Responsible
Anne-Mieke Vandamme, Ana Isabel Bento and Richard Lessells

TIME

CONTENT

SPEAKERS

SUNDAY 4 AUGUST 2023

17:00
to
17:50

Welcome to VEME

Luiz Alcantara

17:50
to
18:10

Keynote 1:

Jairo Mendez Rico

18:10
to
18:30

Keynote 2:

Tulio de Oliveira

18:30
to
20:00

Coffee break

Monday 5 AUGUST

7:00
to
8:00

Registration

8:00
to
8:30

Welcome and practical instructions

Luiz Alcantara, Marta Giovanetti and Vagner Fonseca​

8:30
to
9:15

What are phylogenetic trees and what can you learn from them

S Hong

9:15
to
10:00

How can surveillance inform Dengue vaccination strategies

A Bento

10:00
to
10:30

Coffee break

10:30
to
11:15

Wicked problems and transdisciplinarity

A-M Vandamme

11:15
to
12:00

Teambuilding: icebreaker

S Hong

12:00
to
13:30

Lunch

13:30
to
14:30

Creating a safe space

J-P Sandler, A Bento, T Nguyen and R Lessells

14:30
to
15:00

Country case studies: introduction

R Lessells

15:00
to
15:30

Country case studies: team orientation

Team, R Lessells and A Bento

15:30
to
16:00

Coffee break

16:00
to
16:30

Problem framing and Theory of Change

S Hong

16:30
to
17:00

Problem framing. Case practice: Individual Theory of Change

J-P Sandler, A Bento, T Nguyen and R Lessells

Tuesday 6 AUGUST

8:00
to
9:00

Problem framing. Case practice: Joint WHY

J-P Sandler, A Bento, T Nguyen and R Lessells

9:00
to
09:30

Team reflections

Team

09:30
to
10:00

Report on reflections and on problem framing

Team

10:00
to
10:30

Coffee break

10:30
to
12:00

Systems thinking and systems mapping: Theory

S Hong

12:00
to
13:30

Lunch

13:30
to
14:30

Country case studies: background reading

Team, R Lessells and A Bento

14:30
to
15:30

Systems mapping: Case practice

J-P Sandler, A Bento, T Nguyen and R Lessells

15:30
to
16:00

Coffee break.

16:00
to
17:30

Systems mapping: Case practice (continued)

J-P Sandler, A Bento, T Nguyen and R Lessells

Wednesday 7 AUGUST

8:00
to
8:30

Team reflections

Team

8:30
to
9:00

Report on reflections and on systems mapping

Team

9:00
to
10:00

Leverage points for systems change: Theory

A-M Vandamme

10:00
to
10:30

Coffee break

10:30
to
12:00

Country case studies: background reading

Team, R Lessells and A Bento

12:00
to
13:30

Lunch

13:30
to
16:00

Leverage points for systems change: Case practice

J-P Sandler, A Bento, T Nguyen and R Lessells

16:00
to
17:00

Coffee break + Poster session

Hybrid Session: https://us06web.zoom.us/j/82087200228?pwd=WjRWKavQ064wYfYQ0ZeaFk9U3I1kGY.1

17:30
to
18:00

Keynote 4: 13 years of genomic surveillance in Haiti

Carla Mavian

18:00
to
18:30

Keynote 5: Mass Dengue Vaccination Campaign in Dourados: A Vaccine Breakthough Case Following Tetravalent Anti-dengue Vaccination

Julio Croda

Thursday 8 August

8:00
to
8:30

Team reflections

Team

8:30
to
9:00

Report on reflections and on leverage points

Team

9:00
to
10:00

Multilevel stakeholder engagement: Theory

A.-M. Vandamme

10:00
to
10:30

Coffee break

10:30
to
11:15

Country case studies: background reading

Team, R Lessells and A Bento

11:15
to
12:00

Country case studies: planning and/or engaging other VEME participants

Team, R Lessells and A Bento

12:00
to
13:30

Lunch.

13:30
to
15:30

Actor constellation exercise: Case practice

J-P Sandler, A Bento, T Nguyen and R Lessells

15:30
to
16:00

Coffee break.

16:00
to
16:45

Country case studies: planning and/or engaging other VEME participants (continued)

Team, R Lessells and A Bento

16:45
to
17:30

Revisiting Joint Theory of Change: Joint HOW

Team

18:30
to
20:30

Course teachers dinner

Friday 9 August

8:00
to
8:30

Team reflections

Team

8:30
to
9:00

Report on reflections and on actor constellation

Team

9:00
to
9:30

Futures: Theory

M Van Leemput

9:30
to
10:00

3horizons exercise: Case practice

M Van Leemput

10:00
to
10:30

Coffee break.

10:30
to
11:00

3horizons exercise: Case practice (continued)

M Van Leemput

12:00
to
13:30

Lunch.

13:30
to
15:30

Revisiting Joint Theory of Change: Making sense of desirable futures in the context of the case study, building scenarios

Team

15:30
to
16:00

Coffee break.

16:00
to
17:30

Pitching the output

Team

Important VEME Update
2025 Workshop Cancelled
2026–2027 Secured

Dear VEME applicants,

We regret to inform you that, due to a global decline in international funding, we will need to cancel VEME2025. Despite our best efforts to secure financial support for this exceptional workshop, we were unable to obtain the necessary commitments to host the event at the Institut Pasteur de Dakar (IPD) this year.

While this is disappointing news, we are pleased to share that funding has been secured for VEME2026—and most likely for 2027 as well. The 2026 edition is expected to take place in Stellenbosch, South Africa, and the 2027 workshop in Dakar, Senegal. Both events will be supported through the CERI and IPD African Stars Fellowship Program, in partnership with the Mastercard Foundation. Unfortunately, these funds could not be applied to the 2025 event, as it was reliant on a different funding source.

We thank you for your patience and regret we cannot give you better news. We encourage you to apply again for next year’s VEME. Now more than ever, it is essential that our VEME training continues to prepare the next generation of scientists to respond to global health challenges.

Warm regards,
Xavier, Tulio, Luiz, and Anne-Mieke