Interdisciplinary Health Research Research Articles

Beyond buzzwords: fostering interdisciplinary and collaborative global health research in Germany and beyond.

Germany has increased its political and financial commitment for global health, but this needs to be backed by a robust global health research ecosystem with strong partnerships in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). This article suggests pathways for empowering researchers to operate beyond their disciplinary silos and strengthen partnerships across sectors and countries. The authors identify barriers and enablers of operations from a nascent research network in Germany, trusting that this experience can inform other initiatives seeking to stoke interdisciplinary and collaborative global health research. This article represents the culmination of extensive reflections spanning the initial four years of the German Alliance for Global Health Research (GLOHRA). The insights have additionally been informed by an analysis of publicly available reports, internal procedural records, and externally conducted studies based on interviews with researchers and policymakers. GLOHRA has developed a toolbox of practices that foster interdisciplinary research and support capacity-building. Insights indicate that highly interdisciplinary and diverse governance structures and seed-funding for interdisciplinary and cross-sector research with appropriate review processes represent a critical step for achieving these aims. Additionally, inclusive training sessions and networking events help to bridge disciplinary boundaries, equipping researchers to envision the broader context of their work. Despite achievements, challenges persist. Wider support, especially from universities and research institutions, is necessary to make global health research an attractive career path and to reduce bureaucratic barriers for collaborators in LMICs. Sustained, longer-term federal funding mechanisms will also be essential for ongoing progress.

Navigating the complexity of a collaborative, system-wide public health programme: learning from a longitudinal qualitative evaluation of the ActEarly City Collaboratory

BackgroundAddressing the upstream social determinants of health (e.g. built environment, education) can reduce the burden of non-communicable diseases. To do so effectively often requires system-wide collaboration. However, collaborating across multiple sectors, organizations and disciplines within a complex system can be challenging. ActEarly was a public health research consortium that aimed to improve child health by building an interdisciplinary, cross-city partnership to develop and/or evaluate upstream interventions, increase research capacity and improve collaboration between researchers, local authorities and communities. This paper explores ActEarly’s experiences of navigating complexity to identify mechanisms that supported its implementation and proposes recommendations for future intersectoral and interdisciplinary population health research collaborations.MethodsWe conducted a longitudinal qualitative study of ActEarly, integrating findings from inductive documentary analysis of internal documents (mainly meetings minutes and reports) (n = 114) and interviews (n = 70) with 45 consortium members at three different timepoints (2018, 2021, 2023). Participants worked across different organizations, cities, roles and levels of seniority in the consortium.FindingsClarity, Unity, Flexibility and Feasibility were seen as the key mechanisms required to support ActEarly’s implementation. Clear aims, governance structures and communication were necessary to manage the uncertainty of the complex system. A unified approach, characterized by strong relationships, having a shared vision and communal access to resources supported effective collaboration. Flexibility was required to adjust to different ways of working, respond to wider system events and manage the consortium. Establishing feasible aims that responded to the limitations of the system, the available resources and research infrastructure was required for teams to deliver the work.ConclusionsImplementing multi-faceted programmes in a complex system can be challenging. We recommend that future whole-systems consortia seeking to improve population health build Clarity, Unity, Flexibility and Feasibility into their programmes, noting the complex interrelationships between these factors. Iterative reflections from all parties should support delivery amidst the uncertainty that comes with running a population health research collaboration, and strong leadership and governance should play a key role in ensuring that these are built into foundations the programme.

Reimagining illness through post-COVID-19 condition: the need for radically interdisciplinary health research

Reimagining illness through post-COVID-19 condition: the need for radically interdisciplinary health research

Health literacy, governance and systems leadership contribute to the implementation of the One Health approach: a virtuous circle

One Health is an important approach to addressing health threats and promoting health through interdisciplinary health, policy, legislation and leadership research to achieve better human and animal health and better outcomes for the planet. The Covid-19 pandemic has triggered an urgent awareness of the need to develop innovative integrative solutions to address root causes of such threats to health, which requires collaboration across disciplines and amongst different sectors and communities. We explore how achieving the Quadripartite Organizations’ One Health Joint Plan of Action can be supported by the concepts of ‘One Health literacy’ and ‘One Health governance’ and promote both academic and policy dialogue. We show how One Health literacy and One Health governance influence and reinforce each other, while an interdisciplinary systems leadership approach acts as a catalyst and mechanism for understanding and enacting change. Based on our understanding of how these elements influence the implementation of the One Health approach, we describe a model for considering how external triggering events such as the Covid-19 pandemic may prompt a virtuous circle whereby exposure to and exploration of One Health issues may lead to improved One Health literacy and to better governance. We close with recommendations to international organisations, national governments and to leaders in policy, research and practice to enhance their influence on society, the planetary environment, health and well-being.

BIOPSYCHOSOCIAL DETERMINANTS OF COGNITIVE FUNCTION AMONG BLACK OLDER ADULTS

Abstract Black older adults in the United States have twice the risk of being diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias than their white counterparts. However, there remains a gap in knowledge of which factors may contribute to this disparity as well as mechanisms that either increase or decrease risk for poor cognitive outcomes, specifically in older Black adults. This presentation will highlight recent interdisciplinary population health research on the biopsychosocial determinants of cognitive function among Black adults 65 years and older in the Health and Retirement Study. Using within-group regression analyses, studies examine associations between multiple measures across neighborhood, psychosocial, and biomarker domains with cognitive function, measured by Telephone Interview for Cognitive Status scores (range: 0-35) which captures memory and overall mental status. We find that high neighborhood disorder and low social cohesion were associated with worse cognitive function, especially for more highly educated Black older adults and those living in urban communities. Greater frequency of experiences of everyday discrimination among Black older adults was also related to lower cognitive function. Volunteering and having a high sense of purpose in life were associated with better cognitive function for older Black men and women, while being physical active was associated with increased cognitive function for older Black women. C-reactive protein, a measure of systemic inflammation, was positively associated with cognitive function. Overall, this body of work demonstrates the need to further critically assess both risk and resilience processes underlying cognitive function among older Black adults towards reducing current cognitive health inequities.

Building a Trauma-Informed Community: Applying Community Building Circles to an Academic Health Research Setting.

Within health science disciplines, power dynamics exist that can not only perpetuate harm but also foster feelings of powerlessness and disengagement. Although diversity, equity, and inclusion approaches have been prioritized by many institutions to improve student and staff recruitment, few effective structures exist to promote the retention, support, and inclusion of these individuals. Restorative justice circles facilitate a collaborative and personal exercise that welcomes the input of all members, thus acting as a catalyst toward broader and more deeply rooted culture changes and conflict resolution. Restorative justice circles can be applied to strengthen academic learning environments by building community and creating intentional dialog spaces to promote accountability and belonging. The Phoenix Gender-based Violence Lab is an interdisciplinary health research lab composed of diverse researchers who meet monthly for a restorative justice-inspired community-building circle and discussion. The lab members participated in community-building circles from August 2021 to August 2022 during which circle facilitators aimed to prioritize safety, trustworthiness, and transparency and provide collaboration opportunities. All 10 research team members consented to an anonymous evaluation survey to share their perspectives about incorporating this approach into lab time. Research team members expressed many benefits of circle discussions, including mitigated power dynamics (n = 5), increased lab cohesion (n = 9), improved research processes (n = 6), and enhanced honesty and accountability (n = 4). Circle practice has shown promising results within the Phoenix Gender-based Violence Lab, indicating that other academic and medical settings should consider its potential to enhance group dynamics, foster accountability, and cultivate deeper collaboration and appreciation among group members. Further investigation of circle practice in diverse medical and academic settings is needed to fully comprehend the range of outcomes resulting from this intervention and whether they align with the fundamental principles of restorative justice.

