Lessons from implementation of ecohealth projects in Southern Africa: A principal investigator's perspective
Lessons from implementation of ecohealth projects in Southern Africa: A principal investigator's perspective
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DOI：
10.1016/j.actatropica.2016.09.028
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发表时间：
2017-11-01
期刊：
影响因子：
2.7
通讯作者：
Chimbari, Moses John
中科院分区：
文献类型：
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作者：
Chimbari, Moses John
生态健康项目旨在争取所有利益攸关方，如研究人员、社区、地方领导和决策者的所有权。理想情况下，设计应确保实施顺利进行，研究结果有利于利益攸关方，特别是为所研究的社区带来变化。奇怪的是，这一进程充满了与执行有关的挑战。尽管存在这些挑战，但在南部非洲实施的项目的证据证明，有必要对生态健康问题进行投资。本文介绍和讨论了主要研究者的经验，在津巴布韦领先的生态健康项目2002年和2005年之间，在博茨瓦纳2010年和2014年之间，在南非（正在进行）。讨论的重点是项目管理和领导，跨学科，学生的参与，数据管理，社区参与，研究成果的传播和机构在项目管理和实施中的作用等问题。该文件的结论是，生态健康办法很有价值，应予以鼓励，并提出以下建议：1）首席研究员必须对社会生态系统有很好的了解，具有优秀的项目管理和写作能力，2）一个以上的PI应该参与到日常工作中，项目的日常运行，以避免在PI在项目结束前离开项目的情况下项目活动受到干扰，3）在建立研究团队时，应对研究人员进行生态健康原则和方法方面的培训，4）应在社区和利益攸关方的积极参与下制定完整的提案，以形成共同的愿景，5）应鼓励博士后研究员和有献身精神的研究人员与研究生一起参与，以避免由于学生工作的狭隘性质而无法充分实现某些目标的情况;（6）应鼓励公民科学，以增强社区的能力，并确保某些活动在项目结束后继续进行。(C)2016爱思唯尔B. V.保留所有权利。
Ecohealth projects are designed to garner ownership among all stakeholders, such as researchers, communities, local leadership and policy makers. Ideally, designs should ensure that implementation goes smoothly and that findings from studies benefit the stakeholders, particularly bringing changes to the communities researched. Paradoxically, the process is fraught with challenges associated with implementation. Notwithstanding these challenges, evidence from projects implemented in southern Africa justify the need to invest in the subject of ecohealth. This paper describes and discusses a principal investigator's experience of leading ecohealth projects in Zimbabwe between 2002 and 2005, in Botswana between 2010 and 2014 and in South Africa (ongoing). The discourse is centred on issues of project management and leadership, transdisciplinarity, students' involvement, data management, community engagement, dissemination of research findings and the role of institutions in project management and implementation. The paper concludes that the ecohealth approach is valuable and should be encouraged making the following recommendations; 1) principal investigators must have a good understanding of socio-ecological systems, have excellent project management and writing skills, 2) more than one PI should be involved in the day-to-day running of the project in order to avoid disruption of project activities in the event that the PI leaves the project before it ends, 3) researchers should be trained in ecohealth principles and methodologies at the time of building the research teams, 4) full proposals should be developed with active participation of communities and stakeholders in order to develop a shared vision, 5) involvement of postdoctoral fellows and dedicated researchers with postgraduate students should be encouraged to avoid situations where some objectives are not fully addressed because of the narrow nature of students' work; and 6) citizen science should be encouraged to empower communities and ensure that certain activities continue after project termination. (C) 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.