BU Research Blog

8 January 2024

Partnership planning meeting in Kathmandu

This afternoon Prof. Edwin van Teijlingen attended a partnership meeting with colleagues from Nepal’s Manmohan Memorial Institute of Health Sciences (MMIHS) in Yak & Yeti Hotel in Kathmandu. The discussion highlighted the longstanding partnership and collaboration between MMIHS and BU. The meeting was part of a wider collaboration around between MMIHS, BU and the University of Huddersfield, The University of Sheffield and Canterbury Christ Church University. The latter universities have been working together for over fours years in an interdisciplinary study ‘The impact of federalisation on Nepal’s health system: a longitudinal analysis’. This project has been funded by the Health System Research Initiative, a UK collaboration between three funding bodies: the MRC (Medical Research Council), the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office, and the Welcome Trust.

The BU-MMIHS collaboration has included successful ERASMUS+ staff and student exchanges as well as student exchanges from BU to Kathmandu as part of the Turing Scheme. Currently various BU academics are also involved a co-supervisors on MSc projects conducted by MMIHS postgraduate students.

Prof. Edwin van Teijlingen

Centre for Midwifery & Women’s Health (CMWH)

6 January 2024

New migration paper related to Nepal

international, open access, PG research, Publishing, student research, Women's Academic Network, writing Edwin van Teijlingen

On the last day of 2023 the Journal of Health Promotion published the paper ‘Sexual Harassment Among Nepali Non-Migrating Female Partners of International Labor Migrant Men’ [1]. This paper, in an Open Access journal, addresses one of the consequences of male labour migrants leaving their family members behind in Nepal. While non-migrating spouses often receive financial support in the form of remittances, their husbands’ migration also creates numerous social and personal problems. This qualitative study explored non-migrating spouses’ experience of sexual harassment/abuse and its impact on their mental health. Fourteen in-depth interviews were conducted and women reported experiencing harassment by men they knew, including their teachers and colleagues, who knew their husbands were abroad. But none of the women reported taking any action against their perpetrators, indicating a lack of power in this study population in still predominantly patriarchal society.

The lead author of the paper is Assistant Prof. Kalpana Gyawali from Tribhuvan University, Nepal’s largest and oldest university paper. Her co-authors are: Padam Simkhada, Visiting Professor in BU’s Faculty of Health & Social Sciences as well as Professor in Global Health at the University of Huddersfield, Edwin van Teijlingen in Bournemouth University’s Centre for Midwifery & Women’s Health, Ms. Shraddha Manandhar, PhD. student at the University of Huddersfield, and Mr. Ram Chandra Silwal the Country Director of Green Tara Nepal, the charity we have been working with for nearly twenty years.

References:

Gyawali, K., Simkhada, P., van Teijlingen, E.R., Manandhar, S., Silwal, R.C. (2023). Sexual Harassment Among Nepali Non-Migrating Female Partners of International Labor Migrant Men. Journal of Health Promotion, 11(1): 22–31. https://www.nepjol.info/index.php/jhp/article/view/61198

1 January 2024

The last BU blog of 2023

international, open access, Publishing, writing Edwin van Teijlingen

First of all: Happy New Year!

One of the first message I received this morning was that our editorial ‘Addressing the inequalities in global genetic studies for the advancement of Genetic Epidemiology’ [1] had been published yesterday. If I had know this in time it would have been the proper last Bournemouth University Research Blog of 2023 published yesterday. Interestingly, we only submitted the draft editorial on Christmas Day, got it back for revisions on Boxing Day and resubmitted it and had it accepted on December 28th. It dis, of course, help that both editors-in-chief of the Nepal Journal of Epidemiology are co-authors on this editorial!

Prof. Edwin van Teijlingen

Centre for Midwifery & Women’s Health (CMWH)

Reference:

Sathian, B., van Teijlingen, E., Roy., B., Kabir, R., Banerjee, I., Simkhada, P., Al Hamad, H. (2023) Addressing the
inequalities in global genetic studies for the advancement of Genetic Epidemiology. Nepal Journal of Epidemiology, 13(4):1292-1293.
DOI: 10.3126/nje.v13i4.61271

31 December 2023

Discovering Causal Relations and Equations from Data

BRIAN, Fusion themes, open access, REF Subjects, staff profile pages ebballester

Discovering equations, laws, or invariant principles underpins scientific and technical advancement. Robust model discovery has typically emerged from observing the world and, when possible, performing interventions to falsify models.

