Upcoming Webinar: 'Prioritizing equitable COVID-19 vaccine access for internally-displaced populations: Disparities and opportunities'

Thursday 7 October, 12pm US Eastern Time / 5pm UK BST

Johns Hopkins University & the Health and Internal Displacement Network

IDPs are particularly vulnerable to adverse health outcomes compared to other migrant populations and arguably the most vulnerable to communicable diseases and/or vaccine-preventable diseases. COVID-19 is no exception. The pandemic has taken a toll on IDP populations globally, particularly in contexts where IDPs live in crowded conditions with little to no access to adequate health services.

While the international community emphasizes equitable access to vaccines and COVID-19 care for vulnerable populations, including migrants, refugees and IDPs, there are concerns that IDPs remain forgotten in contexts which are hard-to-reach, where there is active conflict or health systems have been decimated, and where there is little data or understanding of the pandemic’s impact.

The Health and Internal Displacement Network (HIDN) promotes research engagement and evidence-driven policy on IDP health. This event – run jointly with Johns Hopkins University, USA - builds on earlier HIDN expert workshops with researchers and policy actors that identified IDPs as often the population most affected by disease and death in conflict contexts.

In this webinar, presentations by leading HIDN researchers reflect on these challenges, including:

• Opening remarks by Dr. Paul Spiegel (Johns Hopkins University)
• Introduction by Dr. Monette Zard (Columbia University)
• Presentation (Syria) by Dr. Yaser Nagib (Syria Immunization Group, Gaziantep, Türkiye)
• Presentation (Yemen) Dr. Fekri Dureab (former WHO officer in Yemen)
• Reflections from Greta Zeender (UN High-Level Panel on Internal Displacement)

The webinar is organised by HIDN member Diana Rayes, Johns Hopkins University.

Register here to join us for this important webinar discussion. Please also feel free to forward the details of this event to your colleagues or networks as appropriate. Participants will be able to ask questions and share comments through online moderation. The event will be held in English and take place online, with the event recording made available afterwards. 

For more information, please contact Diana Rayes at drayes1@jhu.edu.