Episode 1: “An Essential Alliance”

Did you know that less than 3% of global clinical trials are conducted in Africa, despite the continent bearing 25% of the global disease burden? (The Lancet, 2022)
In this first episode, we explore the vital collaborations between researchers and humanitarians in remote, sometimes war-inflicted, areas. These partnerships aim to transform medicine in Africa by bringing researchers closer to communities via humanitarian workers, who have earned their trust through their ongoing efforts to improve population health.
From Ebola and Lassa fever to MPox and acute malnutrition, as well as women’s health, our teams are dedicated not only to improving disease prevention and treatment but also to enhancing patient care through protocols adapted to local contexts.

Find out why this alliance is essential in episode 1:

Episode 2: “Working Together, But How?”

After laying the groundwork for this alliance in episode 1, the second episode explores the challenges faced by this unique collaboration and how they are being addressed to improve healthcare access for populations.

Researchers’ testimonies:

“Research questions arise from the experiences of humanitarian workers, who rely on researchers to provide answers.” – Eric d’Ortenzio, Physician, ANRS | Emerging infectious diseases
“A successful collaboration is based on transparency, ongoing communication, professionalism, and above all, ethical respect.” – Placide Mbala, Researcher at the National Institute for Biomedical Research (DRC)

Discover the challenges of this collaboration and the solutions in episode 2:

Episode 3: “Supporting Localized International Research”

Research conducted in humanitarian settings is essential to advance medicine in Africa, but it is difficult to fund!
In this third episode, discover the crucial importance of aligning funding for both research and humanitarian efforts, and how, together, we can make a difference.
“If we do the research without doing the [humanitarian] response, we risk ethical lapses… This can lead to impactful scientific papers, but then people doing fieldwork don’t benefit from them,” explains Laurens Liesenborghs, infectious disease specialist and researcher at the Institute of Tropical Medicine in Antwerp.
“I am focusing on clinical research in collaboration with humanitarian efforts… “, adds Karine Lacombe, Head of the Infectious and Tropical Diseases Department at the Saint-Antoine Hospital in Paris.
“African researchers are best placed to address the challenges of improving health in their countries,” says Eric d’Ortenzio, from ANRS-MIE.

Watch episode 3: