Article type
Year
Abstract
Background: Public Health Evidence South Asia (PHESA) is an initiative aiming to meet the public health evidence needs of the South Asian region. The initiative, which includes the South Asian satellite of the Cochrane Public Health Group (CPHG), is based at Manipal University, India.
Objectives: This paper describes the formation and successful journey of PHESA. This is a model that demonstrates that a few dedicated and effective people can create a social epidemic like PHESA - the theory of few. The paper talks on how infection began and to what extent it has spread over a period of two years from 2013.
Methods: The first part of the paper concentrates on genesis of PHESA; the struggles involved in convincing Manipal University to support the activity, working out vision and mission, acquiring funding, logistics and identifying a dedicated workforce and so on. It also elucidates the activities of networking with organizations and individuals, sensitization workshops, conference presentations etc. The second part of the paper shares the success story of PHESA.
Results: During the last two years PHESA has trained 150 researchers/students, collaborated with six national and six international organizations like Public Health Foundation of India (PHFI), the World Health Organization (WHO), Nossal Institute of Global Health, University of Melbourne and University of Groningen. Apart from this, PHESA has three full time PhD scholars registered with funding, 15 completed student internship projects and has attracted research funding of INR 8.5 million. The research output includes nine published papers, nine communicated papers and six papers in preparation. The first PHESA colloquium was organized in February 2015 with 75 participants, four plenary talks, 38 oral presentations, 25 posters and three workshops.
Conclusions: The message we are experimenting is 'money is not all that matters but few contagious, sticky people- connectors and experts (mavens) - can make a big difference at the right context for public health in low- and middle-income countries'. The journey is still on.
Objectives: This paper describes the formation and successful journey of PHESA. This is a model that demonstrates that a few dedicated and effective people can create a social epidemic like PHESA - the theory of few. The paper talks on how infection began and to what extent it has spread over a period of two years from 2013.
Methods: The first part of the paper concentrates on genesis of PHESA; the struggles involved in convincing Manipal University to support the activity, working out vision and mission, acquiring funding, logistics and identifying a dedicated workforce and so on. It also elucidates the activities of networking with organizations and individuals, sensitization workshops, conference presentations etc. The second part of the paper shares the success story of PHESA.
Results: During the last two years PHESA has trained 150 researchers/students, collaborated with six national and six international organizations like Public Health Foundation of India (PHFI), the World Health Organization (WHO), Nossal Institute of Global Health, University of Melbourne and University of Groningen. Apart from this, PHESA has three full time PhD scholars registered with funding, 15 completed student internship projects and has attracted research funding of INR 8.5 million. The research output includes nine published papers, nine communicated papers and six papers in preparation. The first PHESA colloquium was organized in February 2015 with 75 participants, four plenary talks, 38 oral presentations, 25 posters and three workshops.
Conclusions: The message we are experimenting is 'money is not all that matters but few contagious, sticky people- connectors and experts (mavens) - can make a big difference at the right context for public health in low- and middle-income countries'. The journey is still on.