Dr. Joy St. John
Executive Director CARPHA

On behalf of the Conference Planning Committee, I warmly welcome you to the first virtual CARPHA Annual Health Research Conference.
The conference theme “Pandemic, NCDs, and Climate Change: the Caribbean’s Triple Threat”, has been carefully chosen to highlight the challenges with respect to COVID-19, the high levels of Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs )within our societies, and the devastating impacts and implications of climate change on public health.
We have an exciting program lined up for this conference, which will allow delegates to exchange ideas, extend their networks, and jointly explore current and future research directions.
We would like to thank all of the participants for their contributions which are the foundation of this conference, the exhibitors, and the Agence Française de Développement (AFD) for their Platinum Sponsorship. We hope that you will have a productive and fun‐filled time at this very special conference.

Mr. Philippe La Cognata
Regional Director for the Atlantic Region Agence Française de Développement

In a context of global warming worldwide, pandemics are multiplying, sparing no nation. The Caribbean is a particularly vulnerable region and has been hit hard by the COVID-19 crisis and its economic and social impacts. The 65th edition of CARPHA's annual Health Research Conference, to be held June 16-19, 2021, is a unique opportunity to bring regional and international researchers, students and health professionals to the table. Discussions around the Caribbean region's response to the COVID-19 pandemic and on diseases highly prevalent in the region such as diabetes, cancers, aging, adolescent health, and mosquito-borne diseases promise to be enriching. They will allow the dissemination of new regional advances in the health sector.
Today, the partnership between CARPHA and the French Development Agency (AFD) has never been more relevant. It facilitates scientific exchange and engagement between CARPHA member states and France, particularly the overseas territories of the Atlantic basin. We are proud to be an official sponsor of this conference, which will bring together a variety of high-level speakers who will contribute to the debates with their expertise and feedback.
Enjoy the conference!