What people say about HIFA2015
HIFA2015 members in Africa
HIFA2015 members in Asia
HIFA2015 members in Eastern Mediterranean Region
HIFA2015 members in Europe
HIFA2015 members in North and South America
HIFA2015 Members in West Pacific Region
HIFA2015 members in Africa
“HIFA2015 is a tremendous window on the world of healthcare worldwide by health professionals with a wide variety of views on sometimes controversial issues as well as evidence based medicine.”
Daniel Stern, Mobile Monday, Uganda, 5 March 2012
“HIFA has become a household name among the general practitioners in Lagos! Can you imagine? These are indeed exciting times! From Maiduguri to Calabar, Port Harcout to Sokoto, Lagos to Markurdi, they talked. What a discussion! Thank you thank you thank you. Together, we can make a difference! Together, we will make a difference!”
Olayinka O. Ayankogbe, Head, Family Medicine Unit, University of Lagos, Nigeria, 23 February 2012
“HIFA has greatly helped to contribute to the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals, through its on-line discussion group with members from different discipline and across the globe. Subjects relating to all the eight MDG Goals are discussed among members, with special interest in women, children and health systems reform and strengthening.”
Remi Akinmade, Executive Director, Community Health Information Education Forum, Nigeria, 16 February 2012
“HIFA2015 provides the rare opportunity for Nigerians in the health sector to air their views and hopefully influence the powers-that-be to institute changes that will improve health care delivery in Nigeria and the West African sub-region. I urge you to join this network and add your voice to the efforts to make things better for our rural compatriots.”
Oluyombo Awojobi, Consultant Rural Surgeon, Eruwa, Nigeria, January 2012
“HIFA2015 is doing very important work. HIFA2015 is the best global network for health professionals, health information managers / librarians, decision-makers and partners.”
Pascal Mouhouelo, Acting Head Librarian, African Regional Office, World Health Organization, Brazzaville, Democratic Republic of Congo, January 2012
“I commend all the great work you are doing on the HIFA platform. Being in the HIFA group has ensured that I get to know so many things which I otherwise would not have had access to. Please keep up the good work and stay blessed.”
Ayebo Sadoh, Paediatrician, University of Benin Teaching Hospital, Nigeria
“The information we need to maintain health must reach everyone by the year 2015. If it does not, it should not be for want of trying!”
Shima Gyoh, Professor of Surgery, Benue State University, Nigeria
“I have asked my colleague, who works for the Uganda Ministry of Health, to make an intervention suggesting that all officials subscribe to the HIFA2015 list. HIFA2015 is one of the most amazing, literally, sources of relevant, up-to-date, grassroots, real time health information! There is no doubt that HIFA2015 plays an important role as a forum for better understanding and debate. It’s not easy to monitor the gradual changes in peoples views, but with the consistently excellent quality of discussions on the list about sensitive issues we are sure to make progress in overcoming misapprehensions and prejudices as we gain insights from others’ experiences and the global mind improves its ability to differentiate.”
Daniel Stern, Director of Mobile Monday, Kampala, Uganda
“The multidisciplinary composition of the membership of HIFA2015 is one of its strongest virtues. The contributions encourage 360 degrees reflection and transformative thinking in health. It promotes the advantages of joined up thinking and the integration of vertical and horizontal view points by practitioners.”
Joseph Ana, Former High Commissioner, Cross River State, Nigeria
“Who would have recognized the poor midwife in the remote area where no one wants to dream of but still are eager to help to achieve the Millennium Development Goals? HIFA2015 is the best-ever practice of information sharing to achieve the goals. I love HIFA2015 for you have made me proud for what I am today!”
Matilda Bannerman-Wulff, Midwife, Ghana
“HIFA2015 is doing a grand job in tackling education on health matters… I see HIFA2015 as an important component in catalysing the peaceful revolution that would favourably modify the actions of our governments in the health sector.”
Shima Kaimom Gyoh, Professor of Surgery, College of Health Sciences, Benue State University, Makurdi, Nigeria
“I would like to appreciate the rate at which information is being shared on this forum, needless to say, this is the most active and eloquent forum of all I am subscribed to.”
