KMC Academic Collaboration Report for 2077
Kathmandu Medical College has regular ongoing research and academic collaboration with the international academic institutions like:
- Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU), Norway,
- Linnaeus University, Sweden,
- Linkoping University, Sweden,
- University of Gothenberg/ Skovde University, Sweden,
- University of the West of England (UWE), UK,
- University of Bristol, UK.
- Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health (HSPH)
Similarly, KMC has signed MOUs for different collaborative activities with:
- University of New England (UNE), Australia,
- Tohoku University, Japan, and
- Kobe University, Japan.
Collaboration between Kathmandu Medical College (KMC) and Faculty of Medicine, Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU), Trondheim, Norway
The Addressing Domestic Violence in Antenatal Care Environment 1 (ADVANCE 1) (2013 – 2018) study was a collaborative project between the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU), Norway, Kathmandu Medical College, and Kathmandu University School of Medical Sciences.
The Addressing Domestic Violence in Antenatal Care Environments 1 (ADVANCE 1) study focused on violence experienced by women in their families – domestic violence. The overall project objective was to improve antenatal care services for women living with domestic violence in Nepal to reduce maternal and infant morbidity and mortality. Prof. Dr. Sunil Kumar Joshi, Head, Department of Community Medicine was the Principal Investigator of the ADVANCE 1 project at KMC.
After successful completion of the ADVANCE 1 project, the team has written and submitted the proposal for ADVANCE 2, focused on further developments based on the achievements of the original study. This is a great privilege that NTNU and KMC have been able to receive the highly prestigious Norwegian Research Council FRIPRO Grant for the ADVANCE 2 project, 2021 – 2025. ADVANCE 2 project has started its activities from September 2020. Prof. Dr. Sunil Kumar Joshi, Head, Department of Community Medicine is the Principal Investigator of the ADVANCE 2 project at KMC, and Dr. Poonam Rishal is appointed as the Postdoctoral Researcher under ADVANCE 2 project and Dr Pratibha Manandhar from the Department of community medicine has been admitted as the PhD candidate at KMC under this project.
The key objectives of ADVANCE 2 are:
- To improve the safety-promoting intervention and compare with other types of intervention in a randomised controlled trial (RCT) and
- To formally validate the assessment instrument to identify women living with domestic violence in antenatal care settings, and explore ease of use and impact of electronic delivery of the assessment
Collaboration between Kathmandu Medical College (KMC) and Department of Public Health and Nursing, Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU), Trondheim, Norway
KMC has a collaborative project with NTNU, Department of Public Health and Nursing and Dept. of Neuromedicine and Movement Science (physiotherapy). Associate Professor Dr. Hans Hadders (Nursing Faculty) and Prof. Ann-Katrin Stensdotter (Physiotherapy faculty) are the contact person in Norway, whereas, Associate Professor Sabita Pandey (Nursing) and Mr. Prakash Mahato (Physiotherapy) are the contact persons at KMC. Prof. Dr. Sunil Kumar Joshi, Head, Department of Community Medicine is the main contact person at KMC for both the activities.
Similarly, Kathmandu Medical College and Department of Public Health and Nursing, Norwegian University of Science and Technology have received prestigious NORHED II grant for the period 2021-2026 for the project “Strengthening academic capacity in physiotherapy education in Nepal”. This project will support the physiotherapy education at KMC and also strengthen the capacity of a physiotherapy faculty by enrolling into the PhD program in Physiotherapy at NTNU.
Under the same program, a two-day Bachelor in Physiotherapy (BPT) curriculum orientation workshop at Kathmandu Medical College on 25 and 26 July 2021.
Collaboration between Kathmandu Medical College (KMC) and Linnaeus University (LNU), Kalmar, Sweden
A collaborative research project between Kathmandu Medical College (KMC) and Linnaeus University (LNU), Sweden started in 2015. This research project lead to a PhD degree of a candidate formally registered at the Department of Health and Caring Sciences at LNU and based at KMC. This research project entitled ‘Changing attitudes toward Sexual Trafficking and Gender-based Violence: An Intervention to Promote Gender Equality in Nepal’ was an intervention-based project which is in operation at the Morang District of Eastern Nepal. The project also partnered with Actors’ Studio as the Forum Theatre partner in Nepal. The personnel involved in this project were Prof. Dr. Katarina Swahnberg, LnU and Prof. Dr. Sunil Kumar Joshi HoD, Department of Community Medicine, KMC and Pranab Dahal was the PhD candidate from LNU.
