On today’s episode we are joined by Joan Muela from PASS-Suisse/Rovira i Virgili University and Yoriko Masunaga from the Institute of Tropical Medicine, Antwerp/University of Amsterdam who share their experiences of engaging with communities to improve malaria trial implementation. Have a listen to learn about: 

• The Community Lab of Ideas for Health (CLIH), a participatory approach for developing community-based solutions to trial implementation strategy challenges 
• How ethnographic research forms an important entry point of interaction between communities and research teams 
• Working with communities in the Gambia and the how the long-standing influence of the MRC Unit The Gambia impacts research dynamics

Joan Muela Ribera, PhD and MSc

Lecturer and senior researcher, PASS-Suisse and MARC at Rovira i Virgili University

My field of research is medical anthropology applied to Global Health projects. I did fieldwork in a variety of African, Asian and American countries, mostly in the field of infectious diseases. My area of expertise is participatory implementation research and systemic evaluation. I strongly believe that people in the communities where we work are the ultimate actors and decision-makers. Our role as Social Science experts is to provide useful and solid information for decision-making, as well as a frame and a systematic approach to co-create and co-implement the project.

https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Joan-Muela-Ribera 

https://www.antropologia.urv.cat/en/about/people/adjunct-faculty/ 

Yoriko Masunaga, MPH

Pre-doc, Institute of Tropical Medicine, Antwerp / University of Amsterdam

I am a PhD candidate (in medical anthropology) focusing on community participatory implementation research in malaria elimination interventions. With years of working experience in both research and implementation, I am convinced that communities play pivotal role in integrating research and implementation and in tackling global health issues in holistic and transdisciplinary manner, as a co-designer and co-implementer of research and implementation. 

https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Yoriko-Masunaga