Call for abstracts: Continuity of chronic health care among forcibly displaced persons

About the symposium

The number of displaced persons in the world is growing at an alarming rate. The fragmented access to healthcare and medication caused by displacement poses a serious health risk to those living with chronic health conditions. Yet, we still have a limited understanding of what it takes to maintain continuity of care for displaced persons living with chronic illnesses. While there is scant evidence from different fields, there is an urgent need to bring these disparate fields together to share experiences and good practices. 

The purpose of this one-day symposium is therefore to bring together researchers and practitioners to present and reflect on the current state of research, policy and practice, and to identify steps needed to elevate the field going forward. The presentations will be live streamed.

Call for abstracts

The symposium organisers invite abstracts from anyone working or doing research within the field of health care among forcibly displaced persons. The focus will be on research specific to ‘Continuity of chronic health care among forcibly displaced persons’. This may include, but are not limited to: 

• Experiences of (dis)continuity of chronic health care among forcible displaced persons 
• Health system responses to maintain continuity of care for mobile populations. 
• The role of formal community structures or informal social networks in maintaining continuity of care. 
• Referral systems and information sharing across borders
• Chronic conditions such as mental health conditions, diabetes, HIV, cancer, cardiovascular diseases, hypertension etc.

10 abstracts will be selected for oral presentation (20 minutes each) and up to 10 will be selected for poster presentations. Early-career researchers (PhD students to assistant professors) are strongly encouraged to apply, as half of all selected abstracts will be reserved for this group. The authors of the 10 abstracts selected for oral presentation will have the option of submitting their paper to a journal Special Issue on the topic of ‘Continuity of chronic health care among forcibly displaced persons’.

The researchers who choose to join the Special Issue will have until the beginning of September to finalize a first draft of their manuscript based on their submitted abstract, which they will present at the symposium. During the symposium day, contributors to the special issue will workshop the 10 articles, with the aim of having them published in the Special Issue in early 2024. The deadline for the final papers will be early December 2023. 

The symposium is free and open to everyone. We particularly invite students and early-career researchers to join us. 

Selected presenters can apply for travel grants from the organisers if they need support for travel and accommodation. If you cannot attend in person, then please indicate if you would like to present online.

The abstract submission deadline is Thursday 8 June. 

Submission guidelines 

Please include the title of your study, and the names and affiliations of investigators. 

Abstracts should be a minimum of 300 words and should include: 

• Background 
• Method 
• Results 
• Conclusion

Submit by sending the above information to sgh@sund.ku.dk 

If you have questions, please write us on sgh@sund.ku.dk 

Register and read more about the symposium, keynotes and see programme here.