PhD candidate Pranab Dahal has successfully defended his PhD thesis “Putting Scientific Research and Performing Arts Together: A Quest for Equality” on Friday, 11th of December 2020 at KMC.
There is an ongoing research collaboration between KMC and LNU on “Understanding the community attitudes and knowledge towards lesbian, gay and bisexual people and exploring experiences of the homosexuals in Nepal: a Qualitative study”. The overall aim of this study is to increase awareness and knowledge on homosexuality through a community-based intervention in order to reduce stigma, discrimination and violence against lesbian, gay and bisexual people (LGB) in Nepal. The present research project explores intersectionality, heteronormativity, homophobia and violence against LGB to develop a community based participatory short movie dialogue intervention. In addition, the study also aims to review policy documents and initiate the validation of the data collection tools. The findings from this study will provide a base to design the intervention.
Collaboration between Linkoping University, Sweden and KMC
KMC and Linkoping university is having research and academic collaboration since 2006. Students and faculty exchange program between the two institutions ran successfully from 2006 to 2012. Later the collaboration was started between the nursing faculty and students in 2012. This exchange program intends to strengthen bilateral cooperation among nursing programs regarding nursing education, clinical practice, and nursing research. For the same purpose, since 2012, the Swedish International Development Agency (SIDA) was providing Linnaeus-Palme grants for teacher and students exchange between Linkoping University, Sweden and Kathmandu Medical College, Nepal.
Based on this program, this year, two B. Sc. Nursing 4th year students, Prabha Rijal and Sunita Katwal have visited Linkoping University from 8th January to 5th April 2020. Likewise, two nursing students, Therese Bjorkman and Emil Leo from Linkoping University have visited KMC from 10th February to 9th May 2020 and had their clinical placement in the medical and surgical ward (but they returned earlier because of COVID-19 pandemic and only finished their clinical placement medicine ward).
Collaboration between Kathmandu Medical College (KMC) and the University of the West of England (UWE), Bristol, UK
Nepal Injury Research Centre (NIRC), a National level research centre to address the growing problem of injuries affecting the people of Nepal has been established in Kathmandu Medical College (KMC), Duwakot.
The NIRC has been established through a grant from the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) in the UK. It is a collaboration between the University of the West of England (UWE Bristol) and Kathmandu Medical College, in cooperation with the Government of Nepal, the World Health Organisation, NGOs (Mother and Infant Research Activities (MIRA), Safe Crossings), the Nepal Red Cross Society, advocacy groups (Swatantrata Abhiyan), the University of Bristol, and communities. The Nepal Injury Research Centre was officially launched on 6th September 2018. We received the grant for 3 years (2018-21) initially, but the project has been extended until June 2022 under NIRC Extension Award funded by NIHR Global Health Research Programme. Besides these NIHR grants, NIRC has also received QR funding from the UWE and NIHR Global Health Policy and Systems Research (HPSR) grant for the project “Identification of research priorities for a safe systems approach to road safety in Nepal”.
NIRC aims to generate evidence to help reduce the burden of injury mortality and morbidity through changes to policy and practice. The studies that NIRC would conduct are across four themes:
- Engaging with stakeholders
- Evidence through data
- Effective and cost-effective interventions
- Enhancing capacity and enabling sustainability
NIRC related activities:
- National Institute of Health Research Global Health Research Group (NIHR-GHRG)
- 14 different studies conducted
- 10 studies were completed
- 4 studies were in the phase of data analysis and manuscript preparation
Followings are the activities NIRC has been involved in 2021:
NIRC researchers present at the Virtual Pre-Conference Global Injury Prevention Showcase
Researchers from the NIRC has delivered 17 presentations at the Virtual Pre-Conference Global Injury Prevention Showcase between 22nd – 26th March 2021. This is the main international scientific conference focused on the prevention of injuries and the promotion of safety.