Robert Matovu, Reach the Children, Uganda
“I have been reading with growing interest the comments by all and am encouraged by the passion and commitment of all participants in this exciting forum. Well done!”
Alero Roberts, Nigeria
“HIFA2015 is connecting the world and it is playing a big role in terms of information sharing, exchange of knowledge and experiences, professional and social networks… The great thing is that HIFA2015 members are from all professional levels and all the geographical areas are covered: nurses, physicians, other health or medical professionals, researchers, librarians, information specialists from the World….. This is great!”
Pascal Mouhouelo, Library & Documentation Centre, World Health Organization, Regional Office for Africa, Brazzaville, Congo
“I really appreciate the active insightful sharing that goes on in our forum.”
Anthony Wairagu, African Medical and Research Foundation (AMREF), Nairobi, Kenya
“I am indeed grateful for the benefits that have accrued to me since joining this wonderful, very useful, and quite relevant network to African countries. Thank you for the good work you and your team are doing to bless mankind, especially the underserved population in most developing countries of the world.”
Adenike Onibokun, Nurse Educator & Counsultant Psycho-Oncologist, University of Ibadan, Nigeria
“Spurred on by HIFA discussions, we now have some funding to establish computer and internet services in our rural health training centers for undergraduate and post-graduate students in community health, Family Medicine, Community Health Officers course students, Community Health Extension workers, community ophthalmologists, midwives and nurses and traditional birth attendants and Village Health Workers!”
Olayinka Ayankogbe, Senior Lecturer in Family Medicine, University of Lagos, Nigeria
“Thank you for giving the global health community this opportunity to share ideas on how to make the world healthier. We in the developing world need to keep in touch and this is one very key way of doing it.”
Linda Amarkai Vanotoo, Regional Director, Ghana Health Service
“The HIFA2015 goal is within reach to provide relevant health information for all to the primary care health workers in Africa and the rest of the majority world.”
Bruce Dahlman, Institute of Family Medicine, report to Ministry of Health, Kenya
“HIFA2015 is the best thing to happen in my life concerning my career. I have learnt so, so much from the discussions… Long live HIFA2015!”
Beatrice Muraguri, Health Information Officer, Ministry of Health, Nairobi, Kenya
“Inspired and backed-up with the thorough discussions we had on the “Knowledge Cycle” in HIFA, I made a presentation [to the Federal Ministry of Health]… The results were simply amazing… Thanks to HIFA members who helped me formulate a clearer message through their inputs and insights on the topic.”
Ghaiath Hussein, Research Directorate, Ministry of Health, Sudan
“The HIFA2015 network is simply wonderful. I have made contacts with top brass in WHO, and funders in Canada. I have become an international and global contributor to health issues. Please join this network! Especially if you are a doctor in information starved Africa!”
Olayinka Ayankogbe, Senior Lecturer in Family Medicine, University of Lagos, Nigeria
“HIFA helps us to monitor and evaluate the use of health information from all corners of the world. This is a good tool to find mentors and seek second opinion on a topic or research one wants to share with others because the response is quite instant. [HIFA2015] should be strongly supported because the benefits are immense.”
Kenneth Chanda, Medical Librarian, University of Zambia
“I am pleased to inform you that I have received a Blue Trunk library from the WHO office in Nairobi, Kenya. I take this opportunity to thank the WHO for the continued support to the Kilifi library. I also extend my gratitude to HIFA2015 network for providing the platform to share ideas and to work together towards our goal of “Healthcare information for all by 2015″.
Alex Maina, Librarian, Kenya Medical Research Institute, Kilifi, Kenya
“We, in BMJ West Africa edition have no hesitation in affirming the high impact role that HIFA2015 has played, since it was launched, in assisting our organisation… We are proud to associate with HIFA2015 and have no hesitation in recommending it to our colleagues (and we have been doing just that) in this impoverished subregion which is in dire need of access and use of appropriate health information. Best wishes in your drive for sustainable funding for HIFA2015.”
