Rebuilding research capacity in fragile states: the case of a Somali–Swedish global health initiative

Dalmar, Abdirisak; Hussein, Abdullahi Sheik; Walhad, Said Ahmed; Ibrahim, Abdirashid Omer; Abdi, Abshir Ali; Ali, Mohamed Khalid; Ereg, Derie Ismail; Egal, Khadra Ali; Shirwa, Abdulkadir Mohamed; Aden, Mohamed Hussain; Yusuf, Marian Warsame; Abdi, Yakoub Aden; Freij, L; Johansson, Annika; Mohamud, Khalif Bile; Abdulkadir, Yusuf; Emmelin, Maria; Eriksen, Jaran; Erlandsson, Kerstin; Gustafsson, Lars L.; Ivarsson, Anneli; Klingberg-Allvin, Marie; Kinsman, John; Källestål, Carina; Osman, Fatumo; Persson, Lars‐Åke; Sahlén, Klas-Göran; Wall, Stig

doi:10.1080/16549716.2017.1348693

Cited by 17 publications

(20 citation statements)

References 11 publications

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“…The current study will serve (1) research and health institutions interested in global health security to better assess research on fragile states [14]; (2) international health agencies to allocate research gaps in these fragile states and tailor health support and health aids based on the identified gaps; (3) international funding agencies to strengthen health systems in most neglected health aspects [15,16]; and (4) create and encourage research collaboration with colleagues in fragile states to rebuild the health research capabilities [17].…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Health-related publications on fragile states in the alert zone: a bibliometric analysis

Sweileh¹

2020

Preprint

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Background Vulnerable and fragile settings is global health challenge. Assessing health research activity can help identify neglected health domains in fragile settings. The objective of the current study was to assess and describe health research activity on fragile states in the alert zone. Method A bibliometric method was applied using SciVerse Scopus. Research articles published on fragile states in the alert zone were retrieved and analyzed. The Fragile State Index (FSI) score was used for selection of states in the alert zone. The analysis was limited to one year; 2018. Results The search query found 2299 research articles giving an average of 2 research articles per one million people per year in the selected fragile states. The number of research articles per one million population was not significantly correlated (p=0.053; r= - 0.349) with FSI scores. However, it was significantly correlated with the extent of international research collaboration (P<0.01, r=065). Research on communicable diseases was the largest research domain (763 articles; 33.2%) followed by maternal/women’s health (430 articles; 18.7%), non-communicable diseases (291 articles; 12.7%), health system/policy (271 articles; 11.8%) and psychosocial and mental health (89; 3.9%). The top ten cited articles were mainly on infectious diseases, particularly on malaria and Lassa fever. Of all the retrieved documents, 727 (31.6%) research articles appeared in national/regional journals while the remaining appeared in international journals. The World Health organization was the most active funding organization for research on fragile states. Top ten active institutions were mainly based in fragile states with the lowest FSI score, specifically Ethiopia, Uganda, Nigeria, and Pakistan. Conclusion Research on fragile states was relatively low. Research on mental health and health system/policy should be encouraged. Collaboration and funding might help academic institutions in fragile states to make health problems in these countries more visible

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Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Health-related publications on fragile states in the alert zone: a bibliometric analysis

Sweileh¹

2020

Preprint

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“…In 11 cases, consortia reported engaging in a partnership development process also referred to as an ‘engagement phase’,50 ‘inception phase’42 51 or ‘establishment process’ 52. Typically, this process was used to facilitate partner and stakeholder engagement, identify partner needs and expectations, determine consortium goals, assign roles, establish governance structures, consortium guidelines and procedures, and develop a plan of action.…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Managing health research capacity strengthening consortia: a systematised review of the published literature

et al. 2019

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BackgroundLocally relevant research is considered critical for advancing health and development in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). Accordingly, health research capacity strengthening (HRCS) efforts have intensified, increasingly through consortia. Yet, the knowledge base for managing such consortia is not well defined. This review aimed to ascertain the scope and quality of published literature on HRCS consortium management processes, management-related factors influencing consortium operations and outcomes, and the knowledge gaps.MethodsGiven the paucity of published HRCS literature, a ‘systematised review’ as outlined by Grant and Booth was conducted, modelling the systematic review process without restriction to research-based publications. A systematic search in PubMed and Scopus was carried out coupled with a manual search for papers using reference checking and citation searching. A quality appraisal of eligible articles using the Mixed Method Appraisal Tool was undertaken. Thematic synthesis was used to analyse the extracted data.ResultsThe search identified 55 papers, made up of 18 empirical papers and 37 commentaries focusing on consortium-based HRCS initiatives involving LMICs and reporting management-related data. The review indicates increasing efforts being made in the HRCS field in reporting consortia outcomes. However, it highlights the dearth of high-quality empirical research on HRCS consortium management and the nascent nature of the field with most papers published after 2010. The available literature highlights the importance of relational management factors such as equity and power relations in influencing consortium success, though these factors were not explored in depth. Operational management processes and their role in the capacity strengthening pathway were rarely examined.ConclusionFindings indicate a weak evidence base for HRCS consortium management both in terms of quantity and conceptual depth, demonstrating the need for an expanded research effort to inform HRCS practice.

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“…There is little health research capacity in Africa, and thus rebuilding research capacity is urgent. This has been initiated in some fragile states – for example, Somalia [34] – and in other regions (Malawi, Zambia and Zimbabwe) [35]. However, African research capacity has not yet reached the levels of that in high-income countries [36].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Some of the cemented collaborations are those with Vanderbilt Medical School and Johns Hopkins Medical School in the US, the Universities of Queensland and New South Wales in Australia, the University of Otago in New Zealand and the Universities of Northampton and Oxford in the UK, amongst others. This resource is being considered by institutions in fragile states as well [34]. …”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Closing the barrier between disease and health outcomes in Africa through research and capacity development

Kramer

Libhaber

2018

Global Health Action

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Background: While the burden of disease in Africa is high, health research emanating from the continent is low. Building human capacity and research infrastructure to close the gap between research and disease is thus of great imporatance. Objective: In order to improve research outputs and postgraduate training in the Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, the Health Sciences Research Office put in place a series of strategic initiatives over time. Methods: A range of strategic activities, for both postgraduate students and academic staff, were developed in parallel and sequentially over a period of approximately nine years (2008–2016). The latter years were a time of consolidation of the programmes. Outcomes of these activities were ‘measured’ by increases in publications, decreases in time to graduation and enrichment of the research environment. Results: A doubling of research publications and an increase in citations occurred over the period under review. In addition, there was a decrease in the time postgraduate students took to graduate. Conclusions: A varied, but structured research management plan may be of value in African and other developing health sciences institutions to enable the increase in research outputs and capacity development, desperately needed to close the barrier between disease and health.

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Rebuilding research capacity in fragile states: the case of a Somali–Swedish global health initiative

Cited by 17 publications

References 11 publications

Health-related publications on fragile states in the alert zone: a bibliometric analysis

Health-related publications on fragile states in the alert zone: a bibliometric analysis

Managing health research capacity strengthening consortia: a systematised review of the published literature

Closing the barrier between disease and health outcomes in Africa through research and capacity development

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