UWE/NIRC researcher invited as a keynote speaker at virtual global injury prevention event
UWE/NIRC Research Fellow Dr Puspa Raj Pant is invited to be a Keynote Speaker at a Global Injury Prevention Showcase to be held online from 22 to 24 March 2021. Dr Pant will talk on "The importance of good data for awareness and national policy/programme development on injury prevention: Use the Global Burden of Disease (GBD) data in Nepal." This Showcase is pre-conference engagement of the 14th World Conference on Injury Prevention and Safety Promotion (World Safety 2022) which is planned to be held in Adelaide, Australia. The event is organised by the Public Health Association of Australia (PHAA) and the World Health Organisation (WHO). Puspa is funded through the NIHR Global Health Research Group on Nepal Injury Research.
Preeti Gautam Finalist Early Career/Young Professional Award
NIRC researcher Ms Preeti Gautam has been selected as a finalist for the Early Career/Young Professional Award with her abstract “Adolescent's perception of road risks on their school routes: a qualitative study", submitted to the Virtual Pre-Conference Global Injury Prevention Showcase 2021. The Showcase, organised by the Public Health Association of Australia (PHAA) and the World Health Organisation, will be held online from 22 to 26 March 2021. The event precedes the 14th World Conference on Injury Prevention and Safety Promotion, which will take place in Adelaide, Australia, in November 2022.
Inter-disciplinary Education for Road Danger Reduction: Workshop
NIRC, with its joint learning initiatives, aims to bring together professionals from different disciplines on a common interdisciplinary platform to share knowledge and understanding on road safety. For sustained and holistic management of the road safety problem, a multi-disciplinary lens is required. Successful and innovative solutions are most likely to occur when the different relevant groups and professionals, including traffic planners, urban planners, public health professionals, and community medicine professionals work together and have regular dialogue to share their different views on road safety.
Following the successful piloting of our interdisciplinary workshop on Road Danger Reduction in May 2020, the NIRC organized the second Interdisciplinary Workshop on Road Danger Reduction from 16th May-19th May 2021.
Due to the COVID-19 restrictions in place in Nepal, the 4-day workshop was conducted remotely via Zoom. A total of 24 participants took part in the workshop.
The participants included undergraduate students from Urban Planning (Institute of Engineering, Pulchowk Campus), Community Medicine (Kathmandu Medical College), Transportation Engineering (Institute of Engineering, Pulchowk Campus), and Public Health (Patan Academy of Health Sciences) departments. The workshop comprised group discussions and polling activities on diverse road safety themes/aspects to reinforce the need for shared responsibility to tackle road safety problems. Twelve national and international guest experts were invited to share their knowledge and experiences, providing workshop participants with
the opportunity to interact, ask questions, and discuss with guest experts during the workshop sessions. The positive feedback received from both participants and guest experts highlighted the need to prioritize more inter-disciplinary activities/dialogue between future safety professionals.
The expected outcome was Collaborative inter-disciplinary knowledge sharing and recognition of shared agendas on road danger reduction, Promotion of systems thinking perspectives on road safety, Develop relationships across disciplines and possibly opportunities for future collaborative activities and Initiate (trigger) a thought for multidisciplinary training and curriculums on road safety. The findings from the workshop includes, such workshops can be a good capacity building exercise for future safety professionals that enforce the need for shared responsibility to tackle road safety problems and to ensure active interaction and engagement, it is important to plan diverse activities such as polls, case-based learning, expert presentations and interaction sessions during the workshop.
Road Safety Research Priorities:
National Institute of Health Research Global Health Policy and system Research Programme (NIHR-HPSR)
Road Safety Research Priorities Project which aims to identify what research is needed to create a safe system for road users in Nepal by Safe System approach which has five ‘pillars’; Road Safety Management, Safe roads and mobility, Safe Vehicles, Safe Road users and having an effective Post-crash response. Currently there is limited research from Nepal to inform decision makers regarding the policies and investment that could improve the safety of our road system. This study was designed to seek agreement about what research needs to take place across each of the WHO's five pillars of road safety.
- Using Delphi methodology, we interviewed 93 experts, including government officials, technical experts, law enforcement authorities, road users and civil society organizations.
- From these interviews we identified 1019 possible research ideas.
- Participants then ranked the research ideas to highlight those that were the most important for each pillar of road safety.
This report summarizes the research questions that were prioritized by stakeholders and experts. These research questions can be used to target future research and funding applications, thereby generating the evidence that decision makers need for better road safety policy and investment.
