In Their Own Voices: Vulnerabilities & Abilities of Women, Children, & Families in Health Research (360G-Wellcome-200344_Z_15_A)

As REACH enters its second year, we have an exciting opportunity to use our early findings and to expand our use of visual methods to spark wider community and public debate about the ethical issues arising in research with women, children and their families in contexts of poverty and gender inequality. This proposal complements existing Africa and Asia Programme provisions for public engagement at the KEMRI-Wellcome Trust Research Programme, Africa Health Research Institute and the Mahidol Oxford Tropical Medicine Research Unit. We propose a linked series of public engagement workshops and events across our four study countries, to engage with members of the general public, community activists, humanitarian health workers, programme leaders in women’s and children’s health, and community advisory boards. Using cases and videos to prompt lively debate and discussion, we hope to learn from participants about what ethical research means to them, what vulnerability and empowerment mean to them, potential concerns about research, and ideas for responding to these concerns. Participatory workshops will be filmed and an edited video created to share public insights with researchers, universities, funders, ethics committees, and other stakeholders in global health. These activities will: Offer an opportunity for public stakeholders to shape the debate around research ethics in their communities and beyond. Increase public awareness and elicit public insights about the role for ethical research in evidence-based responses to health and social needs in contexts of poverty and gender inequality. Offer public engagement training and practice for developing country researchers in research ethics.