TY - JOUR
T1 - Towards diaspora-driven research capacity strengthening in low- A nd middle-income countries
T2 - Results from India and Nepal
AU - Varadaraj, Varshini
AU - Ranjit, Anju
AU - Nwadiuko, Joseph
AU - Canner, Joseph
AU - Diener-West, Marie
AU - Schneider, Eric B.
AU - Thyagarajan, Sadras Panchatcharam
AU - Shrestha, Rajeev
AU - Nagarajan, Neeraja
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© The Author(s) 2018.
PY - 2019/5/1
Y1 - 2019/5/1
N2 - Background: Biomedical research from high-income countries often informs practice and policy in low- A nd middle-income countries (LMICs) with vastly different socioeconomic and health systems. Engagement of LMIC-based researchers is integral to setting research priorities in the local context. Methods: A program, comprising a research seminar and workshop, and utilizing diaspora health professionals to understand research needs and build research capacity in LMICs, was created and pilot-tested at two institutions in India (65 participants) and Nepal (30 participants). Pre- A nd post-program surveys were instituted to assess participants' attitudes towards research. Results: In the pre-program survey, most participants (India: 76%, Nepal: 100%) perceived research as 'very/extremely important' in their careers. However, a majority felt that finding time (India: 75%, Nepal: 81%) and funding (India: 82%, Nepal: 100%) for research was 'difficult/very difficult'. After the program, 86-91% and 86-100% of participants from India and Nepal, respectively, felt that the various courses were very useful/useful for their research careers. Conclusions: Research is seen as an integral part of educational training and career advancement in LMICs. However, inadequate training, funding and mentorship remain a challenge. Engagement of diaspora health workers may serve as an important avenue for collaborative biomedical research capacity strengthening in LMICs.
AB - Background: Biomedical research from high-income countries often informs practice and policy in low- A nd middle-income countries (LMICs) with vastly different socioeconomic and health systems. Engagement of LMIC-based researchers is integral to setting research priorities in the local context. Methods: A program, comprising a research seminar and workshop, and utilizing diaspora health professionals to understand research needs and build research capacity in LMICs, was created and pilot-tested at two institutions in India (65 participants) and Nepal (30 participants). Pre- A nd post-program surveys were instituted to assess participants' attitudes towards research. Results: In the pre-program survey, most participants (India: 76%, Nepal: 100%) perceived research as 'very/extremely important' in their careers. However, a majority felt that finding time (India: 75%, Nepal: 81%) and funding (India: 82%, Nepal: 100%) for research was 'difficult/very difficult'. After the program, 86-91% and 86-100% of participants from India and Nepal, respectively, felt that the various courses were very useful/useful for their research careers. Conclusions: Research is seen as an integral part of educational training and career advancement in LMICs. However, inadequate training, funding and mentorship remain a challenge. Engagement of diaspora health workers may serve as an important avenue for collaborative biomedical research capacity strengthening in LMICs.
KW - Diaspora health workers
KW - low- A nd middle-income countries
KW - research attitudes
KW - research barriers
KW - research capacity strengthening
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U2 - 10.1093/inthealth/ihy076
DO - 10.1093/inthealth/ihy076
M3 - Article
C2 - 30307506
AN - SCOPUS:85064811031
SN - 1876-3413
VL - 11
SP - 221
EP - 228
JO - International health
JF - International health
IS - 3
ER -