People in either conservation or zoonotic disease areas have been talking about integrating behavioural and social science in the research and implementation, but it has not been very well operationalised in terms of incorporating the methodology, learning experience from relevant implementors, or actual piloting. With an interdisciplinary group of members and a focus on both health risks and wildlife trade, the Alliance provides a platform to exchange knowledge and discuss the ways to put this into action in the connected areas.
We are delighted to invite you to a very special event format. Together with Hongying Li and Nghiem Trang from EcoHealth Alliance and James Compton from TRAFFIC we will offer you an interactive workshop for even more in-depth dialogue and joint brainstorming to develop approaches to integrate social and behavioural science into zoonotic risk mitigation.
What can you expect?
- An update of the funded project work in Southeast Asia regarding risk mitigation in wildlife farming and bat guano collection practices.
- Live Q&A and survey with the audience.
- Brainstorm among Alliance members to identify a) specific human-wildlife interfaces and b) potential behavior change strategies for health risk mitigation.
- Identify feasible and prioritised behavioural change strategies that can be piloted.
Which questions will we discuss?
- What are the most concerning (in terms of health risk) human-wildlife interfaces in the country/ region/community you work with?
- Can behaviour change within the population help mitigate the risk?
- What behavioural change ideas do you have in mind?
- Is the strategy universally scalable or community/population-specific?
Thursday, March 21st, 13:00-15:00 CEST
Click here to join
About the speakers
Hongying Li is a senior program manager and senior research scientist at EcoHealth Alliance. She has an interdisciplinary background in conservation, public health, and social science, with >10 years of experience working with communities, academic, and governmental partners in Southeast Asia and China for emerging zoonotic disease research and zoonotic risk reduction. Hongying manages research projects to identify zoonotic risks for early warning strategies and leads programs to develop human behavioral and policy approaches to mitigate zoonotic spillover risks at high-risk human-wildlife interfaces. Her work helps foster collaborations and establish networks for emerging infectious disease research, preparedness, and response across multiple sectors and disciplines. Hongying obtained a bachelor’s degree in Biosciences, a master’s degree in Public Health and a Ph.D. in Science, Social care, and Education.
Nghiem Trang is a health policy specialist in Viet Nam. She obtained a master’s degree of Science in Health Economics and Health Care Management and has worked within the health sector in Viet Nam for more than 17 years. Trang has extensive knowledge and experience working with local policymakers, hospital managers, and communities through various infectious disease research projects in Viet Nam. From 2021-2022, as a policy engagement researcher at the Oxford University Clinical Research Unit (OUCRU), Ha Noi, Viet Nam, Trang led a qualitative study to understand the policies around zoonotic disease management related to wild animal farming and trade in Viet Nam. Her work has been driven by a strong interest in promoting preventative and protective practices to enhance public health.
James Compton has been working on the trade of wild animals and plants in the Asia-Pacific region for the past 25 years, including 10 years as the Asia Pacific Director for TRAFFIC, a specialist wildlife trade NGO. He currently leads the USAID Wildlife TRAPS, a global project implemented by TRAFFIC and IUCN, which is exploring practical interventions to reduce zoonotic disease spillover risks associated with the trade in wild animals, including through social and behavioural change approaches. James is based in Viet Nam, which together with China, Cameroon and Tanzania are priority geographic locations for the Wildlife TRAPS project. In Tanzania, TRAFFIC has also been supported by German government funding under the International Alliance Against Health Risks in Wildlife Trade and the GIZ Global Programme on Pandemic Prevention and Response, One Health.