Joseph Ana, Commissioner for Health, Cross River state, Nigeria
“Within the short few months that I have joined HIFA2015. I have received a great tutorial DVD that has taught me a great way to repair the common but very distressing vesico-vaginal fistula (VVF), a knowledge which I am going to share with the Association of Rural Surgical Practitioners of Nigeria (ARSPON)… I have become conscious that I must share my experiences with others, and look forward to learning from the vast experience of others in all parts of the continent and beyond. I always thought that my part of the world was the worst there is, but I was amazed that others had problems that made me wish I could go out there and assist!”
Shima Kaimom Gyoh, Professor of Surgery, College of Health Sciences, Benue State University, Makurdi, Nigeria
HIFA2015 members in Asia
“I express my gratitude for having such an educating and rewarding experience at this forum.”
Thein Thein Htay, Deputy Director General, Ministry of Health, Myanmar
“HIFA2015 has given us the links and solutions we were struggling for.”
Vivek Chhabra, Doctors for You, India – winner of BMJ Award 2011 for best Medical Team in a Crisis Zone
“I must say that the individuals who came together to save HINARI for the time being could not have done it had they not been united by the HIFA2015. It shows that the power of cyber advocacy is immense. I would like to applaud you for running the group so efficiently. Also, I have been following the mobile phone with healthcare information issue with some interest. I believe with mobile telephones becoming ubiquitous, it would be a great way to serve healthcare information at the point of care. I find it to be a matter of great privilege to be a member of this group and I am in great admiration of the way HIFA2015 keeps touching lives!”
Pranab Chatterjeee, Medical College, West Bengal University of Health Sciences, Kolkata, India
“The HIFA2015 email discussion forum is like an open textbook of real life public health. Thanks to you all for such a far reaching endeavour.”
Mahesh Pundlik Kate, Senior Resident, Sree Chitra Tirunal Institute for Medical Sciences and Technology, Trivandrum, India
“I wish to acknowledge the crucial role played by HIFA2015 discussions in the development of this venture [First Care Health, a new social enterprise with rural medical practitioners in India]. The idea first struck me in one of the discussion threads, and subsequently I received a lot of support and encouragement from several HIFA members.”
Meenakshi Gautham, First Care Health, Indian Institute of Technology, India
“In this era of commercial interests, a platform such as HIFA is most essential especially for people like me in the nonprofit sector, who are involved in improving the quality of life of hundreds of persons in the developing world. The network saves us cost, time, and provides us high quality scientific information. It also culls out wisdom from experiences from those who have walked the paths before us and makes it available to many. I would appeal for further funding support to this special forum to continue.”
Daisy Dhrmaraj, health and development consultant, India
“Being a member of HIFA2015 has helped to deepen my understanding of the similarities and differences in issues relating to healthcare information access around the world. This spans the ambit of training para-medical personnel to helping medical practitioners be updated with the latest medical knowledge, challenges of distance, language, costs et al. I am very glad to be a member of the HIFA2015 and I hope HIFA2015 will be able to gain the support needed to achieve the ‘Healthcare Information for All by 2015′ goal.”
Sowmya Rajasekaran, Lumbini Eye Institute, Nepal
HIFA2015 members in the Eastern Mediterranean region
“I am very thankful to HIFA2015 for the knowledge and opportunity they provide to similarly thinking people and professionals. I got introduced to so many useful activities and people in Pakistan and worldwide. I look forward to extend my share of helping people now to Africa.”
Manzoor Butt, Family Physician, Researcher & Trainer, Rawalpindi, Pakistan, 18 March 2012
“I salute and congratulate you for the remarkable work.”
Clara Pasha, Vice President, Midwifery Association of Pakistan, 17 March 2012
“HIFA2015 is one of the most useful prestigious e-forums I have ever known with thousands of members from all over the globe. I strongly recommend that you join.”
Ghaiath Hussein, assistant professor of bioethics, King Fahd Medical City, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
“Apart from the forum, it’s a really good idea to hold a public meeting for HIFA2015 members and I hope it will an annual event by choosing any similar large gathering of health professionals to hold such public meeting for the group. Indeed, I was actually amazed by the quality of our members and it will be good to meet some face to face.”
