Covid-19 Forum is expected to be the biggest stage for post-pandemic discussions

The 56th edition of the SBMT Congress will feature a great novelty, the COVID-19 Forum, under the coordination of Dr. Júlio Croda

The world changed and it was necessary to reinvent itself. Coronavirus came as an accelerator of futures and the pandemic anticipated changes that were already underway. The transformations were numerous. The era of uncertainty opened by the pandemic has sharpened peoples need to seek new knowledge and, given this scenario, the 1st COVID-19 Forum was added to the Satellite Meetings that will take place simultaneously with the 56th Congress of the Brazilian Society of Tropical Medicine (MEDTROP Play 2021) , which will be held between October 25th and 28th. Under the coordination of Dr. Júlio Croda, scientific activity promises to be the main protagonist.

According Croda, the 1st COVID-19 Forum should be the biggest stage for discussions on the post-pandemic theme. The event will feature discussions about COVID-19 and will be an excellent opportunity to present the latest research results regarding the epidemiology of the disease in the context of new variants, vulnerabilities, pediatric and adult clinical management, post-COVID-19 syndrome, and vaccines, in addition to sharing successful experiences in Brazil”, he highlights. The Forum will bring to the debate how we should prepare for the post-pandemic world. Regarding the participation in the Forum, Dr. Croda explains that those enrolled in MEDTROP Play 2021 have guaranteed participation, but whoever wants to can enroll only in this activity.

Among the speakers who have already confirmed their presence are Dr. Wanderson Oliveira, PhD and Master in Epidemiology, with 23 years of training in the health area and working in state, municipal and federal health institutions. He was also the National Secretary for Health Surveillance of the Ministry of Health (SVS/MS), during the administration of Ministers Luiz Henrique Mandetta and Nelson Teich from 2019 to May 2020. He is currently Secretary of Integrated Services at the STF [Federal Supreme Court]. Another confirmed participation is Dr. Renato Kfouri, pediatric infectious disease physician, director of the Brazilian Society of Immunizations and (SBIm) and President of the Department of Immunizations of the Brazilian Society of Pediatrics (SBP).

Also confirmed guests include Nésio Fernandes, sanitary doctor, specialist in Preventive and Social Medicine and in Health Administration. He was President of the School of Public Health Foundation and Municipal Health Secretary of Palmas (TO). He is currently Espírito Santo Health Secretary and Vice President of the National Council of Health Secretaries (CONASS). Dr. Fernandes participates in the Roundtable “Past, present and future of the surveillance of respiratory syndromes”. Social scientist and health journalist Mariana Varella is another confirmed name. She will be participating in the Mini Conference “Communication in science in times of COVID-19”.

Other confirmed speakers at the 1st COVID-19 FORUM are: Dr. Fabiano Pimenta, Master in Public Health from the Oswaldo Cruz Foundation (Fiocruz). He was National Secretary of Health Surveillance, Municipal Health Secretary of Belo Horizonte and is currently Undersecretary of Health Promotion and Surveillance of Belo Horizonte; Doctor. Luiz Alcantara, senior researcher at the Oswaldo Cruz Institute (IOC/Fiocruz), member of the RELDA and VIGENDA networks of the Pan American Health Organization/World Health Organization (PAHO/WHO) and coordinator of the genomic surveillance of SARS-CoV-2 by the PAHO/WHO Technical Unit for Surveillance, Preparedness, and Response to Emergencies and Disasters. Another confirmed participation are Dr. Pedro Hallal, Master and Doctor in Epidemiology from the Federal University of Pelotas (UFPel), where he was Dean and Dr. Ester Sabino, professor at the Department of Infectious and Parasitic Diseases at the Faculty of Medicine of the University of São Paulo (USP) and one of the most renowned Brazilian immunologists, who participated in the sequencing of the genome of the new coronavirus.

The 1st COVID-19 Forum will also feature the participation of Dr. André Kalil, MD and professor of medicine in the field of Infectious Diseases in the Department of Internal Medicine at the University of Nebraska Medical Center in Omaha, Nebraska; of Dr. Carlos Orsi, journalist and writer, editor-in-chief of the Revista Questão de Ciência and founder of the Institute of the same name; of Dr. Eliana Honain, nurse and Health Secretary for the Municipality of Araraquara (SP); among others.

In addition to the 1st COVID-19, Forum, the following are also planned: National Workshop of the Brazilian Network for Research on Tuberculosis REDE-TB, Entomol8, ChagasLeish, National Meeting on Malaria Research, 4th Brazilian Social Forum on Combating Infectious and Neglected Diseases and COVID-19 Forum. Participation in satellite events, which take place simultaneously with the Congress of the Brazilian Society of Tropical Medicine, expands public participation and enables the integration of groups. They represent an excellent opportunity for participants to exchange their expertise, discuss possible partnerships in other areas and in collaborative projects. In the MEDTROP PLAY activities, 16 pre-congress courses, 24 conferences, 48 mini-courses, 72 round tables and the presentation of free themes and E-posters are planned.