Joint Expert Group on Human Biology & Medicine (JEGHBM)

Expert Group Leader/Chief Officer: Giichiro Ohno

Oversight EXCOM members: Antonio Quesada & Michelle Rogan-Finnemore

Select terms of reference:

  • This is a joint group of SCAR and COMNAP.

  • The Group will work with SCAR and COMNAP to further international cooperation and will work to improve healthcare in Antarctica and to facilitate human health and well-being in this environment. The group will propose relevant areas of interest to SCAR and COMNAP.

  • The Group will work to encourage the development of regional networks to foster international cooperation. Networks may arrange meetings, inviting members to attend.

  • The Group will meet as required to present research findings (usually in association with the SCAR Open Science Conference or the COMNAP Annual General Meeting) and / or to work cooperatively on a particular task or area of interest.

The Joint Expert Group on Human Biology & Medicine (JEGHBM) is a joint group with SCAR and it provides advice on a range of medical issues. The group draws on a vast pool of international experience consisting of doctors, psychologists and human physiologists and biologists who are actively engaged in medicine support and medical and biomedical research in the Antarctic and other areas where healthcare is undertaken in remote and austere environments.

The Officers of the JEGHBM are:
Chair: Dr Giichiro Ohno (Japan),
Deputy Chairs: Dr Nathalie Pattyn (Belgium), Dr Paul Laforet (France), Dr Mark A. Shepanek (USA)
Secretary: Dr Matt Warner (UK)

The JEGHBM maintains its own website called “Medical Antarctica”.

In August 2010, COMNAP held a workshop “Planning for Infectious Disease in Antarctica”. Much of the discussion and advice is applicable to the COVID-19 situation. The outcomes of the workshop can be found here.

The list of presentations from the SCAR OSC (2020/online) JEGHBM session on “Current Challenges in Antarctic Medicine” is available here.

The SCAR COMNAP JEGHBM Poster no 21 SCAR OSC (2016) provides information on this Expert Group: