{"id":54410,"date":"2025-12-31T17:15:24","date_gmt":"2025-12-31T10:15:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.oucru.org\/?p=54410"},"modified":"2026-01-02T14:21:12","modified_gmt":"2026-01-02T07:21:12","slug":"2025-engagement-highlights","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/test.oucru.org\/index.php\/2025\/12\/31\/2025-engagement-highlights\/","title":{"rendered":"2025 PCE Highlights: Strengthening Community-Centred\u00c2\u00a0Health Engagement Research\u00c2\u00a0"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">As 2025 draws closer, Public and Community Engagement (PCE) continued to strengthen meaningful connections between OUCRU research and the local communities across Indonesia, Vietnam, and Nepal. Across all sites, our work is guided by a shared goal: health research creates&nbsp;lasting&nbsp;impact when communities are actively involved in shaping it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Let\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s&nbsp;take a look at the milestones we have achieved from the year.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.oucru.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/2-2.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1024\" height=\"576\" src=\"https:\/\/www.oucru.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/2-2-1024x576.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-54432\" srcset=\"https:\/\/test.oucru.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/2-2-1024x576.png 1024w, https:\/\/test.oucru.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/2-2-300x169.png 300w, https:\/\/test.oucru.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/2-2-768x432.png 768w, https:\/\/test.oucru.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/2-2-1536x864.png 1536w, https:\/\/test.oucru.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/2-2.png 1920w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Creating Spaces for Engagement \u00c2\u00a0<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Community Advisory Group &#8211; Shaping Public Voices in Health Research\u00c2\u00a0<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Community voices play a vital role in shaping relevant health research\u00c2\u00a0at OUCRU. Since\u00c2\u00a0their\u00c2\u00a0establishment,\u00c2\u00a0community groups\u00c2\u00a0continue to\u00c2\u00a0contribute to\u00c2\u00a0setting\u00c2\u00a0research priorities. Through various groups, community\u00c2\u00a0participants\u00c2\u00a0are able\u00c2\u00a0to\u00c2\u00a0share\u00c2\u00a0their\u00c2\u00a0experiences in their own\u00c2\u00a0voices\u00c2\u00a0and\u00c2\u00a0contribute their suggestions and\u00c2\u00a0feedback\u00c2\u00a0to\u00c2\u00a0OUCRU &#8216;s\u00c2\u00a0research.\u00c2\u00a0In 2025,\u00c2\u00a0the HCMC-based\u00c2\u00a0Health Research Advisory Board (HRAB) held three meetings\u00c2\u00a0bringing\u00c2\u00a0community members and researchers together. At the same time, the\u00c2\u00a0disease-specific\u00c2\u00a0Tuberculosis Meningitis <a href=\"https:\/\/www.oucru.org\/project\/community-advisory-boards\">Community Advisory Board<\/a> (TBM-CAB)\u00c2\u00a0met with researchers to discuss issues of extended treatment\u00c2\u00a0regimes\u00c2\u00a0barriers to follow up.\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Community voices played a vital role in shaping relevant health research. Since its establishment at OUCRU, advisory boards have continued to guide research priorities, enabling participants to share their lived experiences in their own voices and contribute suggestions and feedback to OUCRU&#8217;s research.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In\u00c2\u00a0Indonesia,\u00c2\u00a0OUCRU has recently\u00c2\u00a0established\u00c2\u00a0a\u00c2\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.oucru.org\/community-health-research\/\">Community Forum for Health Research (ForuM)<\/a>,\u00c2\u00a0to serve as a vital platform\u00c2\u00a0to bring\u00c2\u00a0diverse communities together\u00c2\u00a0to contribute\u00c2\u00a0to\u00c2\u00a0OUCRU\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s health research processes. The forum\u00c2\u00a0aims to\u00c2\u00a0strengthen dialogue around community priorities and\u00c2\u00a0reinforce\u00c2\u00a0the\u00c2\u00a0importance\u00c2\u00a0of\u00c2\u00a0research agendas that respond to local health needs. Through these exchanges, community feedback is translated into research that is more relevant, impactful, inclusive, and culturally sensitive, ensuring that OUCRU\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s work addresses real community needs.\u00c2\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">The Public and Community Engagement Training: Designing An Engagement Projects\u00c2\u00a0<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In\u00c2\u00a0line with our strategy to encourage good engagement practice in the region, OUCRU held a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.oucru.org\/designing-engagement-project\/\">3-day\u00c2\u00a0engagement\u00c2\u00a0training\u00c2\u00a0for\u00c2\u00a0biomedical\u00c2\u00a0researchers<\/a> from\u00c2\u00a0multiple Indonesian and Malay institutes. The aim was to introduce the benefits of engagement\u00c2\u00a0and\u00c2\u00a0equip researchers with practical skills to design\u00c2\u00a0appropriate\u00c2\u00a0engagement\u00c2\u00a0projects. The training supported\u00c2\u00a020\u00c2\u00a0participants\u00c2\u00a0from 10 institutes\u00c2\u00a0to integrate\u00c2\u00a0engagement\u00c2\u00a0into research planning, implementation, and dissemination.\u00c2\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">From Research into Community Action&nbsp;<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Malaria Burden in Southeast Asia: Research Findings and Community Impact&nbsp;&nbsp;<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In April 2025, World Malaria Day was marked, and OUCRU, MORU, and The Global Health Network hosted a regional&nbsp;webinar&nbsp;exploring the often-overlooked burden of malaria in Southeast Asia. Our researchers shared insights on drug development, surveillance of drug-resistant malaria, treatment trials, and the importance of including pregnant women in research. Central to the discussion was the role of community engagement,&nbsp;showcasing&nbsp;how researchers work with hard-to-reach communities, elevate community voices, and use creative approaches to build trust, raise awareness, and strengthen the real impact of malaria research inside the community.&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Malaria Burden in Southeast Asia: Research Findings and Community Engagement Impact\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/t4Bri53mFSQ?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Bridging Hard-to-Reach Research Through Media Engagement<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In\u00c2\u00a0Dak Lak province in\u00c2\u00a0Vietnam, research led by Dr Nguyen Thanh Ha revealed that vaccine hesitancy is often driven by structural barriers rather than refusal alone. In response, OUCRU worked with local health authorities to\u00c2\u00a0develop a training\u00c2\u00a0programme\u00c2\u00a0to\u00c2\u00a0strengthen healthcare workers\u00e2\u20ac\u2122 communication skills. Led by Senior Media Engagement Coordinator\u00c2\u00a0Ms\u00c2\u00a0Nguyen Yen, and funded by IMPRINT UK, OUCRU worked with the village\u00c2\u00a0heath\u00c2\u00a0workers and community members to\u00c2\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.oucru.org\/media-strategies-hard-to-reach-populations-case-studies-vietnam-indonesia\/\">co-created\u00c2\u00a0a short film\u00c2\u00a0to help engage\u00c2\u00a0under-served\u00c2\u00a0communities.<\/a> Using\u00c2\u00a0local community actors and\u00c2\u00a0storytelling\u00c2\u00a0the film\u00c2\u00a0reflects\u00c2\u00a0real concerns behind vaccination\u00c2\u00a0decisions, and\u00c2\u00a0aims to\u00c2\u00a0build trust and improving dialogue.\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0The film translated complex public health messages into accessible narratives, amplifying lived\u00c2\u00a0experiences,\u00c2\u00a0and building trust with\u00c2\u00a0often\u00c2\u00a0excluded\u00c2\u00a0audience\u00c2\u00a0audiences.\u00c2\u00a0The film was screened in underserved districts, shared online and on provincial television.\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0\u00c2\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Watch the film:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube wp-block-embed-youtube wp-embed-aspect-16-9 wp-has-aspect-ratio\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<iframe loading=\"lazy\" title=\"Shield for Children - A film for community, by community\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/inLdS_7CE6w?feature=oembed\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"accelerometer; autoplay; clipboard-write; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture; web-share\" referrerpolicy=\"strict-origin-when-cross-origin\" allowfullscreen><\/iframe>\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Putting Community at the Centre of Health Systems&nbsp;<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In 2025, OUCRU\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s Public and Community Engagement (PCE) work in Vietnam continued to strengthen health systems by placing people at the heart of care and research. Central to this approach is patient-centred\u00c2\u00a0care, which\u00c2\u00a0prioritises\u00c2\u00a0individual needs, values, and informed decision-making, and\u00c2\u00a0recognises\u00c2\u00a0patients as active partners in their care.\u00c2\u00a0OUCRU partnered with\u00c2\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/medisetter.com\/\">Medisetter<\/a>, Vietnam&#8217;s largest multichannel doctor network,to\u00c2\u00a0build the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.oucru.org\/patient-centred-care-medisetter\">training on interpersonal skills for healthcare workers<\/a>.\u00c2\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Investing Research Engagement for the Next Generation&nbsp;<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The\u00c2\u00a0<strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.oucru.org\/project\/seed-awards\/\">PCE Seed Awards<\/a><\/strong>\u00c2\u00a0continue to be a\u00c2\u00a0driving force for engagement\u00c2\u00a0at OUCRU, supporting young and early-career researchers to design and deliver community-centred\u00c2\u00a0engagement projects. Now in its\u00c2\u00a0tenth\u00c2\u00a0year, the\u00c2\u00a0programme\u00c2\u00a0continues to\u00c2\u00a0provide funding and mentorship that encourage creative approaches to connecting research with real-world health concerns.