Background
The
Global Forum on Humanitarian Health Research (GFH2R) was convened as a virtual meeting from November 8-18, 2021, to explore the theme of "Research in the Context of Concurrent Crises." This first meeting explored the challenges of conducting research in settings facing concurrent crises, including natural disasters, forced migration, armed conflict, and major outbreaks such as the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as strategies used by researchers to address those challenges.
More about GFH2R
Meeting report
The GFH2R 2021 Meeting Report includes an overview of the meeting goals and participants, discussion of key themes, detailed summaries of meeting sessions, featured case studies, and an evaluation of the proceedings.
The meeting was organized into six sessions featuring case study presentations and interactive discussions, and an additional session related to funding research in humanitarian settings.
Key take aways from the meeting were
- Community engagement is a critical throughout humanitarian health research process. It not only allows researchers to better understand and access study populations, but also yields more rigorous and relevant research.
-
Humanitarian research should be localized through partnerships with local NGOs and care providers and engagement with local data collectors, enumerators, and researchers.
-
Ethical issues in humanitarian health research – such as consent, compensation, and approval processes – are complicated and require careful consideration and planning.
-
Flexibility, creativity, and use of technologies are important attributes of successful research strategies in humanitarian settings.
Updated September 22, 2022