The 1st Annual 2022 Conference for Undergraduate Health Research (CUHR): Innovations in Science

The 2022 Conference for Undergraduate Health Research (CUHR) was a 2-day academic conference for undergraduates to showcase their research work. CUHR 2022 was hosted by York University and welcomed 79 virtual oral presentations from 14 countries. CUHR aimed to promote interdisciplinary health research, by providing a platform to disseminate research works with implications for human health. CUHR's inaugural theme, Agents of Change, seeks to bring a group of next-generation health researchers as transformational leaders in science. CUHR accepted summer research, volunteer research, independent study, honours thesis, and internship projects. CUHR 2022 concluded on May, 28th 2022. For full itinerary of the 2022 CUHR, please visit http://www.uhre.ca.

Interdisciplinary Community-based Participatory Health Research across a Major Industrial Harbour (Fos-sur-Mer, France)

Interdisciplinary Community-based Participatory Health Research across a Major Industrial Harbour (Fos-sur-Mer, France)

Men's health disparities: Causes and interventions.

According to the existing, extensive scientific evidence in the literature, men on average are living sicker and dying younger at a higher rate compared to women. The causes of men's infirmities are complex and multifaceted, contributing to increased morbidity and mortality rates and decreased life expectancy. Despite the statistics of the doomed health status among men, interests to eliminate their health disparities remain inconsistent and ill-defined. Therefore, efforts to eradicate men's health disparities should be positioned in interdisciplinary health education, research, and policy using sex and gender-based health frameworks. The purpose of this paper is to explore men's health generally by discussing common health disparities, the causes of the gender gap in men's health outcomes, proposing some strategies for advancing men's health, and finally providing nursing implications for education, practice, research, and health/public policy. Notably, interdisciplinary, gender-based health education potentially has significant impacts on men's health. The promotion of such initiatives can consequently address the intricacies of men's health, which will provide future healthcare professionals with the knowledge, attitude, and skills necessary to improve men's health.

Interdisciplinary Collaborative Reproductive Health Research in Africa: A Team Science Approach

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Drawings as tools to (re)imagine space in interdisciplinary global health research.

Understanding the role of space in infectious diseases' dynamics in urban contexts is key to developing effective mitigation strategies. Urbanism, a discipline that both studies and acts upon the city, commonly uses drawings to analyze spatial patterns and their variables. This paper revisits drawings as analytical and integrative tools for interdisciplinary research. We introduce the use of drawings in two interdisciplinary projects conducted in the field of global public health: first, a study about the heterogeneous burden of tuberculosis and COVID-19 in Lima, Peru, and second, a study about urban malaria in Jimma, Ethiopia. In both cases, drawings such as maps, plans, and sections were used to analyze spatial factors present in the urban context at different scales: from the scale of the territory, the city, and the district, to the neighborhood and the household. We discuss the methodological approaches taken in both cases, considering the nature of the diseases being investigated as well as the natural and social context in which the studies took place. We contend that the use of drawings helps to reimagine space in public health research by adding a multidimensional perspective to spatial variables and contexts. The processes and products of drawing can help to (a) identify systemic relations within the spatial context, (b) facilitate integration of quantitative and qualitative data, and (c) guide the formulation of policy recommendations, informing public and urban health planning.

Integrating dermatology services into a social pediatrics network: 8 years of experience in the RICHER (Responsive, Interdisciplinary/Intersectoral, Child/Community, Health, Education and Research) program.

Social pediatric initiatives aim to improve health outcomes for vulnerable children by working in the community to empower families, to enhance protective factors that mitigate adverse childhood experiences (ACEs), and to deliver place-based health care. In 2012, pediatric dermatology was added as a component of the Responsive, Interdisciplinary Intersectoral Child and Community Health Education and Research (RICHER) social pediatric program in Vancouver, BC. We share our experience with inclusion of pediatric dermatology in a well-established social pediatric program as well as lessons we have learned in the first 8years of our partnership. Partnership, bridging trust, knowledge sharing, empowerment, consistency, and flexibility were found to be central elements in the success of this endeavor.

