[e-drug] Conference on Pharmaceutical Policy Analysis 2007

["E-Drug" <e-drug@healthnet.org>]

E-DRUG: Woudschoten conference announcement
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19 - 21 September 2007, Zeist, The Netherlands

Conference on Pharmaceutical Policy Analysis, including 
socio-cultural, economic, regulatory and epidemiological aspects of
pharmaceuticals and international health
 
- CALL FOR ABSTRACTS -
Why this Conference?
Pharmaceutical policy analysis is increasingly acknowledged as an
important instrument to drive and evaluate evidence-based policy making
on pharmaceuticals. In a world with ample diversity in perspectives and
opinions about how to prioritise and regulate pharmaceutical policies,
and where to intervene in daily practice, robust data and valid research
methodologies can, and should, make a difference. However, despite all
the enthusiasm and support for pharmaceutical policy research, we have
to admit that the scientific quality of the field is yet rather limited
in terms of impact on policy makers and visibility in high-impact
journals. This Conference aims to change this landscape. 

Format of the meeting
More than fifteen years ago an influential meeting was held in
Woudschoten, The Nether-lands on Social and Cultural Aspects of
Pharmaceuticals. The meeting was organized by the Department of Medical
Anthropology at the University of Amsterdam. (Sjaak van der Geest &
Anita Hardon). This meeting was so successful because of the challenging
and interactive format, which focussed on intensively discussing and
improving the papers submitted by all participants. 

In the 2007 Conference on Pharmaceutical Policy Analysis in Zeist, The
Netherlands, we want to use this method to:
* Build knowledge on the basis of a discussion of Pharmaceutical Policy Analysis papers submitted and reviewed in advance of the meeting.
* Focus on methods for Pharmaceutical Policy Analysis as a long-term outcome to fuel the field.
* Create commitment to deliver publications in high-impact journals. 

The 2007 meeting will be jointly organized by Bert Leufkens (Division of
Pharmacoepidemiology and Pharmacotherapy, Utrecht University), Anita
Hardon (Department of Medical Anthropology, University of Amsterdam),
Richard Laing (Department Medicine, Policy and Standards, World Health
Organization, Geneva ), Michael Montagne (Massachusetts College of
Pharmacy and Health Sciences), Bob Vander Stichele (Heymans Institute of
Pharmacology, University of Ghent, Belgium),  Department of Clinical
Pharmacology, Sri Suryawati (Gadjah Mada University, Yogyakarta,
Indonesia), Harriet Birungi (Population Council, Kenya), Goran Tomson
(IHCAR, International Health Dept Public Health Sciences, Karolinska
Institutet), Sweden  and Ebba Holme Hansen (Department of Pharmacology
and Pharmacotherapy, The Danish University of Pharmaceutical Sciences).
Others may be invited to participate on the organizing committee.

Contents of the Conference
The theme for the conference will be broadly interpreted to encourage
submission of a range of papers on various topics related to
international policy aspects of pharmaceuticals. These could include:
prioritising in and barriers to pharmaceutical innovation. drug
utilization aspects, regulatory issues, economical questions,
cross-cultural aspects of medicines' efficacy, safety and usage, quality
indicators, methods of pharmaceutical policy analysis, effectiveness of
rational use interventions, promotional practices, role of consumers,
access to medicines, and international health. Ultimately, it will be
the quality of the papers which determines the contents of the meeting.

Procedure
We are calling for abstracts to be submitted dealing with these and
other themes that fit in the overall scope of the meeting. Once
accepted, meeting participants will be asked to write and submit papers
before 15 April 2007. These papers will be reviewed by two participants
and these reviews will be posted on a password protected web site. A
discussant will be identified and asked to prepare detailed comments on
the paper for presentation in the conference. 

At the meeting, there will be a limited number of plenary sessions with
keynote speakers. Most of the time will be spent in smaller groups
discussing four or five papers that have been pre-circulated. The author
of the paper will be given a short time to introduce their paper and
then the discussant will have ten minutes to make detailed comments
about the paper. After the four or five papers have been introduced in
this way, at least an hour will be reserved for general discussion. Each
group will have an experienced chair and rapporteur who will summarize
the discussions in plenary sessions at the end of the day.

In addition to the plenary and group sessions, editors of leading
journals will be invited to speak about successful publication.
Hopefully, after the thorough review, revision and discussion at the
meeting the authors will be able to complete their papers quickly and
submit for publication. The conference organizers will approach journal
editors with a request for a special edition around a number of themes
reflecting the main issues raised in papers submitted to the conference
committee. 

All authors will be asked to revise their papers for posting on an
intraweb after the conference (accessible only to conference
participants). The abstracts will be posted on a designated external
website, including the proceedings of the conference, to make the
contents and results of the meeting accessible to a wider audience.
Moreover, all papers discussed during the conference will be tracked as
they make their way into peer-reviewed journal publications.

Time Lines
1) Abstracts submitted 15 December 2006
2) Acceptance yes/no sent out electronically 15 January 2007
3) First draft submitted 15 April 2007
4) Sent for Review to two accepted participants 30 April 2007
5) Reviews sent to author and posted on private website	30 May 2007
6) Paper revised and posted on private web site	15 July 2007
7) Discussant identified and asked to prepare commentary 1 August 2007
8) Conference 19-21 September 2007

Conference details
The conference will be held at the Woudschoten Conference Centre in
Zeist, The Netherlands. A conference registration fee of 400 Euros will
cover breakfast, lunch and dinner, based on a single room. When a room
is shared the registration fee is 350 EUR. Social activities will be
well catered for in this meeting and will include a group trip to a
suitable venue.

Please send enquiries and abstracts to Pieter Stolk:
pharmapolicy2007@pharm.uu.nl. 
At this stage we would like to request
that structured abstracts be submitted as attached files in Word or RTF
or PDF format. 
Abstracts must be prepared in English only. 
The text should not exceed 300 words.
The text of the abstract should briefly state: 
Objectives (indicate the purpose of the study) 
Methods (include the setting for the study, the problem or issue studied, the subjects involved, if an intervention was tested) 
Results (present as clearly as possible) 
Conclusion (briefly discuss the data and emphasize the significance of the results). 

Submitting authors should provide contact information when submitting
their abstract. A confirmation of receipt will be sent via e-mail upon
submission of an abstract. All submitted abstracts will be reviewed by
the organizing committee members. A confirmation of acceptance or
rejection will be sent to the author by e-mail. Authors whose abstracts
have been accepted will receive further instructions for writing their
paper. Single author papers are preferred, but two or three author
papers will be considered. 

Further information
Pieter Stolk
pharmapolicy2007@pharm.uu.nl / p.stolk@pharm.uu.nl
P.O. Box 80082 
3508 TB Utrecht  The Netherlands