Recently, data-driven approaches like classic and deep machine learning are evolving traditional equation discovery methods. These new tools can provide unprecedented advances in computer science, neuroscience, physics, philosophy, and many applied areas.

We have just published a new study discussing concepts and methods on causal and equation discovery, outlining current challenges and promising future lines of research. The work also showcases comprehensive case studies in diverse scientific areas ranging from earth and environmental science to neuroscience.

Our tenet is that discovering fundamental laws and causal relations by observing natural phenomena is revolutionised with the coalescence of observational data and simulations, modern machine learning algorithms and domain knowledge. Exciting times are ahead with many challenges and opportunities to improve our understanding of complex systems.

This study is a collaborative work between eight universities in Europe and the United States (Valencia, Berlin, Tübingen, Jena, Stockholm, New York, and Bournemouth Universities).

Camps-Valls, G., Gerhardus, A., Ninad, U., Varando, G., Martius, G., Balaguer-Ballester, E., Vinuesa, R., Diaz, E., Zanna, L. and Runge, J., 2023. Discovering causal relations and equations from data. Physics Reports, 1044, 1-68 (Impact Factor=30).

30 December 2023

Well-being of Nepal’s migrant workers no longer on global agenda

international, open access, PG research, Publishing, student research, writing Edwin van Teijlingen

A few days ago were alerted by ResearchGate that our article ‘Migrant Workers in Qatar: Not just an important topic during the FIFA World Cup‘ has reached 300 reads [1]. We (Padam Simkhada, Pramod Regmi and I) wrote this article a year ago to raise publicity about the conditions of Nepalese migrant workers in the Middle East. The hazards faced by migrant workers engaged in building the football stadiums in Qatar have been well documented before and during the FIFA Men’s Football World Cup. Their working conditions are often very dangerous and their living conditions are often very poor.

This time last year Dr. Pramod Regmi, Dr. Nirmal Aryal, Prof. Edwin van Teijlingen, and BU’s Visiting Professor Padam Simkhada also published ‘Excessive Mortalities among Migrant Workers: the Case of the 2022 FIFA World Cup’ [2]. At the time we wrote “The men’s FIFA Football World Cup 2022 is in full flow in Qatar” which finished with a very exciting final between Argentina and France. Around the same time BU’s PhD student Yagya Adhikari also wrote a paper on ‘Forgotten health and social care needs of left-behind families of Nepali migrant workers’ [3]. This paper was co-authored by Dr.Pramod Regmi in the Department of Nursing Sciences, Prof. Edwin van Teijlingen, and BU Visiting Faculty Prof. Bhimsen Devkota.

Unfortunately, since the World Cup finished, the world, the media and our politicians have moved on and the health and well-being of migrant workers are no longer headline news. The reminder this week of 300 reads for our editorial gives us another opportunity to remind everyone of the need to keep the plight of migrant workers in the Middle East (and elsewhere) on the world’s agenda.

Prof. Edwin van Teijlingen

Centre for Midwifery & Women’s Health (CMWH)

References:

Simkhada, P., van Teijlingen, E., Regmi, P. R. (2022). Migrant Workers in Qatar: Not just an important topic during the FIFA World Cup 2022 . Health Prospect, 21(3). https://doi.org/10.3126/hprospect.v21i3.49835
Adhikari, Y.R., Regmi, P.R., Devkota, B., van Teijlingen, E.R. (2022) Forgotten health and social care needs of left-behind families of Nepali migrant workers. Journal of Health Promotion, 10(1):1–4.
Adhikari, Y.R., Regmi, P.R., Devkota, B., van Teijlingen, E.R. (2022) Forgotten health and social care needs of left-behind families of Nepali migrant workers. Journal of Health Promotion, 10(1):1–4. https://doi.org/10.3126/jhp.v10i1.50976

