In November, Senior Academics and researchers from LSTM visited MLW and the College of Medicine (CoM) in Blantyre, Malawi for a week of presenting and sharing excellent research during the 2019 Research Dissemination Conference. This year’s theme was “Addressing Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) through multidisciplinary research”. Which participants discussed and reflected on during the event.
The conference provided researchers and professionals a platform for disseminating their findings, exchanging contemporary knowledge and building partnerships and collaborations to advance research and innovation, thereby contributing to sustainable development.
During the conference researchers shared findings from research studies with a view to keeping the public, researchers and policy makers informed of current research activities relevant to human health in the country.
Opening the conference as keynote speaker, LSTM Director Professor David Lalloo, spoke about the role of the SDGs and how they relate to health and research in Malawi and the UK. Professor Lalloo advocated the importance of partnership and spoke about The CREATOR project, which was highlighted throughout the week as being a game-changer for Malawi.
CREATOR will be a catalyst for bringing different specialities and sectors together to make an impact on the health of Malawi through expanding partnerships and encouraging the most talented researchers and clinicians to stay in country.
The CREATOR building will be hosted within the grounds of the Queen Elizabeth Central Hospital and once completed, will provide the environment where Malawi’s most qualified doctors stay to train, challenging the ‘brain drain’ crisis. A first for the country it will be a catalyst for the advancement of Malawi’s systems.