Eleventh National Summit of Health and Population Scientists in Nepal

Nepal Health and Research Council (NHRC) promotes research culture by facilitating communication between researchers and policymakers to translate evidence into health policies, programmes and practices. NHRC, as the leading authority for health research in Nepal, has been organizing these annual summits since 2015 to foster dialogue among researchers, policymakers, and development partners in the healthcare and population sectors. 

The Eleventh National Summit is a continuum of the previous annual summits as an annual gathering of researchers, academicians, scientists, practitioners, and policymakers to foster dialogue among researchers, policymakers, and development partners in the healthcare and population sectors. The goal is to promote research and evidence-based decision-making and strengthen collaboration within the healthcare communities.

The 11th summit will serve as a pivotal platform for advancing research, fostering innovation, and shaping resilient health systems that can respond effectively to the dynamic intersection of climate, population and health threats.

The summit’s commitment to sustainability and equity reflects a forward-thinking approach to health system strengthening in the face of global challenges, setting a strong foundation for a healthier and more sustainable future for all.

Objectives of the Summit

• To advance research and foster innovation in building resilient health systems that effectively respond to the evolving challenges of climate, population, and health threats.
• To promote sustainability and equity in health system strengthening, ensuring a forward-thinking approach to addressing global health challenges for a healthier and more sustainable future.

Although the National Health Policy 2019 of the Government of Nepal underscores the importance of health research for both public health improvement and economic development, there still remains a significant gap between research findings and their application in policymaking, often leading to missed opportunities for informed decision-making. The national summit is vital for bridging this gap, offering a platform to discuss ways to translate research into actionable policies and practices. By improving communication channels between researchers and policymakers, the summit aims to enhance research utilization in addressing pressing health challenges. This summit presents an exceptional opportunity to tackle these challenges in a collaborative environment.

The Eleventh National Summit of Health and Population Scientists in Nepal” is one of the most comprehensive Summits of 2025, and the council has invited submission of abstracts as an oral or poster presentation for the Eleventh National Summit of Health and Population Scientists in Nepal.  The two-day event with the theme of “Health, Climate, and Population Dynamics: Building Resilient Health Systems for a Sustainable and Equitable Future” is scheduled as below:

Key Details

• Deadline for abstract submission: 20^th February 2025
• Mode of submission: online via  https://summit.nhrc.gov.np/
• Summit starting from: 10 April 2025
• Summit ending on: 12 April 2025

General guidelines for abstract submission:

1. Only online submissions will be accepted for abstracts, which must present original work conducted exclusively in Nepal. Abstracts based on research conducted outside the country or from already published papers will not be considered, except for review articles (systematic and scoping reviews) with findings relevant to Nepal.
2. An ethical approval letter from the Ethical Review Board (ERB) of NHRC or NHRC-approved Institutional Review Committees (IRCs) is mandatory for submission, except for certain studies like systematic reviews and meta-analyses, which may not require ethical approval.
3. Abstracts must adhere strictly to the guidelines provided for the summit and should be submitted online using the designated template. Resubmission of abstracts is not allowed except in cases of notified submission errors. In case of non-receipt of confirmation email, authors are advised to contact the Summit Focal Point at https://summit.nhrc.gov.np/
4. Abstracts should include sufficient information to provide a comprehensive overview of the presentation. Note that the scientific committee may request a full article, extended abstract or presentation copy. By submitting an abstract, authors consent to its publication in the Summit Proceedings and/or Abstract book.

Abstract layout guideline:

• Keep the abstract under 300 words.
• Use Times New Roman, size 12.
• Line spacing: 1.5.
• No images, tables, or graphics.
• Ensure no typos or grammar errors.
• Avoid justifying text or hyphenating words.
• Use hard returns (enter) only to end sections.
• Include Greek and special characters.
• Stick to SI units.
• Use standard abbreviations or explain them in brackets.
• Double-check all information.
• No changes allowed after selection.

Template for the abstract:

All abstracts should appear within the format of the structure outlined below.

• Title: The title should be in bold, sentence case with no full stop at the end.
  e.g: Health-sector responses to address the impacts of climate change in Nepal
• Authors
  The names of the authors should be in the following format:
  < First name Middle name Last name >
  e.g: Meghnath Dhimal, David Groneberg, Ulrich Kuch
• Affiliations
  • Affiliations should include respective institutions, towns, and country. Where there are multiple affiliations, each should be listed as a separate paragraph. Each institute should appear in the order used against the author’s names and show the appropriate superscript number.
  • e.g : Nepal Health Research Council, Kathmandu, Nepal, Gothe University, Frankfurt am Main, Germany
• Structure of abstracts
  • Abstracts should be structured into the following sections using headings typed in bold with no colon at the end.
    e.g:
    • Background (include study objectives)
    • Methodology
    • Results
    • Conclusion
    • Keywords

Ethical Approval

The Ethical Review Board should have ethically approved the research from which the abstract is prepared at the NHRC or one of the Institutional Review Committees (IRCs) at different institutions. If you consider your abstract as the one that does not require ethical approval, you may submit it and the selection will be subjected to the evaluation of the abstract evaluation committee under the Scientific Committee of the Summit on part of the requirement of ethical approval. List of the Institutional Review committee can be viewed from the following link https://nhrc.gov.np/ethics/irc/.

Major Track for Abstract Submission

Health Governance, Policy and System Research

Major Areas: Responsible Conduct of Research related acts, rules, regulations, governance, implementation challenges and opportunities, Health Policy Review, Health Facility Development, Healthcare Workforce Training, Health System Strengthening, Emergency Care Services.

Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs)

Major Areas: Cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, cancer, chronic respiratory diseases, mental health disorders, obesity, tobacco and alcohol use.

Health Financing

Major Areas: Health insurance schemes, funding allocation for healthcare services, health economics, tax-based financing, public-private partnerships on health financing, policy reform, cost analysis.

Major Population Dynamics: Population structure and distribution, nuptiality, fertility status and trend, mortality, migration trend, marriage practices and its determinants, and demographic dividend

Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights

Major Areas: Family planning, abortion, gender-based violence, domestic violence, menstrual health and justice, adolescent health and rights, sexual health.

Migration and Health

Major Areas: Refugee health, migrant health services, female migrant health workers, cross-border health, healthcare access in migration hotspots, health interventions for displaced populations.

Health Inequalities and Social Determinants of Health

Major Areas: Social determinants such as income, education, living conditions, housing, employment, access to healthcare, race/ethnicity-based disparities, access to education and healthcare and gender health inequalities.

Environmental Health and Climate Change

Major Areas: Air pollution, water sanitation and hygiene, waste management, climate-related health risks (e.g., heatwaves, climate sensitive diseases,), sustainable urban planning, green infrastructure, and health impacts of environmental changes.

Infectious Diseases and Epidemic Preparedness

Major Areas: Surveillance systems, vaccination programs, outbreak response plans, antimicrobial resistance, global health security, and pandemic preparedness.

Mental Health and Well-being

Major Areas: Mental health services, psychological support systems, stigma reduction, substance abuse treatment, mental health awareness, and community-based mental health programs.

Nutrition and Food Security

Major Areas: Access to and utilization of nutritious food, malnutrition prevention, micronutrient deficiencies, food policy, sustainable agriculture, and combat food insecurity.

Occupational Health and Safety

Major Areas: Workplace health hazards, occupational diseases, safety protocols, worker’s rights, health monitoring, and reducing work-related injuries.

Pharmaceuticals and Access to Medicines

Major Areas: Drug access and affordability, essential medicines, pharmaceutical regulation, drug distribution systems, and generic medicines.

Health Technology and Innovation

Major Areas: Telemedicine, electronic health records, health data analytics, artificial intelligence in diagnostics, medical device development, and digital health tools and solutions.

Primary Healthcare and Universal Health Coverage

Major Areas: primary care services, healthcare accessibility, affordability, acceptability, health insurance schemes, equity in healthcare, basic health services and universal health coverage.

Maternal and Child Health

Major Areas: Maternal Health Care, Prenatal and postnatal care services, immunization, childhood nutrition, maternal mortality, breastfeeding, early childhood development.

Aging and Geriatric Health

Major Areas: Elderly care, chronic disease management, aging related health issues, long-term care facilities, dementia care, healthcare policies for aging populations.

Health Education and Promotion

Major Areas: Health literacy, disease prevention campaigns, lifestyle education, public health interventions, and community health outreach.

Genetics and Personalized Medicine

Major Areas: Genomic research, genetic screening, precision medicine, pharmacogenomics, and tailored treatment plans.

Eye Health Care

Major Areas: Eye conditions such as cataracts, refractive error, retinal diseases, corneal diseases, glaucoma, ocular sequelae of systemic diseases, aging eye conditions, congenital disorders, and innovations in diagnostics, therapeutics, and preventive aspects etc.

Global Health and International Collaboration

Major Areas: Global health initiatives, health diplomacy, cross-border health collaboration, international health organizations, global disease surveillance, and health security.

Oral Health and Preventive Dentistry

Major Areas include dental caries and periodontal disease prevention, fluoride use and oral hygiene promotion, community-based oral health programs, oral cancer screening and early detection, and the integration of oral health into primary healthcare.

Disability, Rehabilitation, and Accessibility

Major areas include physical and cognitive rehabilitation strategies, assistive technologies and universal design, inclusive healthcare and accessibility policies, community-based rehabilitation programs, and employment and education opportunities for people with disabilities.

Emergency Medicine and Trauma care

Major areas cover pre-hospital and ambulance services, triage and mass casualty management, acute trauma and critical care interventions, emergency preparedness and disaster response, and capacity building for first responders.

Hearing and Audiology

Major areas include early detection and screening for hearing loss, hearing aids and cochlear implants, noise-induced hearing loss prevention, speech and language therapy interventions, and public health strategies for hearing conservation.

Substance Abuse, Addiction, and Recovery

Major areas: focus on prevention and early intervention strategies, harm reduction approaches (such as needle exchange and safe injection sites), treatment and rehabilitation programs, mental health and addiction comorbidity, and community-based recovery and reintegration programs.

Chronic Pain and Palliative Care

Major areas include multimodal pain management strategies, palliative care in terminal illnesses, integrating palliative care into primary healthcare, psychosocial and emotional support for patients and caregivers, and opioid use and pain management policies.

Veterinary Public Health and Zoonotic Diseases

Major areas include surveillance and control of zoonotic diseases, the One Health approach (human-animal-environment interaction), food safety and antimicrobial resistance in animals, vector-borne and emerging infectious diseases, and the veterinary role in public health emergency response.

Ayurveda and Alternative Medicine

Major areas of focus include evidence-based research on Ayurvedic treatments, integration of alternative medicine into modern healthcare, herbal medicine safety and efficacy, regulation and standardization of Ayurvedic products, and the role of traditional medicine in chronic disease management.