30 December 2023

Migration and mental health meeting in Kathmandu

international, Publishing, writing Edwin van Teijlingen

Yesterday (29th December) Prof. Edwin van Teijlingen attended a workshop on ‘Current situation of migration and its impact on Mental health’ in a hotel in Kathmandu, Nepal. This workshop was organised by the Transcultural Psychosocial Organization Nepal (TPO Nepal) and funded by a Finnish aid organisation. Two of BU’s current collaborators were members of the workshop panel. One of the panel members was FHSS Visiting Faculty Prof. Padam Simkhada, who is Professor of Global Health at the University of Huddersfield. He spoke about the limited amount of research into mental health in general in Nepal and in migrant workers in particular. The chair was Mrs. Manju Gurung from the organisation POURAKHI Nepal, who collaborates with BU in the recently started project on health and migration funded by the USA State Department. Unsurprisingly, several speakers at the workshop referred to studies conducted in the field of migrant workers’ health by BU academics, particularly the work published by Dr. Pramod Regmi and Dr. Nirmal Aryal.

Prof. Edwin van Teijlingen

Centre for Midwifery & Women’s Health

28 December 2023

Interview with BU professor published

Delicious links, international, open access, Publishing Edwin van Teijlingen

Today Madhusudan Subedi and Man Bahadur Khattri published their Interview with Prof. Edwin van Teijlingen in the Dhaulagiri Journal of Sociology & Anthropology [1]. This academic journal is published in Nepal and it is Open Access; hence freely available to read to anybody with access to the internet.

Their abstract reads: “Edwin van Teijlingen is Dutch by birth and a Professor of Reproductive Health at Bournemouth University in the south of England. He has achieved a PhD in Medical Sociology at the University of Aberdeen, UK. Prof. Edwin van Teijlingen connected with Nepal while supervising Nepali PhD scholars in UK, and he has been a frequent visitor to Nepal since 2006. He has supervised more than 35 PhDs, among which 13 are Nepali. He has examined more than 50 PhDs. He has published around 300 academic papers and book chapters in health promotion, midwifery, and health services research. He serves as a peer reviewer for worldwide famous health journals such as PLOS One and BMC Pregnancy & Childbirth. He delivered a speech to the Members of Parliamentarians in Kathmandu in 2016 as part of a workshop to promote evidence-based policy-making. He is a committee member on various grant-awarding bodies in the UK, Belgium, the Netherlands, Norway, Switzerland, and the USA. He is a visiting Professor at the Centre for Disability Studies, Mahatma Gandhi University, Kerala in India (2020-present); the School of Health Sciences at the University of Nottingham in England (2017-2026); Nobel College, affiliated with Pokhara University, Nepal (2012-present); and Manmohan Memorial Institute of Health Sciences affiliated with Tribhuvan University (2009-present). We would like to express our gratitude for his acceptance to share personal and academic lives, which can inspire young and energetic scholars in Nepal and elsewhere.”

Reference:

Subedi, M., Khattri, M. B. (2023). Interview with Professor Edwin van Teijlingen. Dhaulagiri Journal of Sociology and Anthropology, 17(01), 79–88. https://doi.org/10.3126/dsaj.v17i01.61149

23 December 2023

Paper published on ‘living evidence’

international, open access, Publishing, Training, writing Edwin van Teijlingen

The Nepal Journal of Epidemiology published today carries an article on so-called ‘living evidence’ as an on-going synthesis approach that provides up-to-date rigorous research evidence [1]. This short research methods paper argues that living evidence is particularly useful in rapidly expanding research domains, uncertain existing evidence, and incorporating new research evidence that may impact policy or practice, ensuring that health worker, managers and health-policy makers have access to the best, i.e. the most recent evidence.

The Nepal Journal of Epidemiology is an Open Access journal, and hence freely available to researchers across the globe. The paper has been co-authored by researchers from the Denmark, Qatar, Mauritius and the UK.

Prof. Edwin van Teijlingen

Centre for Midwifery & Women’s Health (CMWH)

Reference:

Sathian B., van Teijlingen E., do Nascimento I.J.B., Khatib M.N., Banerjee I., Simkhada P., Kabir R., Al Hamad H. (2023) Need for evidence synthesis for quality control of healthcare decision-making. Nepal Journal of Epidemiology 13(3):1288-1291. DOI: 10.3126/nje.v13i3.61004

22 December 2023

New Nepal paper published

international, Publishing, writing Edwin van Teijlingen

BMJ Global Health published our latest paper today under the title ‘The impact of decentralisation on health systems: a systematic review of reviews‘ [1]. This so-called review of reviews is part of a larger study funded by the UK Health Systems Research Initiative [Grant ref. MR/T023554/1]. in this larger Nepal Federal Health System Project we study the consequences for the health system of Nepal’s move from a centralised political system to a more federal government structure. This joint project is led by the University of Sheffield in collaboration with Bournemouth University, the University of Huddersfield, and two collaborating institutions in Nepal, namely Manmohan Memorial Institute of Health Sciences (MMIHS) and PHASE Nepal. We have managed to publish four papers from this project prior to today’s one. [2-5]

This latest paper, is Open Access and it includes nine reviews, each addressing somewhat different questions, contexts and issues. More negative than positive impacts of decentralisation on health system building blocks were identified. Although inconclusive, evidence suggested that the impacts on leadership and governance and financing components in particular shape the impact on the overall health system. Assessment of how the impact on building blocks translates to the broader impact on health systems is challenged by the dynamic complexities related to contexts, process and the health system itself. This review highlights some of the common potential issues to consider in advance.

Prof. Edwin van Teijlingen

CMWH (Centre for Midwifery & Women’s Health)

References:

Sapkota, S., Dhakal, A., Rushton S., et al. (2023) The impact of decentralisation on health systems: a systematic review of reviews. BMJ Global Health 8:e013317. doi:10.1136/bmjgh-2023-013317.
Wasti, S.P., van Teijlingen, E., Rushton, S., et al. (2023) Overcoming the Challenges Facing Nepal’s Health System During Federalisation: An Analysis of Health System Building Blocks, Health Research Policy & Systems 21(117) https://doi.org/10.1186/s12961-023-01033-2
Sapkota, S., Panday, S., Wasti, S.P., et al. (2022) Health System Strengthening: The Role of Public Health in Federal Nepal, Journal of the Nepal Public Health Association 7(1):36-42.
Adhikary, P., Balen, J., Gautam, S., et al. (2020) The COVID-19 pandemic in Nepal: Emerging evidence on the effectiveness of action by, and cooperation between, different levels of government in a federal system, Journal of Karnali Academy of Health Sciences 3 (3): 1-11.
Rushton, S., Pandey, S., van Teijlingen, E., et al. (2021) An Investigation into the Impact of Decentralization on the Health System of Nepal. Journal of Manmohan Memorial Institute of Health Sciences, 7(1): 3–14. https://doi.org/10.3126/jmmihs.v7i1.43146

21 December 2023

Viewpoint on free birthing

international, open access, Publishing, writing Edwin van Teijlingen

This week the Journal of Asian Midwives published our short article ‘Out-of-hospital births: A small but growing phenomenon in high income countries: A viewpoint‘ [1]. OOHBs (out-of-hospital births), is also referred to as freebirth (or freebirthing), unassisted childbirth and/or unassisted pregnancy [2]. OOHB does not refer to giving birth at home before the midwife arrives at a home birth or the birth taking place in an ambulance or along the side of the road on the way to a maternity unit, this is called ‘born before arrival’. OOHB suggests an element of planning of planning a birth without a midwife (or other maternity-care professional).

The paper in the Journal of Asian Midwives highlights that during the COVID-19 pandemic, OOHBs were a way to avoid Public Health regulations and lock-down constraints, and to guarantee the presence of a partner at the birth. The authors argue, however, that the pandemic is not at the origin of the trend, but more of a catalyst. Advocacy groups, maternity-service users’ groups, the media, and midwifery organisations in several high-income countries have in recent years underlined the growing criticism of existing maternity care and midwifery services and a long-term shortage of midwives. This is in addition to a longstanding trend in the United Kingdom of closing community-based hospitals, including small, free-standing midwife-led units.