On 21st May 2021 the NIRC organised an online event to disseminate the findings of the study ‘Identification of research priorities for a safe systems approach to road safety in Nepal’, funded through a NIHR Global Health Policy and Systems Research award. The two-and-a-half-hour online event was conducted by NIRC researchers Pranita Rana and Kriti Pradhan. Prof Julie Mytton and Prof Sunil Kumar Joshi, directors of the NIRC, welcomed guests and participants.
The event was attended by a total of 68 individuals, including 47 study participants, RSRP study researchers, NIRC Nepal colleagues, and members from the Road Danger Reduction Forum (RDRF) and First Response Reference Group (FRRG).
The formal session of the programme was graced by the presence of Chief Guest, Dr Sunil Babu Shrestha (Vice Chancellor of the Nepal Academy of Science & Technology - NAST), and of distinguished guests Mr Ganesh Shah (former minister for Environment, Science & Technology), Mr Rabindra Nath Shrestha (Secretary, Ministry of Physical Infrastructures and Transport – MoPIT), and Professor Chandrakala Sharma (Maharjgunj Nursing Campus and Swatantrata Abhiyan Nepal). These attendees have expressed their interest in continuing to support the NIRC. Dr Puspa Raj Pant delivered vote of thanks.
All the participants actively engaged in this interactive event, during which the research team presented the 30 most important research questions identified through multiple Delphi study rounds for all five pillars of road safety (Road Safety Management; Safer Roads and Mobility; Safer Vehicles; Safer Road Users; and Post-Crash Response). The participants voted for the most urgent 6 research questions using Mentimeter polls.
First Phase Dissemination and impact assessment workshop on Injury studies at Makwanpur district (29th March – 2nd April 2021)
In collaboration with MIRA, the NIRC organized a series of events to share the findings from five of our research studies. All the events took place in Makwanpur District, Nepal.
- 29th March 2021 (Chure Hill Hospital) and 30th March 2021 (Hetauda Hospital) - dissemination of the findings from our study to test a model of hospital-based injury surveillance, and our study to explore the feasibility of training the traffic police in first response to road traffic crashes.
- We shared the findings of a study to test a way of recording fatal injuries occurring in rural communities in Bakaiya Rural Municipality on 31st March 2021 and in Bhimphedi Rural Municipality on 1st April 2021.
- We shared the findings of a household survey of injuries sustained at home and at work and a study to explore public perceptions of risk of being injured at home and at work in Bakaidya Rural Municipality on 31st March 2021 and in Thaha Municipality on 2nd April 2021.
In total, ninety stakeholders and members of the local community took part in the dissemination events. Participants included Hospital Directors, Medical
Superintendents, Hospital Managers, Consultant Physicians, Consultant Surgeons, Medical Officers, Hospital Matrons, Staff Nurses, Auxillary Nurses and Paramedics from Hetauda Hospital and Chure Hill Hospital, and the Mayors, Deputy Mayors, Palika Officers, Ward Chairmen, and Health workers from Thaha Municipality, Bhimphedi Rural Municipality and Bakaiya Rural Municipality. The events were facilitated by Prof. Dr Sunil Kumar Joshi, Prof. Dr Sunil Raja Manandhar, Eng. Mr. Anish Khadka and Mr. Dhruba Adhikari and about 15- 20 people took part in each event.
NHRC Health Summit 2021
Nepal Injury Research Centre (NIRC) has been provided opportunities to present at the Nepal Health Research Summit (NHRC Health Summit) on 2nd July 2021. Prof. Dr. Sunil Kumar Joshi, Director, Nepal Injury Research Centre (NIRC) has presented on activities towards prevention of injuries- a Public health problem in Nepal. He has presented the brief outcomes of 18 research studies conducted by NIRC where we explored injuries at home, on the road and at work/school. We have collected data from hospitals, communities, and the police and by conducting 3334 households survey. We have reviewed the literature reporting injuries in Nepal as well as injury related policies in Nepal. Prof. Dr. Sunil Kumar Joshi has stressed the need to view injury as public health problem and highlighted those changes at individual, organizational, societal, and governmental levels are needed for the prevention of injuries in Nepal. He further addresses that those key areas for action are education, resource allocation, improved infrastructure, and accountability.
