Our Social Sciences unit deals with global health topics from a social science perspective. Complex links between local and global, constant flow of people, animals, knowledge, technologies, innovations, and cultural values require a broader and creative approach to understand and tackle health problems with a transdisciplinary and sustainable approach. Our goal is to expand and establish partnerships around the globe in order to exchange and network together sustainably on topics related to health care in a globalized world.
The unit's research focuses are on global health and applied social sciences issues around cultural and social aspects of health and disease, infectious diseases (in particular NTDs), health systems (especially sub-Saharan Africa), implementation research, gender and health and One Health.
The ADOPT project is an implementation research project which is part of Pediatric Praziquantel Consortium. This international partnership aims to reduce the global disease burden of schistosomiasis, also known as bilharzia, by addressing the medical need of infected preschool-age children including infants and toddlers. Until now, this age group was largely excluded from so-called preventive chemotherapy for disease control, because a suitable formulation was lacking. Therefore, a child-friendly formulation was developed, which will be introduced into schistosomiasis endemic communities in Africa through the 5-year ADOPT program.
The transdisciplinary research and implementation project aims to assess the best possible delivery of this newly developed formulation in three study countries in sub-Saharan Africa. Hence, it is particularly important to capture the diversity of socio-cultural contexts and their impact on drug administration and treatment.
