the College of Health Sciences, Makerere University. Also, gracing the occasion are delegates from the Ministry of Science Technology and Innovation, Uganda, among other notable personalities to mention but a few.
Over time, students have been involved in scientific research and innovation on various local and international platforms. However, only a few students have been able to share their innovations on these platforms owing to lack of enough publicity and access to the media.
Two outstanding innovations have been shared extensively with the science community, the Petograph App; an application and software that can be used by health practitioners to improve diagnosis, management and follow up of pregnant mothers with pre-eclampsia and the HDA App; an offline application that helps patients to verify drugs, medical personnel and health centres.
It will be held under sub themes of Nutrition based Interventions, Community initiatives in prevention of non-communicable diseases, Workplace Initiatives in prevention of non-communicable diseases, Alternative Medicine for Non communicable Diseases, Access to Health Information and Health Care Delivery, Environmental Health in Mitigating Non-Communicable diseases, Lifestyle and Non-communicable disease and Drug and substance abuse and mental health.
The conference will be packed with Pre, Main, and Post Conference activities that will challenge the thinking of all participants as well as enable them explore the heights. Side attractions like KRIC Run, Hub of Science Tour, Game Drive, among others, have been enshrined in the programme to make the event rewarding and memorable.