Biomimetics provides lessons from nature for contemporary ways to improve human health.

Homo sapiens is currently living in serious disharmony with the rest of the natural world. For our species to survive, and for our well-being, we must gather knowledge from multiple perspectives and actively engage in studies of planetary health. The enormous diversity of species, one of the most striking aspects of life on our planet, provides a source of solutions that have been developed through evolution by natural selection by animals living in extreme environments. The food system is central to finding solutions; our current global eating patterns have a negative impact on human health, driven climate change and loss of biodiversity. We propose that the use of solutions derived from nature, an approach termed biomimetics, could mitigate the effects of a changing climate on planetary health as well as human health. For example, activation of the transcription factor Nrf2 may play a role in protecting animals living in extreme environments, or animals exposed to heat stress, pollution and pesticides. In order to meet these challenges, we call for the creation of novel interdisciplinary planetary health research teams.

Behavioral Health and Learner-Centered Outcomes in Geriatric Primary Care or Community Settings

This symposium presents data from interdisciplinary behavioral health training and research conducted in primary geriatrics care or community settings in the Deep South. The first paper describes mixed-method learner-centered outcomes from interprofessional education case sessions. Survey and qualitative data revealed the most important experiential learning derived from collaboration, problem solving, and learning about various disciplines’ professional roles. The second paper presents longitudinal patient cognitive outcome data from the primary care, outpatient geriatrics clinic in which most of these interprofessional learners learn. Results show that only 26.2% of patients had scores indicating cognitive functioning within normal limits; 32.6% had scores indicative of mild neurocognitive disorder, and 41.2% had scores indicative of dementia. Over 30% of patients reported clinically significant levels of depression or anxiety, and 16.5% of patients reported at least one indicator of hazardous alcohol use at their baseline assessment. The third paper demonstrates that psychological inflexibility is associated with depression and anxiety at baseline, and that symptoms of depression and anxiety do not change one year later. The fourth and final paper considers the impact of hearing loss on quality of life in community-dwelling older adults. Effect size calculations indicated that adults with hearing loss who lived in the most rural regions of Alabama, had lower reported QOL scores than their counterparts who had hearing within normal limits This symposium will show why age matters in behavioral health training. Mental Health Practice and Aging Interest Group Sponsored Symposium.

30 Years of Women's Health Issues

30 Years of Women's Health Issues

Exploring the State of Gender-Centered Health Research in the Context of Refugee Resettlement in Canada: A Scoping Review

Interdisciplinary health research that investigates gender as a relational process is necessary to facilitate a safe and healthy resettlement process for refugees in Canada. This scoping review explores the range, nature, and extent of published research examining gender in relation to refugee health during resettlement in Canada. An initial search of six databases yielded 7325 articles published before June 2019. A total of 34 articles published between 1988 and 2019 were included for in-depth review. Articles meeting inclusion criteria primarily focused on refugee women. Categories of focus included maternal health, social and emotional health, health impacts of sexual and gender-based violence and torture, access to health and social services, decision-making and health-seeking behavior, mental health, and sexual and reproductive health. Our thematic analysis identified connections between gender roles, expectations, ideals, and health through interactions and lived experiences within the family, community, and healthcare system. Review findings suggest that many refugee women are influenced by pervasive gender roles and expectations as well as exposed to gendered health systems and practices that may pose risks to health, particularly mental health and access to services. Further efforts should be made to understand processes and experiences of resilience and community building in countering negative impacts of gendered beliefs and practices on health during resettlement.

