Connecting Citizens to Science

Series 4 is brought to us by the ‘Accountability and Responsiveness in Informal Settlements for Equity’ abbreviated to ARISE. The ARISE consortium is all about promoting social change for improved health and wellbeing with communities and people living and working within urban informal spaces.  Together, across 10 partners in 4 countries – Bangladesh, India, Kenya and Sierra Leone- they are c...

Phumeza Tisile is a TB survivor, researcher and advocate for TB patients at TB Proof . In this episode Phumeza shares her moving and powerful lived experience of being an Extremely Drug Resistant (XDR) TB survivor. She starts her story describing the challenges of first understanding her symptoms and gaining an accurate diagnosis of TB, how this led to complex treatment of taking 30 tablets a day...

This episode is a two-part feature with Charles Yu who has been a TB researcher for over 30 years and Mohammed Yassin from Global Fund. In this important episode we hear how lessons from TB informed the COVID response and how COVID 19 learning is shaping the future of TB and lung health. In Part 1 our guests share:  The importance of public-provider partnerships in responding to lung health c...

This episode is a two-part feature with Charles Yu who has been a TB researcher for over 30 years and Mohammed Yassin from Global Fund. In this important episode we hear how lessons from TB informed the COVID response and how COVID 19 learning is shaping the future of TB and lung health. In Part 1 our guests share:  The importance of public-provider partnerships in responding to lung health c...

Featuring guest speakers Timeo Mtenga from the Malawi Liverpool Wellcome Trust and Naomi Walker from the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, this episode looks as TB treatment challenges and future solutions- we cover topics including:  The challenges faced by people living with TB  The complexity of TB treatment  Guests’ new research on TB treatment, and how this will affect cha...

Our guests Jacob Creswell from the STOP TB Partnership and Brenda Mungai from the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, provide insight into how technology is playing a key role in TB diagnosis, and highlights from the discussion include:  The technologies currently available to help diagnose TB  The role of artificial intelligence (AI) in TB diagnosis  The involvement of communiti...

In the first episode of this TB series, we speak to Katherine Horton from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine and Jeremiah Chikovore from the Human Sciences Research Council in South Africa. We explore the relationship between TB and gender, and discuss:  How gender affects access to TB prevention and care, considering social norms, intersectionality and relationships between a...

On today’s episode we are joined by Joan Muela from PASS-Suisse/Rovira i Virgili University and Yoriko Masunaga from the Institute of Tropical Medicine, Antwerp/University of Amsterdam who share their experiences of engaging with communities to improve malaria trial implementation. Have a listen to learn about:  The Community Lab of Ideas for Health (CLIH), a participatory approach for develo...

Featuring guest speakers Lee Ching Ng from the Environmental Health Institute in Singapore and Lina Finda from Ifakara Health Institute in Tanzania, this episode explores how communities perceive and respond to control approaches which involve modified mosquitoes. We discuss:  Parallels and contrasts between Project Wolbachia in Singapore, a successful dengue control program, and exploratory...

Our guests Charles Mbogo from KEMRI and Hmooda Toto Kafy from the Federal Ministry of Health, Khartoum discuss integrated vector management (IVM) and the role that communities play in this approach to vector control. Highlights from the discussion include:  Insights into how IVM strategies have been implemented to in Sudan and Kenya to control a variety of diseases including malaria, dengue a...

In this episode we talk to April Monroe and Danielle Piccinini Black from the Johns Hopkins Center for Communication Programs about social and behavioral considerations for vector control and the human-centred design approach. We cover topics including:  What human-centred design is, with an example of how the approach has been applied to improve long-lasting insecticidal net design in Ghana&...

In this episode we speak with Wafa Alam and Imran Hossain Mithu from BRAC James P Grant School of Public Health, BRAC University about conducting remote community GIS mapping of informal settlements in Bangladesh. We hear about how:  Young people living in informal settlements joined as co-researchers to map their community for the first time  How WhatsApp was used to strengthen capacity...

In this episode we talk to Dr. Tosin Adekeye and Wede Tate about the method ‘Photovoice’ that was used with people affected by severe stigmatising skin diseases in Nigeria and Liberia. We hear about how Photovoice can:  Enable people to capture their everyday experiences of living with their condition   Connect people with decision makers through dissemination of photos and narrativ...

In this episode we talk to Noela Gwani and Luret Lar about two participatory methods were used as part of the COUNTDOWN project in Nigeria to explore community structures and spaces; transect walks and social mapping. We discuss how these methods can be used to:  Facilitate community entry and raise awareness of projects  Bring together diverse groups of community members to discuss thei...

In this episode we talk to Shahreen Chowdhury and Motto Nganda about their toolkit for participatory health research methods “Supporting Equitable Partnerships in Global Health”. This toolkit presents a whole host of methods which can be used and adapted to connect with communities.  https://countdown.lstmed.ac.uk/sites/default/files/centre/Participatory%20Health%20Research%20Methods%20toolki...