ISMH 13 – Bergen, 23^rd to 26^th June 2015 – International Symposium on Maritime Health 2015

Nine months ahead of the 13^th International Symposium on Maritime Health the preparations are on schedule.

From different groups and environments we have received interesting proposals on what to include in the symposium. The scientific committee welcomes more initiatives, as you will see in the call for abstracts below.

Maritime medicine is an international discipline. Without international cooperation we cannot achieve much, but through such cooperation substantial improvement for seafarers’ health worldwide is possible.

The international character of shipping makes international arrangements necessary to create a level playing field, where maritime medicine play a part.

ISMH has become an important arena for maritime health professionals from all over the world. The possibilities for presenting your research, as well as opportunities for networking and discussion in smaller interest groups make this biannual event to the most important meeting place in maritime medicine.

We look forward to welcoming you to Bergen and to your contribution to what we aim to make a memorable and thought provoking event.

Registration for participation will be open from December 2014 on www.ismh13.org.

Alf Magne Horneland
President ISMH 13

Call for Abstracts

There will be opportunities for both oral and poster presentations at the symposium. Abstracts on all aspects of maritime health will be welcomed and the themes of the conference will be developed to reflect the range of presentations provided.

There will be 5 plenary sessions on:

• Healthy shipping

• Healthy seafarers

• Shipping operations in the offshore industry

• Healthy fisheries

• Adventure cruising: risks and rescue

Each will open with a keynote lecture and this will be followed by presentations relevant to the topic, selected from those submitted.

In addition there will be 15 parallel sessions. These will be a mix of topic-oriented sessions of presentations selected from submitted abstracts, educational workshops on specific subjects and networking events for special interest groups. Interim proposals for these include:

• Emerging infections: maritime responses

• Validity of tests used for medical fitness assessment

• Management of medical emergencies at sea

• Maritime telemedicine

• Improving port health care for seafarers

• Assistance with repatriation

• Gender and health at sea

• Crew wellness

• Mental health and seafaring

• Seafarer dental care

• Education for maritime health professionals

• Research in maritime health

• Medical challenges in the offshore industry

• Maritime occupational health

Proposals for additional topics would be welcomed, as would offers to lead workshops or special interest discussion. Multiple abstracts from a group of investigators themed to reflect a particular problem that is of current importance could also form the basis for a session. If you wish to develop any such proposals other than by submitting an abstract please contact: [e-mail].

Abstracts must be submitted electronically. Go to www.ismh13.org/sv/abstracts. Make sure you follow the instructions given, in particular your abstract must not exceed the maximum acceptable length. Also, if you are not fluent in English, please ask someone who is to check it; it will appear in the book of abstracts exactly as you submit it. The closing date for submission is 1st February 2015, but please try to submit your abstract well before this date. Abstracts will be reviewed by the symposium scientific panel and authors notified in March 2015. During February 2015 members of the panel may on occasion need to contact authors to clarify points of detail or to seek amendments to abstracts.

Those whose presentations are scheduled to be in the conference programme as posters will be sent details of the format requirements and of the arrangements for poster sessions. Those who will be contributing orally will be sent information about visual aid requirements, the timing and length of their contribution and the arrangements for question or discussion periods.

If you need earlier confirmation of likely acceptance in order to seek permission to attend or to obtain a visa then please inform [e-mail]. Early confirmation will only be possible for high quality abstracts that clearly fit within the themes of the symposium.

Tim Carter
Chair, ISMH 13 Scientific Committee