Jamshoro, Sindh

An Interdisciplinary research dissemination symposium under the theme ‘Advances in Public Health, Medical Anthropology, and Health Sciences’ was collaboratively organized by the Faculty of Community Medicine and Public Health, Liaquat University of Medical and Health Sciences (LUMHS) Jamshoro and the Department of Anthropology and Archaeology, University of Sindh, Jamshoro.

The collaborative research symposium held at LUMHS aimed to produce new research and knowledge by recognizing and adapting the interdisciplinary approach informed by medical anthropology and public health to address the issues of healthcare and well-being in society and communities.

The central idea of the interdisciplinary research dissemination symposium in the domain of public health and medical anthropology was jointly initiated and conceived by the organizing committee members Professor Dr. M. Ilyas Siddiqui, Chairman Department of Community Medicine and Public Health, and Dr. Gulzar Usman, Associate professor Department of Community Medicine and Public Health, and two anthropologists Dr. Abdul Razaque Channa, Assistant Professor, and Dr. Rafique Wassan, Lecturer at the Department of Department of Anthropology and Archaeology, University of Sindh, Jamshoro.

In the first segment of the symposium, five students of anthropology and Community medicine representing both departments presented their field-based research work followed by a guest speech by Laila Rajani, an anthropologist and a PhD researcher at the University of Edinburgh, UK who is conducting field research on the issue of mental health and suicide in Tharpakrar.

The next session of the symposium featured a panel discussion on the main theme moderated by Dr. Gulzar Usman and the panelists included Professor Dr. Munawar Alam Ansari, Dean of Community Medicine and Public Health Sciences, Prof Muhammad Najeeb Memon, Chairman of the Department of Community Medicine, BMC, LUMHS, Prof. Dr. M. Ilyas Siddiqui, Dr. Fayaz Umrani, a researcher at the Aga Khan University’s Center of Excellence at Matiari, Dr. Jamil Junejo of Psychiatry Department, and anthropologists Ms. Laila Rajani, Dr. Abdul Razaque Channa, Dr. Rafique Wassan. The three BS final year students of anthropology, SU Jamshoro Ms. Kiran Chandio, Maria Maqbool, and Maria Memon presented their ethnographic research work respectively on the topics of mental health in a hospital ward in Hyderabad, toxic industrial waste, pollution of the Indus River and public health problem in Kotri and reproductive health, especially on the issue of C-section at a gynecology ward at LUMHS hospital, and the two researchers of Community Medicine and Public Health. LUMHS Dr. Rafaina Shah and Dr. Samreen Aijaz presented their findings on public health issues.

A large number of students from the Department of Anthropology and Archaeology, SU Jamshoro, and Community Medicine and Public Health, LUMHS as well as the faculty members of both departments also joined the research symposium.

The research student presenters and faculty member panelists highlighted the need to develop collaboration between the fields of anthropology and public health in advancing knowledge and addressing health issues. it was highlighted in the panel discussion that medical anthropology’s research frameworks that look at health disparities in the context of social disparities, social determinants, structural factors, and the political economy of health can immensely contribute to advancing knowledge in public health problems. The speakers in the panel discussion session emphasized the development of collaborative thinking and methodology to address health issues.  Dr. Gulzar Usman, conducted the proceeding of the research symposium and the LUMHS Community Radio broadcasted the live recording and proceedings of the event. (PR)

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By Our Correspondent

Jamshoro

The Department of Anthropology and Archaeology, University of Sindh Jamshoro organized a field study visit of its students to the Community Medicine and Public Health Sciences Department of Liaquat University of Medical and Health Sciences Jamshoro on Thursday February 10, 2022.

The field study visit specifically focused on the idea of exploring and understanding the close academic, research, and community-based learning affinity between fields of anthropology, medical anthropology, community/public health, and nursing.

In the visit, which was conceived, designed and planned by Dr. Abdul Razaque Channa, Rafique Wassan and Ambreen Soomro, the faculty members of the Department of Anthropology and Archaeology, University of Sindh, Jamshoro, the male and female students of the department were invited to participate and interact with the faculty of Community Medicine and Public Health Sciences, LUMHS and gain first-hand learning, knowledge and exposure about community health teaching and work at LUMHS.

Dr. Gulzar Usman and Dr. Prof Khalida Naz, Associate Professor and the Dean, respectively of Community Medicine and Public Health Sciences, LUMHS warmly welcomed the students and faculty members of the Department of Anthropology and Archaeology that also included Mr. Muhabat Shah and Ali Taqui Shah.

After the formal welcome and introductory session of the field study visit conducted at the seminar hall of the Community Medicine and Public Health Sciences, the participating students were divided into three groups, each consisting of 10 students, to introduce them the three community and public health related work teaching and research practices which included FM community medicine radio, Water Testing Lab and community medicine museum and skills lab.

Each group of the students received the demonstration class of three components by the faculty of Community Medicine. At the end, in the final segment of the field study visit students enthusiastically took part and interacted with the faculty of community medicine through question answers and shared their observations and suggestions to develop collaborative learning and research with anthropology and community medicine and public health.

Dr. Khalida Naz and Dr. Gulzar Usman highlighted the need to integrate anthropology and social sciences into medical sciences and community/public health. It was discussed and suggested by the both the host and guest faculty members of the two universities to design and initiate collaboration in the shared and common areas of interest that may include teaching of anthropology courses at the community medicine department and nursing school, hold joint workshops and conferences on anthropology and public health, conduct research projects and internships of the students, and use LUMHS FM radio as an effective platform to disseminate research conducted by the students of anthropology.

