Global public health on agenda at Nepal research conference
The University of Huddersfield recently hosted the 2nd annual meeting for the Global Consortium for Public Health Research (GCPHR), with the theme ‘Research Priority in Nepal’.
The event was supported by PVC International’s International collaborative fund (ICF) and the ICF Plus Initiative.
The event brought together more than 40 delegates to present and share experiences from their projects to discuss and think about future research priorities in Nepal. The meeting included two keynote speakers and 14 thought-provoking presentations from doctoral students and experienced researchers that covered a wide range of public health research priorities such as dementia, diabetes, mental health, maternal health, road traffic injuries, health services, migration and research collaborations in Nepal.
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Also in attendance were Prof. Jane Owen-Lynch, Pro Vice Chancellor for Teaching and Learning and the Dean of the School of Human and Health Sciences, and James Devitt, Head of Corporate Policy (Research and Innovation), highlighting the importance of such events to celebrate the University of Huddersfield’s research strengths, engagement and collaboration.
As the lead of the GCPHR, Prof Padam Simkhada, Professor of Global Health and Associate Dean (International) of the School of Human and Health Sciences, welcomed the national and international delegates and provided updates on the successful achievements of the GCPHR in its first year.
“We had a successful planning meeting for India, Nepal, Ghana Longitudinal International Study (INGLIS) for the last two days which will be looking at the risk factors associated with various non-communicable diseases (NCDs),” said Professor Simkhada.
Professor Padam Simkhada
Professor of Global Health
“This 2nd annual meeting for GCPHR has continued to serve as an excellent platform for showcasing research projects, strengthen networking, establishing new connections, and forging meaningful partnerships with other esteemed researchers, professionals and organisations facilitating research in Nepal.”
The keynote speaker Prof Binay Kumar Kushiyait, Professor of Economics Education at the Tribhuvan University (Nepal), discussed about the current status and challenges associated with the education system in Nepal and its impact on achieving Sustainable Development Goal 4, which aims to ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promoting lifelong learning opportunities for all.
The second keynote speaker was Dr Sudarshan Tiwari, a Senior Research Scientist at the University of Kaiserslautern, Germany. He shared his life journey, experiences and motivating stories about how foreign based academics can contribute towards research priorities in Nepal.
The research partnership opportunities talk was led by Ram Chandra Silwal, County Director for Green Tara Nepal (GTN). He said, “GTN welcomes the collaboration with everyone, including Masters and doctoral students. Early, mid-career, experienced or independent researchers with small, medium or large-scale grants are all welcome to partner with GTN, and we can support and facilitate them to research in Nepal dealing with all the administrative and bureaucratic challenges in Nepal.”
Future priorities include education and economic development
Prof Edwin van Teijlingen, Dr Pramod Regmi, and Dr Rajeeb Sah concluded the meeting with open discussions reflecting on the presented projects, identifying the potential future interdisciplinary research priorities in Nepal, and fostering new connections and partnerships for future funding applications. Prof. Priyamvada Paudyal highlighted the need to build on the existing research and expertise to find the gaps and carefully align the funding application with the needs of the funder. Dr Precious Duodu said, “It’s very instructive to note that most of the health concerns in Nepal are similar to many other low-and middle-income countries, thereby highlighting the need for cross-country collaborations.”
The event highlighted the need for multidisciplinary research projects covering holistic approach in public health priorities related to infrastructure and built environment, climate change, quality of life, education, social and economic development, living conditions and sustainable development goals.
Some of the future research priorities highlighted were maternal, child and family health, mental health and wellbeing, dementia, suicide, health service utilisation, health policy, digital health, cancer, diabetes and other non-communicable diseases, and the use of creative and innovative methodologies to conduct research.
As a co-lead of the GCPHR, Dr Rajeeb Kumar Sah, Senior lecturer in Public Health and International Lead for the Department of Allied Health Professions, Sports & Exercise, highlighted the need for and importance of collaborative multidisciplinary research projects in Nepal.
He said, “Partnership is not only about working together, but also taking a lead. It is important that we all reflect on the research priorities highlighted during the day, identify the research gaps, take lead on at least one research project based on our expertise, and engage with other GCPHR members to form a multidisciplinary team to execute the project. Doing so, a number of small teams could be formed based on our expertise and interests to finalise research ideas for potential collaborative funding applications, thereby acting collectively on the health priorities in Nepal”.