On today’s episode we are joined by Joan Muela from PASS-Suisse/Rovira iVirgili University and Yoriko Masunaga from the Institute of Tropical Medicine, Antwerp/University of Amsterdam who share their experiences of engaging with communities to improve malaria trial implementation. Have a listen to learn about:
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The Community Lab of Ideas for Health (CLIH), a participatory approach for developing community-based solutions to trial implementation strategy challenges
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How ethnographic research forms an important entry point of interaction between communities and research teams
This is a podcast in the series: Connecting Citizens to Science, which focuses on health research based on equitable partnerships between researchers and communities.
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Working with communities in the Gambia and the how the long-standing influence of the MRC Unit The Gambia impacts research dynamics
Joan Muela Ribera, PhD, MSc My field of research is medical anthropology applied to Global Health projects. I did fieldwork in a variety of African, Asian and American countries, mostly in the field of infectious diseases. My area of expertise is participatory implementation research and systemic evaluation. I strongly believe that people in the communities where we work are the ultimate actors and decision-makers. Our role as Social Science experts is to provide useful and solid information for decision-making, as well as a frame and a systematic approach to co-create and co-implement the project.
Yoriko Masunaga, MPH I am a PhD candidate (in medical anthropology) focusing on community participatory implementation research in malaria elimination interventions. With years of working experience in both research and implementation, I am convinced that communities play pivotal role in integrating research and implementation and in tackling global health issues in holistic and transdisciplinary manner, as a co-designer and co-implementer of research and implementation.