The Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation at the University of Washington, the School of Population Health at the University of Queensland, and the journal Population Health Metrics are convening the Global Congress on Verbal Autopsy: State of the Science, in Bali, Indonesia, from 15-17 February 2011 and issuing a Call for Abstracts on Verbal Autopsy (VA) methodological developments or application.

Verbal Autopsy methods are now increasingly used by developing countries as an affordable means of collecting cause of death data to supplement existing, but inadequate, cause of death certification. The goal of the conference is to convene key researchers and those who work with verbal autopsy data to discuss important aspects of instrument design, analysis methods, and the use of verbal autopsy in national health information systems. 

The conference sponsors are calling for abstracts addressing all aspects of this theme. Abstracts must be received by November 22^nd 2010. Abstracts will be reviewed by the conference Organizing Committee, and authors of successful abstracts will be invited to attend and give a verbal or poster presentation at the event.

Please submit abstracts and direct any questions to Summer Ohno, slohno@uw.edu, at the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation.

In addition, Population Health Metrics is planning a special thematic series on Verbal Autopsy. A subset of authors will be selected to submit a full manuscript to Population Health Metrics to be considered for publication. Papers must be submitted by January 17^th 2011, with the series to be published following the conference in spring 2011.

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