Welcome

Literature: From ‘Trial Community’ to ‘Experimental Publics’: How Clinical Research Shapes Public Participation

This article argues for a conceptual shift away from the static, singular term ‘trial community’ towards ‘experimental publics’. The authors observe that the term ‘community’ is often employed uncritically and assumes that ‘communities’ pre-exist research; that they are timeless and undifferentiated wholes. ‘Experimental publics’, by contrast, are dynamic, multiple, and impermanent in nature.

Project Report: Hip Hop Health: Research, Rhyme, and Rhythm for Healthy Communities

The Hip Hop Health project facilitated the collaboration of young people with health researchers in South Africa to frame research questions, undertake investigations in their communities, and then write and perform hip hop music to share their findings

Project Report: Eh!woza: Intersection of Art and Science to Engage Youth around Tuberculosis

Webinar on community engagement in clinical research involving pregnant women

Watch a Livestream of the Clade X Pandemic Tabletop Exercise

On the 15th May, the John Hopkins Center for Health Security hosted Clade X, a pandemic tabletop exercise. The exercise was designed to illustrate high-level strategic decisions and policies needed to prevent a severe pandemic or diminish its consequences should prevent fail. The exercise was streamed live and can still be accessed through this article. 

LITERATURE: Engaging 'Communities': Anthropological Insights from the West African Ebola Epidemic

This article, by Wilkinson et al. 2017, deconstructs notions of 'community', and the ways it is conceptualised and understood, in order to critically reflect upon methods of engaging 'communities' during the west African Ebola epidemic in 2014. 

Project Report: It's OK to Talk: Insights from a Youth Mental Health Public Engagement Programme in India

It’s OK to Talk is an adolescent and youth-focused programme started in 2016, which aims to increase awareness about mental health and wellbeing, so that more young people feel able to engage in dialogue on mental health, and seek help. The It's Ok to Talk programme comprised three core activities: It's Ok to Talk website, events and workshops, and a social media campaign.

Project Report UPDATE: Science, Art, Community: Building Interactive Understanding of Albinism in Tanzania

Standing Voice is an organisation that works to support people with albinism in Tanzania. This article explores how one of their projects, which communicates facts about albinism through interactive performances, navigates the cultural complexity surrounding albinism in Tanzania.

Literature: The role of community engagement for participation in mass antimalarial administration. Findings from Targeted Malaria Elimination studies in Lao PDR (Laos).

This article summarises the findings of three separate research papers by Adhikari et al., which explore the role of community engagement for participation in mass antimalarial administration during a Targeted Malaria Elimination (TME) projects in Lao PDR (Laos).

Literature: Elements of effective community engagement: lessons from a targeted malaria elimination study in Lao PDR (Laos)

This article draws on experience of designing and implementing community engagement in Laos for Targeted Malaria Elimination (TME). It identifies five key elements of effective community engagement for mass antimalarial administration in this setting.

Literature: Factors associated with population coverage of targeted malaria elimination (TME) in southern Savannakhet Province, Lao PDR (Laos)

This article reports the findings of a quantitative study conducted after the completion of a Targeted Malaria Elimination (TME) project in Lao PDR (Laos). The study aimed to explore reasons for individuals’ participation in the TME project. 

Literature: Why do people participate in mass antimalarial administration? Findings from a qualitative study in Nong District, Savannakhet Province, Lao PDR (Laos).

This article draws on qualitative data to explore the factors that led to high population coverage (>87%) of mass drug administration (MDA) as part of targeted malaria elimination (TME)* in the Greater Mekong sub-region of South East Asia. It looks at the community engagement and education activities (including health education through theatre, posters, village meetings, and house-to-house visits) were undertaken to promote the uptake of MDA in target communities.

Wellcome Trust International Engagement workshop report: Telling Stories: How the public can engage with science (India 2009)

This report is a synthesis of discussions held at the Wellcome Trust International Engagement Workshop: 'Telling Stories'. Points raised touched upon the practical and theoretical challenges involved in translating science to diverse audiences, using creative methodologies in public engagement, and working with diverse and vulnerable groups. This report is a synthesis of the discussions, key points and key questions raised at the workshop.

Literature: Young People's Views on Science Education in England

The Wellcome Trust’s Science Education Tracker is a survey of young people’s attitudes toward, and experiences of, science education and careers in England. The findings of this survey informed multiple reports, including this one looking at young people’s views on science education.

Literature: Public Attitudes to Research Governance: A qualitative study in a deliberative context

This report, commissioned by the Wellcome Trust in 2006, presents the results of qualitative research exploring public attitudes towards the governance of biomedical research.

Literature: Research Report - An Exploration of the Lived Experience of African Journalists During the 2014 Ebola Crisis

This research report from the World Federation of Science Journalists explores the lived experience of African journalists during the 2014 Ebola crisis in West Africa with the aim of highlighting key professional, technological and social aspects required for effective journalism during emergency and post-outbreak periods.

Literature: Between Vision and Reality: A Study of Scientists’ Views on Citizen Science

This paper describes a case study, which planned to involve citizen science in an air pollution study. Findings are based on interviews and observations, including a six-month field diary, of ten scientists who engaged in a citizen science project not because they are convinced of its value as an approach to strong science but in order to receive funding for their scientific research. 

Examining the use of participatory visual and narrative methods to explore the lived experience of migrants in Southern Africa

This working paper  explores the opportunities and challenges associated with visual research methodologies. The paper draws specifically on a MoVE (methods: visual: explore) project that explored the lived experiences of migrant groups in southern Africa.  

Mesh Podcast: Vaccine Hesitancy and Engagement with Dr Heidi Larson

This Podcast was recorded by the Mesh Team, based on an interview with Dr Heidi Larson from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. In this 30-minute interview, Dr Larson provides her insight into the public health community and the pitfalls researchers and engagement practitioners can find themselves in when working with communities to roll out vaccines. 

Mesh Podcast: The Influence of Social Memory on Vaccine Hesitancy

This short podcast examines the influence of social memory on vaccine hesitancy and explores ways to address some of the issues that arise when researchers engage communities who are hesitant towards vaccines.