Hassanein Hadi, International Committee of the Red Cross, Iraq
“This forum has become a tremendous source of information for health workers around the globe, specially for the developing countries.”
S M Mursalin, National Coordinator Health Information, Ministry of Health, Pakistan
“You are doing a wonderful job in sharing information on your list serve. We need the kind of hope you provide.”
Kay Wotton, Community Medicine Specialist, North West Frontier Province, Pakistan
HIFA2015 members in Europe
“As the person running the Building Leadership for Health initiative and a keen member of HIFA I am constantly re-inspired by the feedback from your members.”
Graham Lister, Judge Business School, University of Cambridge, UK, 14 March 2012
“I would like to take this opportunity to express my appreciation of the HIFA2015 forum. On the basis of what I have been exposed to on the forum, I prepared a background paper on mHealth to present to the World Stroke Organisation Board in which I highlighted the role of HIFA.”
Sandra Levy, Stroke Alliance For Europe, 17 February 2012
“Thanks to HIFA2015, I have met with people in Ghana with whom I have been corresponding for some time. This network has and will continue to save the lives of women and babies. Thank you for the great work you do.”
Angela Gorman, Life for African Mothers, UK, 19 January 2012
“Never a day passes without some very interesting topic(s) appearing in one or more HIFA2015 messages. I congratulate you on the variety of subjects and what appears to be an ever increasing number of members making worthwhile contributions towards improving health matters across the globe – quite terrific and a huge “THANK YOU”.
John Zeal, Camborne Consultants, UK, December 2011
“I am amazed by the momentum and enthusiasm of HIFA’s members. Every day there are new questions, new testimonies and shared resources. It opens up the doors for great networking without having to leave the office!”
Leanne Kennedy, Community Health Global Network, UK
“I have found the forum enormously valuable and helpful for the work that we are involved in, which involves supporting community health programmes in India.”
Sally Venn, Public Health Wales, UK
“HIFA2015 is surely the most global coalition of healthcare actors and policy makers in the world!”
Lori Thicke, Translators without Borders, France
“I have been receiving the HIFA emails and have found them incredibly useful and interesting. HIFA has made impressive acheivements in terms of diversity of informed parties and topics. On a personal level I very much enjoy reading what is going on.”
Sam Franzen, Global Health Clinical Trials Programme, University of Oxford, UK
“I value the network very much and bring thoughts and opportunities from the network frequently to the attention of colleagues.”
Pieter Both, Leprosy Mission International, The Netherlands
“I am personally committed to HIFA2015, as it is a perfect match for what we aim to do. The very reason for the journal’s existence is that we know people are going needlessly blind in developing countries because eye care or health care workers don’t know what to do, or how important it is that they act urgently.”
Elmien Ellison, Editor, Community Eye Health Journal, International Centre for Eye Health, London
“This HIFA list never ceases to amaze!”
Sue Thomas, Health Promotion Librarian, Department of Public Health and Health Professionals, Welsh Assembly Government, Wales
“I always read as much of the HIFA2015 discussions as I can as I think they are a great source of ideas and tap into what people really need. The mix of common sense, insight and inspiration that accumulates around hot topics is brilliant!”
Jean Newman, Kenya Health Information Partnership, UK
“I find it the most useful tool for communication and exchange of experience.”
Joost Butenop, Medical Mission Institute, Germany
“Of all the hundreds of forum emails I get daily, HIFA is the only one serious enough to read through.”
Garance Upham, General Secretary, Safe Observer, Geneva, Switzerland
“The messages exchanged among HIFA2015 participants are precious for me to better understand realities on the ground in relation to my work, as well as to raise awareness of WHO publications.”
Maryvonne Grisetti, WHO Press, World Health Organization, Geneva, Switzerland
“As I travel around the world and visit health centres and schools of health professionals, I am outraged by the lack of current books and journals in a number of countries… HIFA2015 and its laudable mission to scale up health information to all health workers is timely. And that is why I decided to join the HIFA2015 campaign. I believe HIFA2015 provides a forum for pooling of our resources, experiences and best practices. Together we can improve access to health information and ‘walk the talk’ toward evidence based care for all.”
