Dear HIFA Colleagues,
I am sharing with you all an Essay I did for PLoS NTDs. Keen to hear thoughts and critique:
“… In this piece, I lay forth how epistemic injustice is still prevalent in the neglected tropical disease (NTD) research space, with the aim of provoking discussions, debates, and reforms. I outline how and why disarming epistemic injustice is not only a moral and ethical cause but also critical for better science, and for ensuring the health and well-being of individuals, communities, and nations….”
“… The NTD research ecosystem continues to mirror a feudal structure, much like the ecosystem in global health. Key global health funders continue to fund research led by tropical medicine institutes in the UK, Europe, and North America. Organisations in these non-endemic nations, where NTDs are mostly non-existent, were recipients of 75% (47,997 of a total of 63,537 million USD) of direct research funding on NTDs and 70% (40,940 of a total of 58,223 million USD) of indirect research funding on NTDs between 2007 and 2022. These funds enable the institutes to continue to build on and modernise their research infrastructure, thus keeping the colonial essence of tropical medicine alive. ….”
It is available open access: https://journals.plos.org/plosntds/article?id=10.1371/journal.pntd.0012781
With best regards
Soumyadeep
HIFA profile: Soumyadeep Bhaumik is a medical doctor and international public health specialist with more than 8 years’ experience as a methodologist and public health generalist. His work is focused on employing and innovating on a diverse range of methodologies (rapid evidence synthesis, national evidence gap maps, qualitative research, and lot quality assurance sampling) as fit-for-purpose approaches for public health research and practice, including for evaluation of public health programs. https://www.georgeinstitute.org.uk/people/soumyadeep-bhaumik He is a HIFA Country Representative and CR of the Year 2012. https://www.hifa.org/support/members/soumyadeep drsoumyadeepbhaumik AT gmail.com
