Seedcorn Workshops Interdisciplinary Global Health Research 15 September 2017 1 November 2017
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SEEDCORN WORKSHOPS INTERDISCIPLINARY GLOBAL HEALTH RESEARCH 15 SEPTEMBER 2017 1 NOVEMBER 2017 Dear Colleagues, Since I joined Keele University a little over a year ago I have had many stimulating conversations about interdisciplinary health research with colleagues from different Schools and Research Institutes at Keele. These conversations led to a recent success in the Global Challenges Research Fund, the AHRC- MRC jointly funded SOLACE. This is an interdisciplinary global public health partnership involving researchers from medicine, arts, humanities and social sciences from Keele University and Ateneo de Manila University in the Philippines. This success is in no small part thanks to the unwavering support from Professor Andy Hassell, Head of Keele’s School of Medicine, Professor Elaine Hay, Director of iPCHS, and Professor Christian Mallen, Deputy Director iPCHS and Research Lead for the Global Health Research Programme. They have welcomed me so warmly at Keele and supported me in reaching out to Keele colleagues across campus. I feel very privileged to work as an ethnographer across the School of Medicine and iPCHS, enthusing my clinical colleagues about the social sciences, arts and humanities. And, more importantly, learning from Keele’s clinician-academics about how we can address complex medical problems and urgent health challenges through interdisciplinary research (IDR), which leads to high-impact outcomes (including creative outputs, scholarly work and clinical interventions). Over the past year, I encountered real enthusiasm and energy regarding the prospect of bringing together methodological and thematic expertise in large IDR collaborations around sustainable global health and wellbeing, as outlined by the RCUK’s Global Challenges Research Fund. When in March 2017 the Seedcorn Call was launched, I proposed to bring 10 Keele colleagues together with 2 external colleagues for two IDR workshops. My primary objective in bringing this group together is to enhance the interdisciplinary nature of health-related research conducted at Keele University. I believe the formation of this group has true potential to strengthen the University’s research profile as it will ensure that primary care and global health research will draw on IDR expertise across the board. Indeed, the proposed team includes colleagues from the three Keele Faculties, with representation from different Schools and Research Institutes. We bring together specialist knowledge and theories from social, humanities, clinical, biological and life science disciplines. To name only a few of these areas of expertise: primary care, public health, social anthropology, medical education, psychology, history, community engagement, biomedicine, postcolonial theory, medical humanities, theatre studies and cultural theory. In the first workshop, DisciplinAry Methodologies And Knowledge, we will focus on introducing research methodologies and outlining substantial areas of expertise which can feed into research bids around global health challenges (15 September 2017). The second workshop, PrepAring GrAnt Proposals And IDR Methodology PAper, will take place at the New Vic Theatre in Newcastle-under- Lyme (1 November 2017). These two workshops are funded by the Institute of Liberal Arts and Sciences (ILAS) at Keele University. I would like to thank Professor Jonathan Wastling, PVC Postgraduate Studies, and Professor David Amigoni, PVC Research and Enterprise, for considering my workshop proposal and providing Seedcorn Funding. Particular thanks also go to Ms Jo Flynn, ILAS Manager, who has helped me with the logistics of these two workshops, and to Ms Sue Moffat, for hosting the second workshop in the New Vic Theatre. I hope that you all enjoy these two workshops. Dr Lisa Dikomitis School of Medicine Research Institute for Primary Care & Health Sciences WORKSHOP PARTICIPANTS • Professor Vassos Argyrou ([email protected]) • Dr Dimitra Blana ([email protected]) • Dr Lisa Dikomitis ([email protected]) • Dr Emee Estacio ([email protected]) • Professor Rajmil Fischman ([email protected]) • Professor Andy Hassell ([email protected]) • Dr Toby Helliwell ([email protected]) • Professor Mihaela Kelemen ([email protected]) • Professor Christian Mallen ([email protected]) • Ms Sue Moffat ([email protected]) • Dr Mariangela Palladino ([email protected]) • Dr Tom Shepherd ([email protected]) • Professor Alannah Tomkins ([email protected]) WORKSHOP OBJECTIVES • To make connections: professionally and personally • To foster interdisciplinary collaborations at Keele • To learn about methodologies you are not familiar with • To get an overview of specialist