It was also discussed that in the forthcoming conference on public health to be held at LUMHS, the anthropology department will organize a panel on medical anthropology.

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From Our Correspondent

Jamshoro

The experts at a seminar on ‘Medical Anthropology and Public Health in Sindh: Challenges, Opportunities and Collaborative Research Agenda’ called for paradigm shift in existing biomedical and clinical model of health and suggested focusing on social, political and economic determinants of public health.

The seminar was organized by Anthropology and Archaeology Department of Sindh University in collaboration with the Center of Excellence in Women and Child Health, Agha Khan University (AKU), Matiari and the Department of Community Medicine & Public Health Sciences, Liaquat University of Medical & Health Sciences (LUMHS), Jamshoro Sindh here on Thursday.

The seminar was aimed to promote collaborative research agenda in the fields of Medical Anthropology, Community Medicine and Public Health in order to effectively resolve the health issues in Sindh.

Prof Dr. Khalida Naz Memon, Dean Faculty of Community Medicine & Public Health Sciences, LUMHS, Jamshoro was the keynote speaker who spoke on ‘Crossroads of Public Health and Anthropology: The game changers in the current era of public health emergencies’ and underlined the importance of anthropology in community public health. “Our main focus in community public health is always on the causes of their health issues,” she told.

Anthropologist and Lecturer at the host department Rafique Ahmed Wassan, who moderated the event, presented the concept paper and elaborated the social model of health and how this model gets strong support through anthropology because anthropology is study of culture, behavior and human society.

The participants of the seminar agreed on research agenda in five major areas and framed some recommendations for the policy-making authorities that include initiating community-based health research projects; community-based field visits and exchange of the students of Department of Anthropology and Archaeology Sindh University Jamshoro and Department of Community Medicine and Public Health; producing academic publications; establishment of community-based research lab in order to support and ensure the participation of students; introducing anthropology teaching courses and exchange of visiting Faculty members; introducing internships for the students and exchange and dissemination of ideas related to health issues on LUMHS FM community health radio.

The anthropologists and health professionals were of the view that in the current surge of transdisciplinary academic interest, the tripartite disciplinary perspective and scope of Anthropology i.e., biological/physical, social science and humanities deserved widespread acclaim among the intellectual and scholarly communities.

“The distinct application and use of anthropological methods and knowledge production in the form of ethnography and community-based research approaches have offered an in-depth understanding of the complex nature of our society“, they said.

They further stated that ‘Significantly, the advocacy of applied, engaged, activist and critical intellectual frameworks have taken on a renewed spirit to contribute to addressing the human sufferings of Sindhi society in this rapidly changing i.e., reliance on technology and challenging times i.e., COVID-19 pandemic.’

They said, “In the current crucial times of global health crisis and Covid-19 pandemic, we strongly realize to capitalize and uphold collaborative ideas and effort. In that direction, medical anthropology’s ever increasing importance and potential could be a meaningful way out.”

They said that the three participating institutions, the Department of Anthropology and Archaeology SU Jamshoro, Faculty of Community Medicine LUMHS and AKU share the common interest that is teaching and evidence based community research and interventions, which itself is indicative of the strong prospects of producing collaborative work to address the issues of healthcare and community health at large, and move forward towards the mainstreaming of interdisciplinary and collaborative research agenda and framework.”

“So, our primary objective is to jointly introduce and present the shared academic and community research based learning interest and practices to address the problems of community/public health in Sindh. Secondly, we aim to prioritize and mainstream medical anthropology (social sciences and humanities) informed research approaches and perspectives to health problems that broadly include the use of ethnography, qualitative research in health, community/social model of health, public and peoples’ health that give impetus to peoples’ right to health,” they concluded.

Since the purpose of organizing this seminar was to draw attention to the interdisciplinary and collaborative academic and research endeavor in the fields of Anthropology, Community Medicine and Public Health, this initiative brought together Anthropologists, Public Health Experts, Community Development Advocates, and Interdisciplinary Researchers to contextualize and solve real-world problems in the field of community health in Sindh and concrete a collaborative research agenda.

During the presentation session, following presentations were made:

“How Students Negotiated a University Closure: The Impacts of Covid-19 stress on Undergraduate Students of the University of Sindh during Online Education” – Dr. Abdul Razaque Channa (Assistant Professor) and Ms. Ambreen Soomro (Lecturer) Department of Anthropology and Archaeology, University of Sindh, Jamshoro; “Practicing the Public Health: From classrooms to Community” – Dr. Gulzar Usman Associate Professor, Faculty of Community Medicine and Public Health Sciences, LUMHS Jamshoro; “Role of Medical Anthropology in Public Health: Current community health interventions” by Yaqub Wasan, Senior Manager Research, Center of Excellence in Women and Child Health, The Aga Khan University, Karachi.

Earlier, Prof. Dr. Wazeer Ali Baloch, Dean, Faculty of Natural Sciences, SU Jamshoro gave welcome address while note of thanks was offered by Mr. Manik Mustafa Shar, In-Charge Chairman, Department of Anthropology and Archaeology, University of Sindh, Jamshoro.

The entire proceedings of the seminar were broadcast live by Producer Mushtaque Bhatti from the LUMHS FM Radio.

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