Welcome - Research Methods (Mesh-Project)

School students take a Virtual Reality tour of KEMRI Wellcome Trust Research Laboratories

Webinar: Taking relationships seriously: Findings from a realist review of community engagement

This webinar held in May 2022 on the REAL Community Engagement Realist Review shared some fascinating findings which give more conceptual clarity around how community engagement works in practice. It highlighted some key relationships and power dynamics at the heart of engagement work.

Project Report: The Sciback-skit programme: Engaging young people as malaria ambassadors in Kenya

In this project from the International Centre of Insect Physiology and Ecology in Kenya and funded by the DELTAS Africa CPE Seed Fund, high school students were educated about malaria and scientific research, to inspire them to become ambassadors in their communities, and to go on to have careers in science.

Project Report: The Genomics of Schizophrenia in South African Xhosa people (SAX) study

The Genomics of Schizophrenia in South African Xhosa People (SAX) study sought to identify genes or mutations underlying predisposition to schizophrenia in the South African Xhosa population. Engagement activities included a Community Advisory Board and a Mental Health Literacy Day.

Project Report: Exploring perspectives on genomics and sickle cell public health interventions in Cameroon

This project used qualitative methods to gather an in-depth understanding of cultural influences on perspectives and attitudes regarding genomic research and public health interventions for Sickle Cell Disease-related complications in Cameroon

Project Report: The PANChSHEEEL Project

PANChSHEEEL (Participatory Approach for Nutrition in Children: Strengthening Health, Education, Environment and Engineering Linkages) is an interdisciplinary cross-sector project designed to explore health, education, engineering and environment  factors that influence infant and young child feeding practices and nutrition in India.

Project Report: Right to Food Project - In their Voices

“Right to Food Project” was implemented by the African Population and Health Research Center from 2018 to 2019 in urban Kenya. Different participatory visual methodologies were used to engage with the community members on the right to food. These included graffiti and wall murals, digital stories, photovoice, radio shows, human libraries, participatory educative theaters, open air events and community dialogue.

News: International Network on Patient and Public Involvement (PPI)

The International Network for Public Involvement and Engagement in Health and Social Care Research was launched in London on 27th November 2017. Our vision is for a world where patient and public involvement is an integral part of health research.

Literature: Who should decide about children’s and adolescents’ participation in health research?

This paper from BMC Medical Ethics explores how researchers and research centres can activtly involve children and young people in health research activities and in the development of research proposals. They used group discussions with community members and schools students in rural Kenya to explore views on the topic.

Literature: Developing a finer grained analysis of research impact: Can we assess the wider effects of public engagement?

This article, published with a creative commons licence on the LSE Impact Blog, suggests a more comprehensive and balanced approach for the evaluation of public engagement, drawing on evaluation criteria commonly used in aid evaluation.

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.  

Developing Ethical Practices for Public Health Research Data Sharing in South Africa: The Views and Experiences From a Diverse Sample of Research Stakeholders

 This qualitative study examined the perceptions, experiences and concerns of 32 research stakeholders about data-sharing practices.

Project Report: A puppet show to engage the community addressing antimicrobial resistance and research with children

Fishy Clouds, a puppet theatre show, was created to engage the community on issues of antimicrobial resistance and research with children in Thailand. Fishy Clouds ran for twelve shows during the months of November and December 2016 in schools, hospitals, theatres and health centres. The show was performed in Bangkok and in the greater Mae Sot area in the Tak district of Thailand.