On the Right to Science: Recommendations of Selection Criteria for IMIA Scientific Meetings

Summary

The International Medical Informatics Association (IMIA), a non-governmental, not-for-profit, global organization promoting health and biomedical informatics, is committed to the right of communities/populations and individuals to science, comprised of three separate constituent rights: 1) the right to participate in science, 2) the right to benefit from science, and 3) the right to benefit from a person’s own contribution to science or inventions. As such, IMIA provides a global platform where scientists, researchers, health information users, vendors, developers, consultants, health care consumers, and suppliers can meet in an environment of cooperation and sharing. In the context of IMIA’s conferences, the IMIA board has discussed and identified the important central factors, which are essential considerations to host a scientific meeting. These factors will be used to help vet future contenders applying for the honor to host an IMIA conference: Reasonable safety and security, commitment by the host member society, freedom of travel, scientific freedom, and freedom from discrimination.

Keywords

Scientific freedom - biomedical informatics - conference - conference planning - right to science

• References

• 1 IMIA. Welcome to IMIA. Available online at http://imia-medinfo.org/wp/ . (Last accessed 7/8/2018)
• 2 United Nations. International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. Available online at https://treaties.un.org/doc/publication/unts/volume%20999/volume-999-i-14668-english.pdf . (Last accessed 7/8/2018)
• 3 Wikipedia. International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. Available online at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Covenant_on_Civil_and_Political_Rights . (Last accessed 7/8/2018)
• 4 United Nations. International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights. Available online at https://treaties.un.org/doc/Treaties/1976/01/19760103%2009-57%20PM/Ch_IV_03.pdf . (Last accessed 7/8/2018)
• 5 United Nations Office of the High Commissioner. 2012 The right to benefit from scientific progress and its applications. Available online at https://www.ohchr.org/EN/Issues/CulturalRights/Pages/benefitfromscientificprogress.aspx . (Last accessed 7/15/2018)
• 6 International Medical Informatics association. IMIA Accreditation Procedure. Available online at https://imia-medinfo.org/wp/imia-accreditation-procedure/ . (Last accessed 12/29/2018)
• 7 International Medical Informatics Association. Welcome to IMIA. Available online at https://imia-medinfo.org/wp/ (Last accessed 12/30/2018)
• 8 Lehmann CU. A message from the Editorial Desk. Stud Health Technol Inform 2013; 192: vi . PubMed PMID: 23920503