knowledge at Keele from the social sciences, arts and humanities, clinical, biological and life science disciplines • To enhance the interdisciplinary nature of health- related research at Keele University • To develop large grant applications around sustainable global health and wellbeing • To co-author a paper on interdisciplinary research WORKSHOP 15 SEPTEMBER 2017 (9 AM TO 4.30 PM) SENIOR COMMON ROOM, KEELE HALL DISCIPLINARY METHODOLOGIES AND KNOWLEDGE 9 - 9.15: Welcome, refreshments 9.15 - 10.15: Introductions via elevAtor pitches • Lisa Dikomitis • Mariangela Palladino* • Christian Mallen • Tom Shepherd* • Alannah Tomkins • Toby Helliwell • Vassos Argyrou • Andy Hassell* • Rajmil Fischman • Mihaela Kelemen • Sue Moffat* • Emee Estacio • Dimitra Blana *Sending apologies for the first workshop, but will be included here via video clips and slides 10.15-11.15: MethodologicAl ApproAches in IDR I • Cultural Animation and Community Engagement (Mihaela Kelemen and Sue Moffat) • Clinical trials (Toby Helliwell) • Historical Research and archives (Alannah Tomkins) 11.15-11.30: Coffee break 11.30- 1: MethodologicAl ApproAches and theoretical perspectives in IDR II • Health literacy (Emee Estacio) • Postcolonial theory (Vassos Argyrou) • Interactive immersive musical experiences (Rajmil Fishman) • Engaging with technology (Dimitra Blana) 1-2: Lunch 2-2.45: MethodologicAl ApproAches And theoreticAl perspectives in IDR III • Ethnography (Lisa Dikomitis) • Primary care and Health Sciences at Keele (Christian Mallen) 2.45-4.15: RoundtAble discussion of current funding calls And developing IDR globAl health bids 4.15-4.30: Setting priorities and agenda for next workshop WORKSHOP 1 NOVEMBER 2017 (9.30 AM TO 4 PM) YOUTH ROOM, NEW VIC THEATRE (ETRURIA RD, NEWCASTLE ST5 0JG) PREPARING GRANT PROPOSALS AND IDR METHODOLOGY PAPER GLOBAL CHALLENGES RESEARCH FUND The Global Challenges Research Fund (GCRF) is a 5-year £1.5Bn fund and a key component in the delivery of the UK Aid Strategy: tackling global challenges in the national interest. The fund aims to ensure that UK research takes a leading role in addressing the problems faced by developing countries through: • challenge-led disciplinary and interdisciplinary research • strengthening capacity for research and innovation within both the UK and developing countries • providing an agile response to emergencies where there is an urgent research need. The Global Challenges Research Fund is an initiative led by the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) which operates across a number of delivery partners, including the UK Research Councils, UK Higher Education Funding bodies, the Academy of Medical Sciences, Royal Society, British Academy, the Royal Academy of Engineering and UK Space Agency. GCRF forms part of the UK's Official Development Assistance (ODA) commitment, which is monitored by the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD). ODA-funded activity focuses on outcomes that promote the long-term sustainable growth of countries on the OECD Development Assistance Committee (DAC) list. GCRF funding will be awarded in a manner that fits with Official ODA guidelines. When assessing whether an activity is eligible as ODA or not, delivery partners consider whether projects and programmes satisfy OECD criteria on eligibility by whether or not they: • aim to promote the welfare and economic development of a country or countries on the DAC list of ODA recipients • are designed to address a development need, and • focus on developing country problems. More information on http://www.rcuk.ac.uk/funding/gcrf/ AHRC-MRC GlobAl Public HeAlth: GlobAl ChAllenge ReseArch Fund PArtnership AwArds CAll 2 The Global Challenges Research Fund (GCRF) offers a unique opportunity for the Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC) and the MRC to launch a global public health initiative that responds to the challenge of bringing together expertise in medical science and health interventions in developing countries, with arts and humanities research bringing an understanding of local knowledge and history, cultural and historical contexts and dynamics, community engagement, and trust. The overarching driver of this partnership building activity is to develop inter-disciplinary research capacity and capability in both the UK and developing countries, jointly and collaboratively and across career stages. The aim is to generate reciprocal benefits through integrating understanding of cultures and histories into medical and public health challenges in a global context and to equip the next generation of researchers to work collaboratively and blend scientific, cultural and policy research. The activity should catalyse the creation of sustainable, balanced relationships between UK based research organisations