The challenges of international collaboration in conflict and health research: experience from the Research for Health in Conflict-Middle East and North Africa (R4HC-MENA) partnership

Conflict and Health

Research

Omar Shamieh¹  Chiu-Yi Lin²  Kristen Meagher²  Nassim El Achi²  Preeti Patel²  Martin Bricknell²  Richard Sullivan³  Hanna Kienzler⁴  Deborah Mukherji⁵  Tezer Kutluk⁶  Richard Harding⁷  Rita Giacaman⁸ 

[1] Center for Palliative & Cancer Care in Conflict, King Hussein Cancer Center, Amman, Jordan;Centre for Conflict and Health Research, King’s College London, London, UK;Centre for Conflict and Health Research, King’s College London, London, UK;King’s Institute Cancer Policy, King’s College London, London, UK;Department of Global Health & Social Medicine, School of Global Affairs, King’s College London, London, UK;Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Hematology-Oncology, American University of Beirut Medical Center (AUBMC), Beirut, Lebanon;Department of Pediatric Oncology, Hacettepe University Faculty of Medicine and Cancer Institute, Ankara, Turkey;Florence Nightingale Faculty of Nursing Midwifery & Palliative Care, Cicely Saunders Institute, King’s College London, London, UK;Institute of Community and Public Health, Birzeit University, Birzeit, West Bank, Occupied Palestinian Territory;

关键词: International collaboration;    R4HC-MENA;    Health research in conflict;    Capacity strengthening;    Global health;    Qualitative study;   

DOI  :  10.1186/s13031-023-00527-8

 received in 2023-03-13, accepted in 2023-05-26,  发布年份 2023

来源: Springer

【 摘 要 】

BackgroundHealthcare is a basic human right extending across all humanitarian contexts, including conflict. Globally, two billion people are living under conditions of insecurity and violent armed conflict with a consequent impact on public health. Health research in conflict-affected regions has been recognised as important to gain more understanding of the actual needs of such populations, to optimise healthcare delivery, as well as to inform advocacy and policy change. International collaborative research maximises the resources and skills available for dealing with global health issues, builds capacity and endeavours to ensure the research reflects real needs of the populations. Under the UK’s Global Challenge Research Fund in 2017 a number of such international programs were created including the Research for Health in Conflict-Middle East and North Africa (R4HC-MENA) partnership to build capacity in conflict and health research as well as study specific areas, namely noncommunicable diseases in conflict (cancer & mental health) and the political economy of health in conflict.MethodsA qualitative study using semi-structured online interviews was conducted to explore researchers’ and stakeholders’ perspectives on the R4HC-MENA programme over its lifetime from 2017 to 2021. It aimed to understand the factors that influenced and accelerated international collaboration within the R4HC-MENA programme on conflict and health research, and to provide deeper insights into the implementation of the programme. Data collection was conducted from March 2022 to June 2022. Purposive and snowball sampling techniques were used for participant recruitment. Thematic analysis was applied for data analysis.ResultsTwelve researchers/stakeholders participated in this study: four men and eight women. Four main themes were generated: Theme 1: Network building (personal and institutional levels); Theme 2: Hierarchies and power dynamics (power imbalance between different academic status, genders and institutions); Theme 3: Communication challenges; Theme 4: Career development (management, leadership, research, and teaching skills).ConclusionsThis study provided preliminary insights into perspectives on international collaboration in a major international programme of research on conflict and health. Several key challenges and outputs were generated by the researchers in this study. The findings are important for further developing effective strategies to tackle the challenge of power imbalance and ineffective communication in international research collaborations.

【 授权许可】

CC BY   
© The Author(s) 2023