A new report from the Institute of Development Studies, UK, calls on world leaders to look beyond the conventional staples of the public health toolkit as they draw up a new WHO global treaty on pandemics.
The Royal Anthropological Institute and the Marsh Charitable Trust announced that Juliet Beford, a Co-Investigator (Co-I) of the Social Science in Humanitarian Action Platform (SSHAP) and Director of Anthrologica, is the 2022 winner of the Marsh Award for Anthropology in the World.
SSHAP supports the efforts of the Ugandan National Task Force, Ministry of Health and partners to incorporate anthropological and social science data and analysis in response to the outbreak of Ebola disease caused by the Sudan virus in Uganda. Drawing on experience from previous Ebola outbreaks, the following points highlight how social science can make an effective contribution across the response.
The World Health Organization’s (WHO) Community Readiness and Resilience Unit has issued a call for proposals for the development of a collection of case studies on COVID-19 and the impact of behavioural and social science insights. The deadline for proposal submissions is 28 October 2022.
In a fast moving and changing world, all kinds of uncertainty will emerge. We need leaders who will listen and adapt. Clear government directives from above are key, but we also need good coordination of local action.
Report from a roundtable meeting at the Wellcome Trust, London, 3rd February 2020.
Social science networks can provide crucial support to stemming nCoV by promoting the understanding of the context-response relationship as emergent and constantly evolving.
A rapid compilation of data analyses for November 2018-February 2019 in the context of the Ebola outbreak in North Kivu and Ituri provinces.
Summary and background reports exploring transmission, surveillance and other aspects of outbreaks.
Although social scientists have long worked in public health emergencies, the value of including social science intelligence in response strategies became highly visible during the epidemic of Ebola virus disease (EVD) in West Africa in 2014–2016. The key application of social science is to contextualise the response, which should be done in 2 ways.
First, by understanding important features of the local context and how they directly influence the strategy and overall response.
Second, by adapting “standard” components of the response to the local context (e.g. safe and dignified burials, community engagement) to ensure that they are acceptable and appropriate for the affected population. Such work supports timely uptake of response interventions, reduces fear and potential resistance and ultimately contributes to stopping transmission of the virus.
Summary and background reports offering recommendations on local customs, health care systems and other topics.
This blog relates to the Evidence Synthesis Research Award report and summary across health related research, from 122 research grants awarded by the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) and UK Department for International Development (DFID) Joint Fund for Poverty Alleviation Research since 2005. The ESRA report was written by Sridhar Venkatapuram, King’s College London, Adam Coutts, University of Cambridge and Pooja Mall, consultant.
The research has deepened understanding in how non health services focused projects–such as those on social protection and education–also have potential links and relevance for health. The evidence reviewed, therefore, also provides a guide for non-health sector policy makers and practitioners.
