On United Nations' International Day for Women and Girls in Science (11 February), UKRI (UK Research and Innovation) announced the appointment of Helen Lambert, Professor of Medical Anthropology, as Challenge Leader for Global Health. She joins the flagship international development research scheme, the Global Challenges Research Fund (GCRF).
Professor Lambert said: "Over the last few years I have become increasingly convinced that to deal with global health challenges, we really need to work across international boundaries and disciplines.
"The current coronavirus outbreak highlights the need and urgency to boost international, multidisciplinary partnerships as combining on-the-ground expertise with specialist skills and knowledge are essential for understanding and tackling contemporary health challenges.”
Professor Lambert is joining the team of GCRF Challenge Leaders, who are maximising the impact of the GCRF across six portfolio areas: global health, food systems, resilience, cities and sustainable infrastructure, education and protracted conflict and refugees.
Their role is to forge diverse and exciting equitable partnerships between UK researchers and academics, policy makers and community groups across developing countries to ensure that GCRF funded research responds to the needs of poorer countries and moves the world closer towards achieving the UN Sustainable Development Goals.
Professor Helen Fletcher, UKRI's Director of International Development and former GCRF Challenge Leader for Global Health, said: "We are delighted to have such a highly esteemed, experienced and dedicated researcher joining our dynamic team of Challenge Leaders to help drive forward research in global health.
"Helen is a fantastic edition to our Challenge Leader team and will work with them to ensure research for international development makes the world fairer, safer and more sustainable for all."
Helen is also a fantastic edition to the Elizabeth Blackwell Institute Global Public Health research strand, which held its launch event on 5 February, bringing together over 40 experts working in global health. She is joined by Professor Keith Syrett, Centre for Health, Law, and Society, also Co-lead on this interdisciplinary research strand which focuses on public health issues of global significance through interdisciplinary research.
The strand seeks to support the development of new research partnerships both across departments and faculties within the University of Bristol and with international partners, particularly those based in low and middle income countries; and will work on addressing the Sustainable Development Goals.
Helen Lambert added: “Working across disciplinary and international boundaries is essential to tackle contemporary global health challenges. The new Global Public Health strand at the University of Bristol aims to break down research silos, facilitate collaborations across disciplines, departments and academics at different career stages and build equitable research partnerships with colleagues in low and middle-income countries.”