Prof. Edwin van Teijlingen

Centre for Midwifery & Women’s Health

Reference:

Miani, C, Batram-Zantvoort, S, Pitchforth, E, Treadgold, B, Johnston, K, Rozée, V, MacDougall, C, Schantz, C, van Teijlingen, E. (2023) Out-of-hospital births: A small but growing phenomenon in high income countries: A viewpoint. Journal of Asian Midwives 10(2):77–78.
AIMS. (2020) Freebirth, Unassisted Childbirth and Unassisted Pregnancy, published on 30 March 2020, accessed 21 December 2023.

15 December 2023

New sociology paper

international, Publishing, writing Edwin van Teijlingen

Congratulations to Professors Sara Ashencaen Crabtree and Jonathan Parker who, together with academic colleagues from Cost Rica and Malaysia, published in the journal Debates En Sociología [1]. Their latest sociology paper focuses on Indigenous research, its costs, benefits and problematic issues, drawing on theoretical insights from Bourdieu. Both Sara and Jonathan are based in Bournemouth University’s Department of Social Sciences & Social Work.

Congratulations!

Prof. Edwin van Teijlingen

CMWH

Reference:

Ashencaen Crabtree, S., Parker, J., Sylvester, O., García Segura, A., & Man, Z. (2023). “Balancing the Books”: Research Paradigms, Funding,
Ethics and Accountability in Research with Indigenous People, Debates En Sociología, 57: 60-83.

14 December 2023

MaGPIE has taken flight!

Awarded & submitted bids, international, REF Subjects efisher

“There is not one region in the world, not one historical period, that has not seen mass graves”.

(UN Special Rapporteur on extra-judicial summary or arbitrary executions, 2020)

Wednesday 13^th December marked the launch of MaGPIE, the pioneering £1.6 million ERC selected UKRI funded research project, run out of the Humanities & Law department in the Faculty of Media and Communication.

MaGPIE stands for Mass Grave Protection, Investigation and Engagement and asks: how can a comprehensive and universally applicable human rights framework for mass graves can be developed and achieved?

To answer such a magnitudinous question, MaGPIE has strategically organised its research into three interconnected pillars:

Pillar 1 asserts that comprehending the scale of global mass graves is paramount to understanding the nature of the problem. Consequently, pillar 1 will result in an open-source map of mass grave sites and ancillary outputs that have the potential to strengthen protection, forensic investigation, justice efforts, commemoration and remembrance for the benefits of survivors.

Pillar 2 identifies and seeks to remedy human rights blindspots that persist within present practices surrounding mass graves. These blindspots will be addressed through researching: cultural and Indigenous rights; issues of access, consent and data protection; participatory rights and vulnerabilities due to climate change.

Bournemouth Protocol on Mass Grave Protection and Investigation land and sea migratory routes and to what extent they might contain mass graves and hence warrant protection through a concerted human rights framework and policy.

The launch of MaGPIE was a momentous occasion for Professor Melanie Klinkner and her growing team. Professor Scott Wright, Deputy Dean for Research and Professional Practice, kindly introduced the MaGPIE team members: Dr David Biggins, project management and data specialist in BUBS; Emily Fisher the Research Assistant and HSS prize winning graduate; Dr Ellie Smith and Dr Ian Hanson Senior Research Fellows, and newly appointed data researchers Diego Nunez and Ellen Donovan. Internal stakeholders were invited to raise a toast—of non-alcoholic mulled wine—not only to celebrate the project’s launch but also to acknowledge the collaborative efforts that brought MaGPIE to the starting line.

If you are interested in following the work of MaGPIE stay updated by following our LinkedIn and Twitter profiles for the latest developments over the coming years.

14 December 2023

Methods paper: Online questionnaire surveys

international, open access, Publishing, writing Edwin van Teijlingen

The paper ‘Guide to the design and application of online questionnaire surveys‘ [1] led by Dr. Pramod Regmi, Principal Academic in International Health in the Faculty of Health & Social Sciences, reached 200 citations today on ResearchGate. Our methods paper was published in 2016 in the Nepal Journal of Epidemiology which is Open Access, hence it is freely available to anyone in the world with internet access.

