Research

During one of my classes on the Social Determinants of Health, a student asked a thought-provoking question that led me to reflect deeply on the role of communities in health innovation. The question was:How can communities, particularly vulnerable populations, play a role in creating health technologies that improve their own health outcomes?This question touches on the broader concept of social innovation in health, which focuses on developing novel solutions to improve health outcomes, especially for vulnerable populations. Within this framework, community participatory research (CPR) and co-creation are essential processes that ensure these solutions are grounded in the needs and experiences of the communities they aim to serve.Social innovation in health involves a wide range of approaches aimed at addressing the root causes of health inequities. It seeks to create practical, sustainable solutions that challenge traditional healthcare models and center community involvement. These innovations can take many forms, including new technologies, care delivery models, or systemic improvements that make healthcare more accessible, affordable, and effective for underserved populations.One essential component of social innovation is Community Participatory Research (CPR). In CPR, community members are not merely passive subjects of research; instead, they become equal partners in identifying health challenges, collecting data, and interpreting results. This active involvement guarantees that the solutions developed reflect the specific needs and contexts of the communities involved. This is especially important when addressing the social determinants of health, such as poverty, social exclusion, and environmental risks, which are often overlooked by conventional health interventions.For instance, a community...

Dr. Elijah Bisung, the Assistant Professor at the Queen’s University, Canada, says the lack of inclusive Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH) facilities in schools deprive children with physical disabilities the right to basic education and training.He said the situation also denied those children the opportunity to develop their full potential, which the country could harness to achieve the needed development.Dr. Bisung said this at a stakeholders’ engagement in Wa to disseminate research findings on the availability and accessibility of WASH facilities in schools by children with physical disabilities in the Upper West Region.The two-fold survey engaged school children, including those with physical disabilities in the Nadowli-Kaleo District, to ascertain their challenges in accessing WASH facilities as well as stakeholders in the region to seek their recommendations in improving access to inclusive WASH facilities in schools.The project was dubbed: “Promoting Access to Inclusive Water, Sanitation and Hygiene (WASH) services for Students with Physical Disabilities in School Setting in Ghana.”It had funding support from the Queen’s University, Canada, and the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology (KNUST), Ghana.Dr. Bisung, who was the Lead Investigator in the research, stressed the need for inclusive WASH facilities at all levels of society to help advance the achievement of the UN Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) on water and sanitation by 2030.“If we are interested in achieving universal access to water and sanitation by 2030, we must be very interested in the inequalities that exist when it comes to access.“These inequalities are based on gender, disability...

Social Innovation in Health: Communities as Leaders in Creating Health Solutions

Lack of inclusive WASH facilities denies PWDs education