The Global Health Bioethics Network is a ten-year programme (2012-2022) to carry out ethics research and build ethics capacity across the Wellcome Trust’s Major Overseas Programmes (MOPs) in Kenya, Malawi, South Africa, Thailand-Laos, and Viet Nam. The Network is funded by a Wellcome Trust Strategic Award to the Ethox Centre and its partners at the MOPs.

This page will regularly feature current projects at each of the MOPs as well as at the Ethox Centre. If you would like your project to be featured on this page, please email dinnah.rippon@ethox.ox.ac.uk  

Projects by our 2017 Global Health Bioethics Network Fellows

 Nils Kaehler: Community engagement and the acceptability of Targeted Malaria Elimination (TME) in the Greater Mekong Region

This study will assess the acceptability and feasibility of TME and analyze the contribution of community engagement (CE) and other factors to the success of TME to date.

Mackwellings Phiri: Perspectives of research stakeholders on sharing of unanonymised participant information between research studies

The project looks at sharing of unanonymised data. The primary research objective of this project is to understand what research stakeholders’ perspectives are about research studies sharing and accessing participants’ data that contains identification details.

Alex Hinga: Describing Ethically Important Features of Health and Demographic Surveillance Systems in sub-Saharan Africa: Context, Functioning and History

This bursary project is nested within a larger PHD study exploring ethical issues for HDSS in SSA using a case study methodology. The project aims to describe the similarities and differences between HDSS sites in terms of their history, functioning and context. 

 

Mitsunge Gondwe and Neema Toto: The challenges of achieving informed consent among paediatric research participants in hospital-based research in urban Malawi

Mitsunge Gondwe is a new GHBN Fellow this year, who has taken over this project, originally begun in 2013 by Neema Toto. The informed consent process remains a contentious issue in health research in resource limited settings. No research work has been done in Malawi to assess understanding of participants on informed consent process in different study contexts. This prospective project explores the challenges arising in obtaining informed consent in Paediatric observational and interventional research in general and acute/emergency hospital setting at Queen Elizabeth Central Hospital in Blantyre, Malawi.

Projects by our 2016 Global Health Bioethics Network Fellows

Khadija Khan: Ethical concerns over the analysis and storage of excised human lung tissue: A surgical health care worker’s perspective

The aim of this study is to investigate health practitioners concerns around the impact of the consent process for (a) surgical procedures, (b) recruiting patients who are awaiting surgical procedures into clinical research studies and (c) factors surrounding the recruitment process that may influence a patient’s decision to participate in either option a or b above from a health care practitioners perspective.

 

Betty Kalama and Salim Mwalukore: Strengthening the Processes for Informed Consent Translation to Enhance Communication

This project aims to strengthen the processes of translating research terminologies used in ICFs for medical research in Kilifi Kenya. This may lead to high quality translation of ICFs, improved consent 

administration, and ultimately contribute to ethical conduct of health research at KEMRI Wellcome Trust Research Programme (KWTRP).

Kate Gooding: Post doctoral research associate at the Malawi-Liverpool-Wellcome Trust Clinical Research Programme

Kate Gooding is based in MLW’s Behaviour and Health Group. Part of her role involves close collaboration with the Science Communication team. Together with the team manager and M&E officer, she is working to strengthen monitoring and evaluation of MLW's community and public engagement activities, to support research on emerging engagement issues, and to ensure that plans for engagement are informed by clear goals and evidence.

Sreymom Pol: Exploring and Understanding the Community's Attitudes toward Research Ethics in Cambodia

The aim of the study is to explore community attitudes towards research and its ethics in Cambodia by interpreting what community members know about research and what research means for them.

Kyaw Myo Tun: Ethical issues in recruitment of teenagers and young people in clinical research in Myanmar

This research project will focus on the ethical issues in relation to recruitment of teenagers and young people in clinical research in Myanmar. In Myanmar, there is a lack of research in young people and there is a need to develop guidance suited to this particular context. 

Projects by our 2015 Global Health Bioethics Network Fellows

Ms Nguyen Thi Thanh Thuy: Senior Research Associate in Ethics and Policy at the Oxford University Clinical Research Unit (OUCRU)

The primary research Ms Nguyen will focus on over the next year includes ethical aspects of collaborative research, such as informed consent, benefits and compensation, and the translation and dissemination of research results.

Ms Bernadette Kombo: 'Facing our Fears': Facilitated film viewings as a community engagement tool in research involving MSM in Kenya

The main aim of the study is to explore people’s perspective on involving Men who have Sex with other Men (MSM) in HIV prevention research and learn from the stakeholders how Facilitated Film Viewings (FFV) as an approach can be integrated in the existing community engagement strategies.

Mr Elvis Moyo: Exploring and addressing challenges to improve the ethical practice for Fieldworkers in medical research at Malawi Liverpool Wellcome Trust

The main aim of the study is to identify ethical challenges faced by FW as they conduct medical research, and to ultimately improve ethical research practice among FW at the institution. We will observe FW interactions with research participants and community members to have an in-depth understanding of the challenges faced. In-depth interviews with key stakeholders will also be carried out. Findings from this study will improve the conduct of ethical research among FW in Malawi.

Projects by our 2014 Global Health Bioethics Network Fellows

Mr Mphatso Mwapasa: Bioethics of biometrics within the health care system and medical research in Malawi

The main aim of the study is to explore the bioethics of integrating biometrics within the health care system and in medical research in Malawi through the perceptions of policy makers and communities. This project asks the question: What are the current perceptions of policy makers and communities in response to the integration of biometrics within the health care system and in medical research in Malawi?

