ASLM2018 is the fourth biennial international conference of the African Society for Laboratory Medicine (ASLM). Endorsed by the African Union, ASLM is a pan‐African professional body working to advocate for the critical role and needs of laboratory medicine and networks throughout Africa.
Laboratory services, networks and systems are indispensable to effective health systems. Medical laboratories play a pivotal role in global disease diagnosis, surveillance, outbreak investigation, initiation and monitoring of therapy, as well as research and development. Medical laboratories in Africa are unfortunately underdeveloped and cannot meet the testing demands of rapidly growing health delivery services in the 21st century. Inadequate resources and diagnostic services compromise the quality of patient care due to misdiagnosis and consequent under/over treatment of disease which presents significant economic and public health challenges. Recognising the World Health Organization (WHO) Resolution AFR/RC58/R2 for strengthening public health laboratories in the African region and the 2008 Maputo Declaration on Strengthening of Laboratory Systems, ASLM addresses these challenges by working collaboratively with governments, local and international organisations, implementing partners, and the private sector to achieve the following goals by 2020:
- Strengthening laboratory workforce by training and certifying laboratory professionals and clinicians through standardised frameworks
- Transforming laboratory testing quality by enrolling laboratories in quality improvement programmes to achieve accreditation by international standards
- Developing strong, harmonised regulatory systems for diagnostic products as defined by the Global Harmonization Taskforce
- Building a network of national public health reference laboratories to improve early disease detection and collaborative research.
ASLM2018 aims to serve as a platform for the international laboratory medicine community to share best practices, acquire knowledge and debate innovative approaches for combatting global health threats.
- Learn about the most recent laboratory advances and innovations
- Connect with colleagues from across Africa
- Visit with international global health experts
- Gain continuing education credits
- Help shape collaborations between laboratories and clinicians
- Contribute to strengthening African health systems and laboratory networks.
- Laboratory scientists and professionals
- Clinicians
- Policy makers and programme managers
- Epidemiologists
- Pathologists
- Researchers
- Diagnostic companies and staff
- Private industry partners
Conference Co-Chairs:
- Prof. Alash’le Abimiku: Executive Director, International Research Centre of Excellence (IRCE) at the Institute of Human Virology Nigeria (IHVN); Professor, Institute of Human Virology at the University of Maryland School of Medicine
- Prof. Souleymane Mboup: Director, IRESSEF (Institut de Recherche en Santé, de Surveillance Epidémiologique et de Formations)
Scientific Committee Co-Chairs:
- Dr. John Nkengasong: Director, Africa Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
- Dr. Pascale Ondoa: Director of Science and New Initiatives, African Society for Laboratory Medicine (ASLM) , Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
“Controlling and Preventing the Next Pandemic: The Role of the Laboratory”
ASLM2018 is scheduled to be held at the Transcorp Hilton, in Abuja, Nigeria, from 10-13 December 2018.
The exhibition hall will be open 8-13 December.
Conference Coordinators:
Myriam Formica, ASLM Programme Assistant
Phone: +251.11.557.1021
Email: MFormica@aslm.org
ASLM Headquarters:
Phone: +251.11.557.1021
E-mail: info@aslm2018.org
Visas are required for entry into Nigeria. Visitor and business visas are available in single or multiple entry form. There are several different types of visas: tourist, visitor or business visas.
- Persons entering Nigeria on a tourist or visitors’ visa are not allowed to work or conduct business
- It is illegal and unwise to engage in any business activity in Nigeria on a tourist visa
- Please refer to the Nigeria Immigration Service website for more information on the appropriate type of visa for your attendance at the ASLM2018 conference: https://immigration.gov.ng/visa-fees/ for details.
- Passport (ensure it is valid for at least 6 months)
- Two passport size photos
- A copy of your round-trip airline ticket (or ticket with onward destination)
- A letter of invitation from someone in Nigeria inviting you to come for business and assuming full financial responsibility for you during your stay
- An official bank account statement showing sufficient funds
- Proofs of vaccination for yellow fever
- Confirmation of a reservation from a hotel in Nigeria[/bg_collapse_level2] Visa fees depend on the type of visa. Please refer to the Nigeria Immigration Service website for details: https://immigration.gov.ng/visa-fees/ for details.
Visa fees depend on the type of visa. Please refer to the Nigeria Immigration Service website for details: https://immigration.gov.ng/visa-fees/ for details.
Nigerian embassies are beginning to restrict the issue of visas. If you are a foreigner residing in a country other than that of your national origin, it may be difficult to obtain a visa from the Nigeria Embassy there. Depending on where you are applying and the time of the year, it could take from two days to two weeks to receive a visa. Please check www.nigeria.embassyhomepage.com, or www.nigeriabassyusa.org for more information.
All abstracts must be submitted through the ASLM2018 abstract submission platform: https://aslm2018.abstractcentral.com/. Abstracts emailed to ASLM will not be considered.
Abstracts should have a focus around the theme “Preventing and Controlling the Next Pandemic: The Role of the Laboratory” and must be submitted to one of the following three major tracks – Pandemic Threat, Laboratory Response or Synergizing Partnerships.
All abstracts will be peer-reviewed for scientific content and current relevance to the clinical, public health and scientific laboratory community. Accepted abstracts will be presented from 10-13 December 2018 at the conference in Abuja, Nigeria, based on the following categories:
Pandemic Threat
- Implementing and harmonizing policies and regulations to achieve universal health care (UHC) and the International Health Regulations (IHR)
- Assessing disease burden
- Preventing the next pandemic: the role of laboratory systems and networks
- Combatting antimicrobial resistance
- Others
Laboratory Response
- Innovating and improving laboratory diagnostics to achieve UHC and IHR
- Strengthening the clinical–laboratory interface
- Narrowing the gap between public health and clinical laboratory networks
- Improving laboratory quality, safety and cost-effectiveness
- Others
Synergizing Partnerships
- Financing laboratory systems to achieve UHC and IHR
- The One-Health approach
- Public private partnerships and cross-border collaborations
- Science and education to prevent the next pandemic
- Others.
Sponsorship of ASLM2018 is available in a various formats from seminars / workshops to exhibit booths to a selection of sponsorship packages. For full details, visit the ASLM2018 Sponsor page http://aslm2018.org/sponsors/ and/or download the Partnership Structure and Sponsorship Prospectus documents.