\u00c2\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In 2025, Seed Awards funded four projects,\u00c2\u00a0with\u00c2\u00a0a focus\u00c2\u00a0on youth engagement. The awards\u00c2\u00a0supported\u00c2\u00a0initiatives\u00c2\u00a0including the\u00c2\u00a0<strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.oucru.org\/project\/youth-engagement-amr\/\">youth antimicrobial stewardship<\/a>\u00c2\u00a0<\/strong>in partnership with\u00c2\u00a0PAPRA,\u00c2\u00a0\u00e2\u20ac\u201dan interprofessional network of practitioners, academics, and community members across Indonesia working together to prevent and control antimicrobial resistance (AMR).\u00c2\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Other projects focused on sharing findings from a Hand,\u00c2\u00a0Foot\u00c2\u00a0and Mouth Disease (HFMD) study to help families better prevent infection and manage care at home, as well as\u00c2\u00a0<em>A Day in the Lab,\u00c2\u00a0<\/em>targeted to\u00c2\u00a0young children and youth.<strong>\u00c2\u00a0<\/strong>These projects\u00c2\u00a0demonstrates\u00c2\u00a0how seed awards<strong>\u00c2\u00a0<\/strong>can\u00c2\u00a0catalyse\u00c2\u00a0meaningful engagement, inspire\u00c2\u00a0new ideas, and strengthen connections between researchers, communities, and young audiences.\u00c2\u00a0<br><br>Explore Seed Awards Projects: <a href=\"https:\/\/www.oucru.org\/project\/seed-awards\/\">https:\/\/www.oucru.org\/project\/seed-awards\/<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">In Indonesia, digital\u00c2\u00a0engagement\u00c2\u00a0initiatives\u00c2\u00a0were used to\u00c2\u00a0help\u00c2\u00a0brings science closer to\u00c2\u00a0the\u00c2\u00a0next generation\u00c2\u00a0of\u00c2\u00a0Indonesian children\u00c2\u00a0through\u00c2\u00a0an online, interactive space to meet researchers, ask questions, and explore the human side of health research.\u00c2\u00a0Following on from the Seed Award project \u00e2\u20ac\u02dc<em>A\u00c2\u00a0Day\u00c2\u00a0in\u00c2\u00a0the Lab<\/em>\u00e2\u20ac\u2122,\u00c2\u00a0we extended\u00c2\u00a0our reach through digital platforms.\u00c2\u00a0The\u00c2\u00a0<strong>Kids Meet Scientist\u00c2\u00a0talk show<\/strong>\u00c2\u00a0successfully brought researchers and children together to spark curiosity and break down barriers between science and society.\u00c2\u00a0The show aimed to\u00c2\u00a0inspire\u00c2\u00a0young audiences from diverse backgrounds to see themselves as part of the future of research.\u00c2\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Watch the interactive discussion: <\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed aligncenter is-type-rich is-provider-instagram wp-block-embed-instagram\"><div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\nhttps:\/\/www.instagram.com\/reel\/DPvy92dk4aU\/\n<\/div><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>Looking Ahead to 2026<\/strong>&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">As we move into 2026,\u00c2\u00a0we\u00c2\u00a0remain\u00c2\u00a0committed to\u00c2\u00a0involving communities and stakeholders in our research, with the aims of\u00c2\u00a0strengthening meaningful dialogue between communities and research professionals.\u00c2\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>In 2025, OUCRU\u00e2\u20ac\u2122s Public and Community Engagement work focused on strengthening local engagement to enhance research impact. Our activities across Indonesia, Vietnam, and Nepal demonstrated how strengthening OUCRU research through local engagement amplifies real community needs.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":49,"featured_media":54443,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[79,145,144,146,147],"tags":[638,588],"class_list":["post-54410","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","category-ha-noi","category-ho-chi-minh","category-indonesia","category-nepal","tag-engagement","tag-pce"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/test.oucru.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/54410","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/test.oucru.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/test.oucru.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test.oucru.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/49"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test.oucru.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=54410"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/test.oucru.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/54410\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":54470,"href":"https:\/\/test.oucru.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/54410\/revisions\/54470"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test.oucru.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/54443"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/test.oucru.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=54410"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test.oucru.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=54410"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test.oucru.org\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=54410"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}