At the time conducting online surveys was still a bit of a novelty. In the paper we noted that there was limited literature to help a fledgling researcher with the design and a use of online questionnaires. Therefore, this short paper highlights issues around: a) methodological aspect of online questionnaire survey; b) online survey planning and management; and c) ethical concerns that may arise while using this option.

Prof. Edwin van Teijlingen

Centre for Midwifery & Women’s Health

Reference:

Regmi, P. R., Waithaka, E., Paudyal, A., Simkhada, P., & van Teijlingen, E. (2017). Guide to the design and application of online questionnaire surveys. Nepal Journal of Epidemiology, 6(4), 640–644.

7 December 2023

Delay to the next Research Excellence Framework (REF) exercise

REF Subjects Claire Fenton

Following community consultation on the REF initial decisions published in the summer of 2023, the four UK higher education funding bodies have announced an extension to the timing of the next REF exercise.

The next REF will now be REF2029, with results to be published in December 2029.

It is likely that submission will now be autumn 2028. The REF team have advised that an updated timeline will be published “as soon as possible”.

The extension to the timeline is in recognition of the complexities for Higher Education Institutions in:

the preparation for using HESA data to determine REF volume measures,
fully breaking the link between individual staff and institutional submissions,
the reworking of institutional Codes of Practice

As well as the change to the timing for the REF, a number of other updates have been announced, including:

The Units of Assessment structure used in REF2021 will remain unchanged.
Institutions may submit any output where there is a “demonstrable and substantive link to the submitting institution within the REF period.”
Outputs sole-authored by PGR students will not be eligible for submission, nor will those produced by staff on teaching-only contracts.
The minimum number of impact case studies that an institution can submit per disciplinary submission will be reduced to one, and there will be a removal of the 2* quality threshold for research that underpins impact case studies.

More detail on the initial decisions next steps can be found at https://www.ref.ac.uk/news/update-on-initial-decisions/

7 December 2023

Promoting interdisciplinary research

conferences, international, Publishing, REF Subjects, Training, writing Edwin van Teijlingen

This week’s Bournemouth University (BU) advertised a forthcoming event in February 2024 ‘Early Career Researchers and Interdisciplinarity in the Medical Humanities – South West‘. To promote this event I would like to highlight some papers published recently by BU academics on interdisciplinarity.

First, Dr. Shanti Shanker in the Department of Psychology and Dr. Pramod Regmi in the Department of Nursing Science and Prof. Edwin van Teijlingen in the Department of Midwifery & Health Sciences published the paper ‘The Interdisciplinary Team Not the Interdisciplinarist: Reflections on Interdisciplinary Research’ [1]. This interesting paper is co-authored with two BU Visiting Faculty, Ms. Jillian Ireland, Professional Midwifery Advocate in Poole Maternity Hospital (University Hospitals Dorset NHS Foundation Trust) and Prof. Padam Simkhada based at the University of Huddersfield. This paper argues that interdisciplinary working is within the team, not the person being interdisciplinary . Multidisciplinary teams provide unique opportunities for researchers from different disciplines (and hence different ways of working and thinking) to collaborate with one another. We need to be careful not to try to create interdisciplinarists, or at least, not too many. The worlds needs people who are strong in their discipline and open-minded/flexible/reflective enough to see the value of other people’s disciplines.

Secondly, the Journal of Manmohan Memorial Institute of Health Sciences published our editorial ‘Public Health is truly interdisciplinary’ [2]. This editorial was largely written to counteract some of the jurisdictional claims made in Nepal by certain people in Public Health. These claims express themselves in arguments around the question whether Public Health is a single academic discipline or a broad interdisciplinary profession comprising many different individual academic disciplines. There are two quite distinct and opposing views. Some argue that Public Health is a broad-ranging single discipline covering sub-disciplines such as Epidemiology, Management, Medicine, Nursing, Health Psychology, Medical Statistics, Sociology of Health & Illness and Public Health Medicine. Those who support this argument, typically see: (a) Public Health is the overarching dominant discipline, which brings these sub-disciplines together; and (b) that a true Public Health practitioner amalgamates all these individual elements. Others argue that Public Health is more an overarching world view or interdisciplinary approach for wide-ranging group of professionals and academics [2]. In this view some Public Health professionals are first trained as clinicians, others as psychologists, health economists, health management, statisticians, or demographers, and so on and have later specialised in Public Health.

