‘Inspiring Stories’ with Jess Boxall
CORE eCRF Data Analyst, Cancer Sciences
This is part of the Engaged Medicine ‘Inspiring Stories’ blog series. The blogs explore the stories behind outreach and patient-public engagement activities of staff and students from the University of Southampton’s Faculty of Medicine.
Knowledge exchange is essential to maximise the impact of research, disseminating the evidence base that UoS academics and the research community are producing. I’ve been fortunate to be awarded funding through various ‘pots’ within the University to co-lead knowledge exchange activities that further my research impact. My research interests and activities thus far have been centred around how climate change is challenging the food security of vulnerable and under-served populations, particularly in Ghana (though part of my dissemination is to highlight how the results can be generalisable to comparable rural, developing populations). These issues are aligned with multiple Sustainable Development Goals: Goal 2 for zero hunger, 3 for good health for all, 10 for reducing inequalities within and between countries, and 13 to take action against climate change. Many countries, including Ghana, are unlikely to meet their targets by 2030, and therefore it is very important to promote research that can help to inform the way forward for decision-makers.
I completed my Master’s dissertation on the impacts of climate change on food insecurity and health in rural Ghana under the supervision of Dr Michael Head, and applied for the New Things Fund from Public Policy|Southampton (in January 2023). I was incredibly pleased to receive this award, especially as it was my first, kickstarting my research career. Upon award of this fund, I planned to turn the findings from my dissertation, combined with further analysis from the study team, into a policy brief to deliver to our networks.
I also engaged PACKS Africa, a West African think tank, and Songtaba, a Ghanaian-based NGO that advocates for gender equality, to put together a database of stakeholders and NGOs working in climate change and health in Ghana. This gave me a network of stakeholders that could be used for dissemination of our findings and for future collaboration. Finally, from this fund I was able to travel to Ghana for the first time and present the findings from my research, along with delivering the policy brief in-person, to stakeholders including the Ministry of Health and Ghana Health Service, and from local to national levels. These interactions and networks allowed me to build new policy connections for myself as an early-career researcher, supporting my career development.
More recently, I was awarded a grant from the Impact Fund (September 2023). The purpose of this was to return to Ghana and present at a Climate Change and Health Summit in March of this year, which was co-led by UoS with the Ghana Ministry of Health I presented my research to a wide range of stakeholders from academia, government agencies, civil society organisations, NGOs, thinks tanks and the media, among others. This was another fantastic opportunity to network, and also to distribute the policy brief, continuing on the work from the New Things Fund.
Both the policy brief, publicised by the University, and the Summit had great media coverage in Ghana and I have continued to gain opportunities off the back of this event. I was invited to lecture at universities in Ghana, which I have since done so virtually, and also had the opportunity to co-author an article for The Conversation with Dr Michael Head on food price inflation in response to climate change. These outputs all had a fantastic effect on measures of impact, such as the Altmetric score for the policy brief, as well as on my confidence as a researcher, and most importantly given a platform to the important findings and lessons identified in our research.
I feel more established as an early-career researcher due to these activities I’ve had the privilege to be a part of. Next, I hope to publish a paper on the research I have been disseminating (targeting Lancet Planetary Health as a first-choice journal) as well as applying to speak at further conferences. These activities have opened the door for further opportunities, whether it be potential research collaborations, inspiration for further research, or the conclusions being used for policy and decision-making. Most importantly, by bringing the findings to a wide range of stakeholders through these funds, this has provided an enhanced voice to these under-served and underdeveloped communities in rural Ghana, which is ultimately why we wish to increase the impact of our research.
Stay Connected! To find out more about the ‘Inspiring Stories’ series, Faculty of Medicine educational programmes and research, or to get involved use the links below or contact Prof Lucy Green.
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