A Fruitful Visit to Queen Mary University: Strengthening Research and Collaboration at the NIHR LatAm Centre

From July 24th to 26th, 2024, the NIHR Global Health Research Centre in Latin America Centre hosted an impactful series of meetings at Queen Mary University of London (QMUL). This event was a significant step forward in enhancing research capacity, fostering international collaborations, and discussing future strategies for the NIHR LatAm Centre. In total, 11 senior members of our partnering universities in Latin America were present, from Guatemala, Colombia and Bolivia. This was a moment for the partners at Universidad Rafael Landívar, Universidade Franz Tamayo (Unifranz) and Pontifícia Universidad Javeriana to join forces look forward into our future milestones.

Among the guests, there was our Principal Investigador, Prof Victoria Bird, (QMUL); our Co-Is Dr Edgar Lopez Álvarez, Dean of the Faculty of Health Sciences at Landívar, Dr Ronald Tápia Pijuan, from Unifranz; Dr Liliana Sanchez Mejia, Research Vice-chanceller at Javeriana and Erick Gustavo Montano, National Academic Vice-chanceller at Unifranz.

Here’s some of the highlights from the agenda.

Day 1: Wednesday, July 24th

The day began with a productive internal meeting at the QMUL Mile End Campus. The LatAm Centre teams gathered for welcome remarks and a review of the agenda for the week. Key discussions included the Centre’s main achievements and challenges, updates on the research capacity and strengthening program, and a meeting with Silvia Monnera from Fundação Getulio Vargas to discuss the Manguinhos project.

Collaborative Networking – the initial session was followed by lunch and presentations by the researchers based at  the Unit for Social and Community Psychiatry (USCP) and the Youth Resilience Unit (YRU). The session provided an excellent opportunity for the LatAm Centre teams to network with the local team and learn about a wide scope of international collaborations in research led by the Units. The afternoon was packed with insightful presentations on various local and international projects. Topics ranged from Remote Dialog+ and the OLA project to social prescribing for children and young people.

Internationalisation and Policy in Higher Education Discussions –  Later, a session on Internationalisation and Policy in Research focused on fostering long-term international research collaborations. Discussions covered strategies for overcoming barriers to internationalisation and enhancing resource allocation and a fruitful discussion was led with the presence of  Professor Richard Grose, Dean for Global Engagement; Frances Bowen, Vice-Principal and Executive Dean (Humanities and Social Sciences) at Queen Mary University of London; Professor Arunthathi Mahendran, Director Institute of Health Sciences Education and Rachel Miles, Executive Manager – Office for International Affairs

Day 2: Thursday, July 25th

 Meeting with NIHR team –  The second day started with a meeting with the National Institute of Health and Care Research (NIHR). This session included presentations on NIHR’s governance and funding objectives led by NIHR Research Programme Manager Ianina Conte, followed by updates on the LatAm Centre’s projects, and a dynamic Q&A segment addressing barriers and opportunities for early career researchers.

Introduction to QMUL’s Medicine Department – A joint lunch introduced the LatAm Centre to QMUL’s Medicine Department, featuring Professor Sir Mark Caulfield, Vice Principal for Health for Queen Mary’s Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry. Discussions highlighted the potential for further collaborations and opportunities for early career researchers.

 Collaboration with the Wolfson Institute – The afternoon session included a joint meeting with the Wolfson Institute of Population Health and UK collaborators. Presentations covered the scope and progress of the LatAm Centre, shared experiences on international collaboration, and discussed future steps for the Centre with our QMUL collaborators, Prof Richard Hooper, Prof Chris Griffiths and Prof Paul Heritage.

Day 3: Friday, July 26th

Finance and Administration Discussions – The final day began with a meeting with the Joint Research Management Office (JRMO) team. Topics covered included the structure of finance and administration departments, handling budgeting for research projects, and managing governance and financial risks in international collaborations.

Wrapping-Up

The week concluded with an internal meeting to discuss updates, new collaboration possibilities, authorship of upcoming articles, HR challenges, and plans for future joint meetings, including the NIHR Global Health Centres General Meeting in Leicester and the LatAm Centre General Meeting in Panama.

Reflecting on a Successful Visit

The visit to Queen Mary University was a significant milestone for the NIHR LatAm Centre. It not only facilitated vital discussions and knowledge exchange but also strengthened existing collaborations and paved the way for new opportunities. The insights gained and connections made during this visit will undoubtedly contribute to the Centre’s ongoing efforts to advance global health research and foster international cooperation.

For more updates on our activities and future events, stay connected with us at NIHR LatAm Centre.

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