Landmark Conference of Nursing and Midwifery Leaders Meet in Amman to Create Research Agenda

Leaders Meet as Healthcare Needs of Syrian Refugees and Others in Region Increase

New York, NY, July 6, 2016 -- On July 18-19, 2016, Columbia Global Centers | Amman and Columbia University School of Nursing will host the Global Nursing and Midwifery Clinical Research Development Initiative in Amman, Jordan. Experts from approximately 22 countries in the Eastern Mediterranean region will meet to identify, prioritize, and gain consensus on how to address critical regional health needs.

The goal of the summit is to disseminate recommendations and develop a sustainable network to support nursing and midwifery clinical research with a mentorship component.   The initiative is led by two faculty members from Columbia University School of Nursing:  Elaine Larson, PhD, associate dean for research, and Jennifer Dohrn, DNP, director of the Office of Global Initiatives and its WHO Collaborating Center for Advanced Practice Nursing.

 

Worldwide, nurses and midwives make up the largest proportion of healthcare professionals and are the backbone of healthcare systems. To address large global health disparities, the development of a robust nursing and midwifery profession needs to be a critical goal in regions with challenged human resources for healthcare services.

 

“Providing healthcare to the large number of people in the midst of war and political upheaval in the Eastern Mediterranean region is especially urgent,” said Dohrn. “This summit is timely in light of the Syrian refugee crisis, one of the worst humanitarian emergencies in decades. Nursing and midwifery leaders will meet to map out how to improve people’s health throughout the region.”

 

Professor Safwan Masri, executive vice president for Global Centers and Global Development, and director of the Columbia Global Centers | Amman added: “With all the turmoil and instability around us, staying focused on basic human needs is often forgotten. Bringing experienced voices from the nursing and midwifery field to the forefront of the regional discourse on healthcare is instrumental in supporting the improvement of services available on the ground.”

 

The overall expected outcome of the two-day summit is to identify regional clinical nursing and midwifery research priorities and an action plan to go forward. To improve global health and primary care delivery, it is vital to understand current nursing and midwifery care needs, practices, and outcomes.

 

Said Dohrn: “As nurses and midwives move the agenda forward towards universal health coverage, our profession needs expanded evidence to direct our care.”

 

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