Perspectives and Potentials in Qualitative Health Research: A Plea for an Interdisciplinary Approach

In order to show perspectives and potentials of qualitative health and health care research, the article explains special features of this research field. It points out the significance of more recent social science theories, which are closely linked to empirical analyses of various disease and health topics. This allows a more systematic view of health care issues, which is illustrated by the example of the increased demands for participation and the importance of patient organizations in planning and designing health care. Thus, these remarks tie in with current debates in (qualitative) health services research and supplement them with further perspectives from social science health research. The aim of the article is to illustrate the benefits of interdisciplinary cooperation between medicine and the social sciences in research. For example, drawing on current social science, theorizing in empirical analyses can bring to the fore historically specific ideas of the ̒good patient̓. By interpreting research results accordingly, the scope for action and reflection of health service professionals can be expanded, and the planning of care-related interventions can receive new impulses. This article should help readers in three ways: to assess the significance of qualitative methods and social science theories for interdisciplinary health research, to see the importance of a focus of health services research on the role of patient organisations and movements, and to understand that health research that is less strongly oriented towards instrumental use and direct application orientation can also provide useful extensions of perspectives for the design of health care in the future.

Team-Based Integrated Knowledge Translation for Enhancing Quality of Life in Long-term Care Settings: A Multi-method, Multi-sectoral Research Design.

Multi-sectoral, interdisciplinary health research is increasingly recognizing integrated knowledge translation (iKT) as essential. It is characterized by diverse research partnerships, and iterative knowledge engagement, translation processes and democratized knowledge production. This paper reviews the methodological complexity and decision-making of a large iKT project called Seniors - Adding Life to Years (SALTY), designed to generate evidence to improve late life in long-term care (LTC) settings across Canada. We discuss our approach to iKT by reviewing iterative processes of team development and knowledge engagement within the LTC sector. We conclude with a brief discussion of the important opportunities, challenges, and implications these processes have for LTC research, and the sector more broadly.

Developing a Competency Framework for Population Health Graduate Students Through Student and Faculty Collaboration

Defining competencies within health disciplines is important because it provides a shared understanding of the fundamental knowledge, skills, and attitudes necessary for research and practice while also offering a practical reference point for academic preparation and professional development. However, existing literature regarding competency frameworks does not address the unique needs of interdisciplinary population health research graduate students. The purpose of this project was to understand the competencies desired by interdisciplinary population health research graduate students within the Healthy Populations Institute (HPI) at Dalhousie University and to create a competency framework on which training and program development could be based. A student-led initiative was undertaken to identify core competencies necessary for interdisciplinary population health research graduate students from both traditional (e.g., health promotion) and nontraditional health (e.g., political science) backgrounds. Data were collected and analyzed via three phases: environmental scan, community resource mapping, and consultations with HPI research scholars. Through the environmental scan, core competencies and guiding principles were identified. Community resource mapping of local employment, volunteer, educational, and/or skill-building opportunities resulted in the development of a database. Consultations confirmed the validity of competencies identified in the scan and elicited further resources and suggestions for educational and professional skill development. This project resulted in a unique competency framework that will inform ongoing program development and foster additional opportunities for graduate students within HPI. The process of creating this framework may also be of value to other universities wishing to develop or refine their own set of competencies.

Community Empowerment and Community Partnerships in Nursing Decision-Making.

Community empowerment has been studied as a process and result phenomenon throughout the last 40 years. Community partnership, which has been studied during the last 20 years, has been identified as a key process to promote intervention and research within communities. In this paper, we introduce the relation between these two concepts, from the research that is being developed at the Centre for Interdisciplinary Health Research (CIIS) in Universidade Católica Portuguesa. We comment on the available evidence regarding community partnership and community empowerment within the Nursing Decision-Making process. There is a particular focus on Community Health Nursing Specialists (CHNS) and the aim to promote the identification of CHNS as potential community partnership developers within society. It is also important to analyze how community partnership processes are intentionally integrated as a nursing intervention within the nursing process. This analysis should occur from the nursing diagnosis to the evaluation of health gains in communities sensitive to CHNS care in a Nursing Theoretical Model developed from a Nursing PhD process—the Community Assessment, Intervention, and Empowerment Model.