Workshop on Maximising Health Research Communication in Zambia

The workshop: examined the challenges and opportunities inherent in the process of communicating the results of health research, stressing evidence-based approaches; explored the use of different communication formats to foster a broad, ethical, and more engaging role for health research in the public culture; discussed strategies for preparing researchers and communication specialists for the tasks of evaluating, interpreting, and disseminating research in formats and frames that hold meaningful and easy-to-digest messages for the public and placing them in appropriate contexts; and investigated platforms or spaces for sustained dialogue, training, and networking between scientists, communicators, and communities.

While the workshop featured many small-group discussions, the main presentations focused on topics such as: "A Scientist's Perspective", "The Role of Health Research Communication Towards Achieving MDGs [Millennium Development Goals]", "Reflections on Media Reports from the Microbicide Story", "Experiences from Science Writers", "Review of Health Research Communication Projects", "Art/Theatre/Drama/Telling Stories in Health Research Communication Experiences", "Institutionalising & Sustaining Health Research Communication". To look at one presentation in a bit of detail, Deborah Baron, Coordinator of the Microbicides Media and Communications Initiative housed at the Global Campaign for Microbicides in South Africa, made a presentation on the status of this research in Africa and Zambia in particular. This opened up research that has apparently been viewed with great suspicion in Zambia. The media coverage of her presentation formed part of the discussion on the second day of the workshop. Also, a climate change art exhibition was presented during the workshop describing how climate change is affecting people, particularly women, in rural Zambia.

Presentations called for more interaction between scientists, policymakers, and communicators. They called for the use of simple communication strategies to reach the communities that need the information. The workshop also heard that the MDGs as they relate to health may not be achieved unless urgent measures are taken to translate abundant health research results into action.

A core resolution that emerged from the workshop was to start up a project which will expand and sustain the link between communicators and scientists - to which participants and organisations committed themselves. The project will be based at the Zambia Forum for Health Research and will be led by a new organisation: The Centre for Public Engagement (which the organiser was assigned to establish as an output from the workshop). Other plans include: facilitating scientists' visits to media organisations and vice versa so that they can better understand each other's operations; offering training courses for communicators on research and training of scientists in communication skills and media relations; and undertaking activities which involve musicians, artists, and traditional communicators in disseminating research results.

Health, Environment

The key messages in the main presentations to the workshop were that the thousands of dollars used in research are not benefitting economically poor communities because of the limitation of methods used to disseminate research results to policymakers and the general public.