Tesfamicael Ghebrehiwet, International Council of Nurses, Geneva, Switzerland
“I am surprised and impressed by the globality of your members. I find it especially interesting reading about the experiences of those working in lower income regions such as parts of Africa. Thank you again for having included me in this informative network.”
Mayoni Ranasinghe, Health on the Net Foundation, Geneva, Switzerland
“It is very exciting to read the many fascinating and informative messages sent amongst the HIFA2015 group. Working in the area of community health can be so challenging, but by freely sharing ideas, learning, solutions and encouragement, we’ll all be better equipped, resourced and motivated to make a bigger difference… So thank you to the members who contribute to these valuable conversations!”
Zannah Jeffreys, Community Health Global Network, UK
HIFA2015 members in North and South America
“Our newborn care videos ready for field-testing…We would like to gratefully acknowledge the help of many HIFA2015 and CHILD2015 members over the past year.”
Deborah Van Dyke, Director, Global Health Media Project, USA, 22 February 2012
“If you want to read and/or enter into a very lively discussion on a variety of relevant global child health issues you must join HIFA2015 (Healthcare Information for All) and its companion CHILD2015….Join and your journey of discussion and discovery is about to begin.”
Duke Duncan, Professor of Pediatrics & Public Health, American Academy of Pediatrics, February 2012
“I would like to thank HIFA2015 for bringing myself from Wikipedia and Lori Thicke from Translators Without Borders together. This has led to an exciting new collaboration to improve free global access to high quality health information.”
James Heilman, Wikimedia Canada, January 2012
“HIFA opens the door to learning/teaching with those who are out there all over…doing the work. Uniting the lessons of yesteryear with the new knowledge, day to day issues and internet facilitated contagion of understanding, is special, thirst quenching, and potentially transforming for all concerned. Thank you HIFA for making this possible.”
Nicholas Cunningham, Emeritus Professor of Clinical Pediatrics & Clinical Public Health, Columbia University, New York, USA December 2011
“The HIFA2015 group is wonderful. The range of international participation and the quality of the submissions are impressive. I am so pleased to have become a member.”
Jim Henderson, Liaison Librarian, McGill University Life Sciences Library, Canada
“In the year since joining the HIFA network I have found it incredibly valuable. Though I am very busy, I skim all of the posts, and read with interest many of them. There have been impressive insights and dialogues with people in such a wide range of professions from all over the globe. I consider it a stroke of luck to have discovered it and good fortune to have joined. Thanks for creating that opportunity for all of us.”
Deborah van Dyke, Field Team Leader, Médecins sans Frontières; Founder, Global Health Media Project, USA
“HIFA2015 has many incredibly important and informative discussions – it is a tremendous, flourishing community and a valuable service to health workers and others around the world.”
Eric Friedman, Health Workforce Advocacy Initiative and Physicians for Human Rights, USA
“This type of engagement and discussion is absolutely critical. It is possible that everyone might not agree entirely on each element of these types of programs, but if the issues can be fully explored then the materials have a better chance of being effectively locally adapted as necessary to optimize likelihood of success in individual settings.”
Jonathan Spector, Chairperson of the American Academy of Pediatrics Section on International Child Health (re CHILD2015 discussion on guidelines for neonatal resuscitation in low-resource settings)
“I am most pleased to being part of HIFA2015, and firmly believe that it’s already making a real contribution to its goal of getting access of an informed healthcare provider to every person worldwide.”
Luis Huicho, Professor of Paediatrics, Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia, Peru
“I have reconnected with so many old friends through HIFA2015! HIFA2015 has done such a great job in connecting many people around the world, people who would never have met, or who should meet… but struggling on alone!”
Elizabeth Hillman, Emeritus Professor of Paediatrics, Memorial University, Newfoundland, Canada
“It gives me great hope that so many very accomplished professionals are joining in collaboration on the important goal of improving the knowledge of health workers.”