Thirdly, doing multidisciplinary research is not without its problems, hence we reflect on some of these in the paper ‘Interdisciplinary Research in Public Health: Not quite straightforward’ [3]. The authors are BU’s Dr. Pramod Regmi, Dr. Nirmal Ayral in the Department of Nursing Science and Prof. Edwin van Teijlingen, and BU Visiting Professor Padam Simkhada and BU graduate Dr. Pratik Adhikary (currently at the University of the West of England). We all are Public Health researchers, with very different educational backgrounds and training, reflecting the diversity of and interdisciplinarity in the field. Several of us have a first degree in Education or Health Education, but one has a first degree in Sociology. Whilst four of the five authors have Master degree in Public Health and/or Health Promotion, two have a Master in Education. Most of the authors have a Ph.D. in Public Health, but again the Ph.D. of one of us is in Sociology. The key point is that we are all working in Public Health.

Unfortunately the ‘Early Career Researchers and Interdisciplinarity in the Medical Humanities – South West’is for ECRs from the South West Hub only.

Prof. Edwin van Teijlingen

CMWH

References:

Shanker, S., Wasti, S.P., Ireland, J., Regmi, P., Simkhada, P., van Teijlingen, E. (2021) The Interdisciplinary Team Not the Interdisciplinarist: Reflections on Interdisciplinary Research, Europasian Journal of Medical Sciences 3(2):1-5.
Wasti, S.P., van Teijlingen, E., Simkhada, P. (2020) Public Health is truly interdisciplinary. Journal of Manmohan Memorial Institute of Health Sciences 6(1): 21-22.
van Teijlingen, E., Regmi, P., Adhikary, P., Aryal, N., Simkhada, P. (2019). Interdisciplinary Research in Public Health: Not quite straightforward. Health Prospect, 18(1), 4-7.

6 December 2023

Dorset Farming Community Network to present at Community Voices webinar Wednesday December 13th 12-1pm

Public engagement kjupp

December’s community voices webinar welcomes Nick Viney – Dorset farmers ‘Lookout’ coordinator.

The farming community in Dorset had developed a new initiative to encourage people to be ‘Lookouts’ in their local area, watching for signs that other farmers may be experiencing mental health difficulties and encouraging them to talk.

The ‘Dorset Lookouts’ group is made up of people who live and work in the agricultural industry and understand the multiple challenges that farming faces. The Farming Community Network (FCN) is working with the group and providing training and support.

Lookouts are part of the Dorset farming community. They receive basic training in recognising the signs of mental ill-health and are supported by FCN.

Do join us to hear from Nick, about the difference this farmer-led initiative is making, and the many challenges that remain.

Community voices is a collaboration between BU PIER partnership and Centre for Seldom Heard Voices to provide a platform and a voice to local community activists.

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5 December 2023

Paper in BMJ Global Health

international, open access, writing Edwin van Teijlingen

Today we received notice that our paper ‘The impacts of decentralisation on health systems: a systematic review of reviews’ has been accepted by the international journal BMJ Global Health. [1] This review of reviews was produced as part of the Nepal Federal Health System Project, examining the consequences for the health system of Nepal’s move to a federal government structure. This is a joint project (2020-2024) led by the University of Sheffield and in collaboration with Bournemouth University, the University of Huddersfield, Manmohan Memorial Institute of Health Sciences (MMIHS) and PHASE Nepal. This longitudinal interdisciplinary study is funded by the UK Health Systems Research Initiative [Grant ref. MR/T023554/1] and has resulted in four previous publications. [2-5]