Dr Claudia Turner: Ethical considerations, perceptions, beliefs and practices in the neonatal period in rural Cambodia

This study seeks to examine ethics, beliefs, perceptions and practices in the healthcare of neonates. Although there has been a reduction in the number of deaths in children less than five years of age in low and middle income countries, this rate of reduction has not included those in the neonatal period (infants <four weeks of age). Understanding community practice and beliefs is a vital step in improving neonatal outcomes.

Dr Lindsey Reynolds, Miliswa Magongo, and Ncengani Mthethwa: ‘Representing and intervening’: The ethical and social dimensions of divergent forms of representation in the context of long-term biomedical research in South Africa

This research project is focused on the dynamics of divergent forms of representation in the context of long-term biomedical research in South Africa. More specifically, the project aims to explore the ways in which a variety of actors involved in the research activities of the Africa Centre for Population and Health Studies are asked to represent the Centre to the ‘community’ in which the Centre’s research is based and/or to represent the ‘community’ to the Centre leadership, scientific staff, funders, and other stakeholders.

Farirai Mutenherwa: Ethical issues in the use of molecular epidemiological techniques, a literature review and expert opinion analysis

This study explores the ethical issues associated with linking pathogen data to HIV infections, in particular, the use of phylogenetic analysis results as evidence to prove HIV transmission. The overall objective of this study is to develop an ethics framework that will guide the use of molecular epidemiological approaches in South Africa and serve as a resource for other countries involved in similar work.

Projects by our 2013 Global Health Bioethics Network Fellows

Miss Neema Mtunthama: The challenges of achieving informed consent among paediatric research participants in hospital-based research in urban Malawi

Informed consent process remains a contentious issue in health research in resource limited settings. No research work has been done in Malawi to assess understanding of participants on informed consent process in different study contexts. This prospective project explores the challenges arising in obtaining informed consent in Paediatric observational and interventional research in general and acute/emergency hospital setting at Queen Elizabeth Central Hospital in Blantyre, Malawi.

Mr Francis Kombe: Strengthening training of front-line staff as a means to enhance community engagement

The proposed project is part of a wider project that aims to find ways in which fieldworkers (frontline workers) involved in research activities can be effectively supported to handle practical and ethical challenges they encounter in their roles.

Dr Phaik Yeong Cheah: Consent and assent in paediatric research - recommendations for low-income settings

Although there has been much discussion in the literature about consent and assent in paediatric research, little has been written about the unique challenges in low-income settings. There are additional considerations in these difficult and complex environments where research is most needed and the disease burden is high. This project will examine this area and suggest recommendations for consent and assent in children in low-income settings.

Ms Thuy Nguyen Thi Thanh: Improving the informed consent process by creating the guidelines/format for its content applicable to NON-clinical trials in Vietnam

This project will be a collaborative project among OUCRU-VN and many other hospitals across the country such as the Hospital for Tropical Disease, Children’s hospital No.1, Children’s hospital No.2 and the National Hospital for Tropical Disease to gain a good knowledge on what are the essential details and information for informed consent forms for non-clinical trials.

Projects by our 2012 Global Health Bioethics Network Fellows

(In alphabetical order)

Dr Khin Maung Lwin: Identifying the Success Indicators of the Tak Province Border Community Ethics Advisory Board

This project, which is the first of the series of studies, is to answer  the following question: “What are the key success indicators of the T-CAB?" The success will be measured against expectations of key stakeholders. We will explore the expectations of key stakeholders includíng investigators, clinic staff, local communities by using appropriate qualitative research methods eg FGD,IDI, observation. Based on these findings, a bespoke evaluation tool will be developed and piloted.

Ms Maureen Njue: Incorporating the views of community members into guidelines on benefits to participants at the KEMRI Wellcome Trust Unit in Kilifi, Kenya

This project aims to first explore the perceptions of community members in Kilifi regarding what’s perceived as good practice for planning benefits to participants across the different types of research; and how these views can be incorporated into guidelines for researchers on planning for benefits in studies.  Secondly, it aims to explore methods for community consultation focusing on questions about benefits.

Ms Tran Thi Thanh Phuong: Cost effectiveness analysis of different dengue interventions and its application for policy evaluation and to help guide equitable access to health care

The focus of my research is on the Health Economics Challenges facing Viet Nam including work on Health Insurance, Government Provision and Payment Models for Vaccines, and Infectious Diseases.  My research will also explore the broader ethical and political issues surrounding the application of health economics.  Health Economics is currently of great importance in Viet Nam and I hope that through my PhD I can contribute to the growing debate about the way health provision in Viet Nam can be afforded in a sustainable and equitable way.

Mr Rodrick Sambakunsi: How are messages about HIV self-testing reproduced as they travel through communites?

This project aims at exploring how messages about HIV self-testing travel through community networks. The research will be conducted in and around urban Blantyre where HIV/TB intervention is currently taking place. Participants will be traced through a series of social networks, taking three main starting points to identify an initial sample frame. We hope that this research study will provide an opportunity to further develop the MLW communication of science programme, linking our strengths in the practice of community engagement with our strengths in social science research.

Dr. Lisa Jane White: Phoum Peet: Promoting Village Health in Cambodia through Community Engagement

The Village Malaria Worker (VMW) scheme in Cambodia currently covers about 30% of the villages currently at risk of malaria. In villages not yet covered, people are still dying of malaria and other preventable diseases. In this project we aim to set up a sponsorship scheme to recruit individual international sponsors to fund individual VMWs and extend the national scheme. We will develop novel smartphone technology and a dedicated website to enhance communication and reporting. We will design and carry out a study to explore the ethical issues arising from the role of the new VMWs.