Question
Here are some notes from the presentation
Introduction
Examining the power dynamics of global health arch and three "tenacious" or taken for granted assumptions (these assumptions are historically and culturally rooted in west)
1) Global health research is altruistic
2) Ethics are universal
3) Global health is global
The number of global health programs has rapidly expanded in the last few years. In HIV work, this shift happened as a result of the disease becoming treatable and the epidemic being under control in the Western world and researchers moving to areas where the epidemic was not under control in terms of treatment or disease spread.
Lead to interesting questions that researchers could study in respect to the disease and disease treatment. Researchers wanted a "piece of Africa".
Methods
Ethnographic research, interviews, participant observation and field notes.
Results
1) Global health research isn't purely altruistic. Donated a database to get access to the data. This assumption obscures how the benefits to western researchers and institutions and placing region and people where the work is done as aid recipient or "lesser" partners.
2) Ethics standards aren't universal. Study rules and reporting forged in the US where the baseline of sickness is much lower. Due to burden of everyday health issues, some African studies choose not to report what would be considered baseline sickness as too much work for understaffed clinics already. .Lead to the misconception that researchers were hiding data. Need to understand the local conditions when you establish reporting protocols.
3) Global health is not really global. Is the data portable? In order to get funding and publish in international health journals for a study on ways to assist local patients- researchers must look at factors that they may not be able to afford (viral loads etc.) and may not really need to know. All local doctors treating patients want to test is: Do more patients improve than old treatment?
Implications/Conclusions
To make global health science a success- needs to be internationally funded, locally relevant and the finding need to be portable. Currently Global health programs are structured using northern values- these may need to change by:
1) Collaborative proposal writing.
2) Be aware of "normal" conditions in the country where the research is occurring compared to other countries. In some countries conditions are described as a normal "emergency."
3) Build Collaborative Partnerships-do not use the altruistic/aid model. Be upfront about the discrepancy in resources and the benefits to all partners.