The latest paper is a review which synthesizes evidence generated by previous reviews on the impact of decentralising health system governance on the six WHO (World Health Organization) health system building blocks. We systematically searched for reviews exploring the impact of decentralisation on the health system from five databases. Reviews, both systematic and non-systematic, published in the English language from 1990 to February 2022 were included. Nine reviews, each addressing slightly different questions, contexts and health system issues, were synthesised. They showed that devolution can have positive or negative impacts on the health system and its components. Moreover, impact assessments are significantly affected by complexities surrounding decentralisation and health system concepts: their dynamic mechanisms, inconsistent and often differently operationalized health system and health system component variables, and methodological challenges. For the WHO health system components, more negative than positive impacts were reported. The reviews highlight the importance of closely assessing (pre-)existing (political and non-political) characteristics of countries and their health systems to better understand impacts. This review of reviews concludes that decentralisation can have a negative or a positive impact on the health system and its components; the impacts are shaped by pre-existing country contexts. Generating conclusive and generalisable evidence of the impacts of decentralisation on health systems is challenging. Whilst decentralisation may seek to enhance community engagement and improve the responsiveness of decision-making, it has the potential to create serious challenges to the health system, the manifestations of which are likely to be context-specific.

Prof. Edwin van Teijlingen

CMWH

Sapkota, S., Dhakal, A., Rushton, S., van Teijlingen, E., Marahatta, S.B., Balen, J., Lee, A. for the Nepal Federal Health System Team (2023) The impacts of decentralisation on health systems: a systematic review of reviews, BMJ Global Health (forthcoming)
Wasti, S.P., van Teijlingen, E.,Rushton, S., Subedi, M., Simkhada, P., Balen, J. for the Nepal Federal Health System Team (2023) Overcoming the Challenges Facing Nepal’s Health System During Federalisation: An Analysis of Health System Building Blocks, Health Research Policy & Systems 21(117) https://doi.org/10.1186/s12961-023-01033-2
Sapkota, S., Panday, S., Wasti, S.P., Lee, A., Balen, J., van Teijlingen, E., Rushton, S., Subedi, M., Gautam, S., Karki., J., Adhikary, P., Marahatta, S., Simkhada, P., for the Nepal Federal Health System Team (2022) Health System Strengthening: The Role of Public Health in Federal Nepal, Journal of the Nepal Public Health Association 7(1):36-42.
Adhikary, P., Balen, J., Gautam, S., Ghimire, S., Karki, J., Lee, A.C.K., Marahatta, S.B., Panday, S., Pohl, G., Rushton, S., Sapkota, S., Simkhada, P.P., Subedi, M., van Teijlingen, E. for the Nepal Federal Health System team (2020) The COVID-19 pandemic in Nepal: Emerging evidence on the effectiveness of action by, and cooperation between, different levels of government in a federal system, Journal of Karnali Academy of Health Sciences 3 (3): 1-11.
Rushton, S., Pandey, S., van Teijlingen, E., Subedi, M., Balen, J., Karki, J., Simkhada, P. on behalf of the Nepal Federal Health System Team (2021) An Investigation into the Impact of Decentralization on the Health System of Nepal. Journal of Manmohan Memorial Institute of Health Sciences, 7(1): 3–14. https://doi.org/10.3126/jmmihs.v7i1.43146

2 December 2023

New sociology book published late November

international, Publishing, Women's Academic Network, writing Edwin van Teijlingen

Congratulations to Dr. Hyun-Joo Lim on the publication of her latest book North Korean Women and Defection: Human Rights Violations and Activism which was published last week by Bristol University Press. The book covers the recent North Korean diaspora which has created female refugee groups fighting for the protection of women’s rights. Presenting in-depth accounts of North Korean women defectors living in the UK, this book examines how their harrowing experiences have become an impetus for their activism. Dr Hyun-Joo Lim, who is Principal Academic in Sociology in the Faculty of Health and Social Sciences, reveals how North Korean women defectors’ have an Utopian dream of a better future for fellow North Korean women. This dream is vital in their activism. Unique in its focus on the intersections between gender, politics, activism and mobility, the book will inform debates on activism and human rights internationally.

Well done!

Prof. Edwin van Teijlingen

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