Deborah van Dyke, Field Team Leader, Médecins sans Frontières; Founder, Global Health Media Project, USA
“We are avid readers and supporters of HIFA. Thank you for your critical efforts in maintaining this forum.”
Julia Frydman, Program Manager for Health Systems, Earth Institute, USA
“I’m a huge fan of this list-serv – I find everyone’s comments truly illuminating, and they have had a large impact on our work at the Earth Institute and Millennium Villages.”
Prabhjot Dhadialla, Team Leader, Millennium Village Project’s Community Health Worker Program, Earth Institute, USA
“Observations and shared experiences from the HIFA2015 community have been enormously useful all along the way, and have added significantly to understanding on-the-ground realities and needs… So thank you to the whole HIFA2015 community for the many ways in which you are contributing to our research.”
Catherine Coleman, Editor-in-Chief, ProCor, USA
“I really think it is a great project that will benefit a lot of people around the world specially us in the developing countries. [HIFA2015] can make extraordinary dreams become possible.”
Maribel Bont, medical lecturer, Venezuela
“I want to express my honest and heartfelt thanks for the unique and comprehensive network opportunity kindly provided by your site. This networking has become an important integral part in our daily life.”
Naira Roland Matevosyan-Schwarzenberg, professor of obstetrics, USA
“The South Sudan team have been delighted by the response [from HIFA2015 members] about materials available for our resource center in Juba. I would like to take this opportunity to thank all of you who have written to me or posted a message. Every contact has been filed and as the center becomes ready and we appoint the managers, we will be contacting you, or the source that you gave us, so that we can make as much information as possible available to our clients. This has been an example, for me, of the Forum at its most productive and effective. It is really impressive that so many people took the time to respond.”
Barbara Stilwell, Capacity Project, USA
“It is incredibly exciting for me to follow this dialogue thread”
Patricia Mechael, Millennium Villages Project, USA
“I joined HIFA 2015 after the first-ever Global Health Workforce Forum in Kampala in March 2008 and have found the group unique and important for 3 reasons: (1) The exchange provides a rapid overview of timely, relevant issues articulated from a refreshingly diverse set of perspectives; (2) The threads of conversation are varied and well moderated, moving in a timely way from topic to topic; (3) I can quickly and efficiently make contact and stay in touch with an extremely diverse group of colleagues with one overarching common interest – improving health of people in the world using evidenced-based approaches. I have recommended the group to many other colleagues, particularly those involved in humanitarian health efforts, as one way to bridge our silos to shift our efforts from surviving to thriving in our personal and professional efforts. HIFA2015 and CHILD2015 combine 3 types of capital— ‘intellectual capital’ (i.e. the knowledge brought from the literature and experience) as well as bridging ‘social capital’ (sharing our knowledge across disciplines and communities and continents); and ‘technologic capital’ (i.e. using the latest networking technology to encourage and efficiently handle complex internet interchanges).”
Karen Hein, Professor of Epidemiology & Population Health and (Clinical) Pediatrics, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, New York, USA
“Perhaps the first and foremost art of medicine is deciding when the preponderance of the evidence (of efficacy, untoward side effects, and sequelae) is sufficient to warrant action. We all have our biases, and meta analyses help to average them out, but the influence of the “market” short cuts deliberation, introduces profit oriented bias, and undermines this art. And it threatens our professionalism. HIFA helps us commune together, interconnects us and serves as a nascent dike or levy against the floods of de professionalism!”
Nicholas Cunningham, Emeritus Professor of Clinical Pediatrics & Clinical Public Health, Columbia University, New York, USA
HIFA2015 members in the Western Pacific region
“Through HIFA2015 I have found colleagues with whom we can forge potential collaborations. Even as I write, one of my students at the University of Canterbury is engaged in conducting an important exploratory research on Telehealth care in Papua New Guinea. One of main contacts in PNG was identified through HIFA2015. This is likely to develop into a good project and I think HIFA2015 should be thanked for its role as a good source of networking.”
Arin Basu, Senior Lecturer in Health Sciences, University of Canterbury, New Zealand