Collaboration with Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health (HSPH), USA
Kathmandu Medical College (KMC) implemented a project titled ‘Building research capacity for prevention and control of non-communicable disease risk factors in Nepalese population[bRISK]’ in a collaboration with Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health (HSPH). Dr. Abhinav Vaidya and Dr. Natalia Oli are the collaborators from KMC. During the one-year period of the project, formative situational assessment was done with stakeholders including academicians, researchers, policymakers, program implementers, Masters level students and young graduates of public health; desk review of curricula of Masters level programs in public health and community medicine; and consultation with experts. The main aim of the situational assessment was to develop vision and strategies for a research training program to enhance Nepal’s research capacity on epidemiology, surveillance, prevention, and control of NCD risk factors. A full-fledged grant has been submitted in November 2020, and the outcome of the application is awaited.
bRISK brainstorming meeting
Under coordination of Dr. Abhinav Vaidya, KMC hosted an interesting and interactive program for the students of the Harvard T H Chan School of Public Health on January 6, 2020. During the program, our talented and dynamic panelists - nephrologist Dr. Anil Pokhrel, cardiologist Dr. Mahesh Bhattarai, psychiatrist Dr. Rachana Basnet, and neurologist Dr. Dipesh Shakya shared their clinical experiences, elaborated on the disease burden in their respective specialties, described the services provided at KMC, and outlined the challenges to reduce the burden of NCDs in Nepal. Dr. Natalia Oli moderated the panel discussion, while the Harvard students enthusiastically participated in the discussions. The Harvard students also visited the various wards of the hospital, and interacted with patients suffering from NCDs. The tour was guided by the residents of Community Medicine Dr. Kiran Acharya, Dr. Prasanna Lama, and Dr. Nikita Bhattarai, who also participated in the Harvard Winter Field Course.
Panel discussion on non-communicable diseases at KMC [January 6, 2020]
Harvard Winter Field Course [January, 2020]
Bernard Lown Scholarship Awards
Prof. Dr. Abhinav Vaidya has been selected to the prestigious Lown Scholars Program in Cardiovascular Health at Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health (HSPH) for 2019-20. Likewise, Associate Professor Dr. Natalia Oli has also been selected for the one-year Bernard Lown Scholarship in Cardiovascular Health Program in Department of Global Health and Population at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, USA in 2021. Her study involves formative research to explore existing gaps to address food literacy through understanding and use of nutrition labeling among different socio-economic status customers in grocery shops of Kathmandu.
Formative research to inform a community-based CVD prevention intervention among urban poor in Kathmandu, Nepal
On the basis of proposal that he developed during his Harvard stay, KMC has been granted Lown Award Fund to conduct formative research to develop a community-based cardiovascular disease prevention intervention among the urban poor of Sinamangal slum area along the banks of Bagmati River, near KMCTH. The research shall use GIS mapping, Photo Voice, Market Basket Surveys, and other innovative tools for data collection. The study was postponed due to the pandemic and shall be completed by 2022.
Sinamangal slum area where the Lown Program funded research shall be carried out
Collaboration with University of Gothenburg and University of Skövde
The collaboration between Kathmandu Medical College (KMC) and University of Gothenburg, Sweden has been going on since 2010. The important aim of the collaboration is to create, plan and run joint collaborative research and training in public health and related sciences. The crucial step towards the aim was done in the beginning of the collaboration when a Health demographic Surveillance Study Sites in Jhaukhel and Duwakot VDCs of Bhaktapur, Nepal (JD-HDSS) was established. Research works at JD-HDSS focused on cardiovascular diseases and risk factors was started by Dr. Abhinav Vaidya in 2010. He defended his PhD in 2014. Dr. Natalia Oli continued to work in the JD-HDSS and successfully developed and implemented health education intervention targeted mothers with young children to improve cardiovascular health in the community. Dr. Oli defended her PhD thesis in 2018. Currently, Dayana Shakya from the Nursing Department of KMC has been enrolled into the program and her study involves digital health promotion in schools – a serious games approach for cardiovascular health education in Nepal”. Dr. Abhinav Vaidya and Dr. Natalia Oli are her local supervisors. The collaboration also involves University of Skovde. Skövde, where KMC librarians and researchers have received trainings.
Workshop Swedish-research links at the University of Skövde
