Introduction: Neil Pakenham-Walsh, UK

Hello, I have just joined the group and would like to introduce myself. By way of introduction, here is my brief bio

Neil Pakenham-Walsh is the coordinator of the HIFA campaign (Healthcare Information For All) and co-director of the Global Healthcare Information Network. He is also currently chair of the Dgroups Foundation (www.dgroups.info), a partnership of 18 international development organisations promoting dialogue for international health and development. He started his career as a hospital doctor in the UK, and has clinical experience as an isolated health worker in rural Ecuador and Peru.  For the last 20 years he has been committed to the global challenge of improving the availability and use of relevant, reliable healthcare information for health workers and citizens in low- and middle-income countries. He is also interested in the wider potential of inclusive, interdisciplinary communication platforms to help address global health and international development challenges. He has worked with the World Health Organization, the Wellcome Trust, Medicine Digest and INASP (International Network for the Availability of Scientific Publications). He is based near Oxford, UK.       www.hifa2015.org  Twitter: @hifa_org FB: facebook.com/HIFAdotORG     neil.pakenham-walsh AT ghi-net.org

I look forward to intereact with you to help ensure that:

1. People with disabilities have access to the health information they need to protect their own health and the health of those for whom they are responsible

2. Health professionaols who care for people with disabilities have access to the health information they need to deliver effective, evidence-based care.

I invite you all to join HIFA (15,000 members on 5 discussion forums, in collaboration with WHO) www.hifa.org

so that we may cross pollinate. My email is neil@hifa.org

Best wishes, Neil