Cultural Sensibility in Reseach

Aims

• To understand the basic concepts of cultural diversity and cultural sensibility.
• Acquire innovative tools to become a competitive sensitive researcher and individual through reflection and practice with real examples to address the current global challenges
• To understand the basic characteristics of sustainable research partnerships following diversity, equity, inclusion principles and guidelines
• To create a model for a specific research partnership including envisioned challenges, opportunities and potential solutions

Content

This course, supported by the Diversity and Inclusion Network (University of Basel) and SwissTPH, aims to strengthen collaborative and sustainable research partnerships. It focuses on cultural diversity and sensibility through practical exercises and explores equitable approaches to global challenges. Topics include the Hub-Spokes model for knowledge transfer, the inclusion of lived experiences in research, and working with diverse researchers.

Participants will learn to assess cultural sensibility, develop ethical partnerships, and apply qualitative methods such as podcast production. Aligned with UN SDG #17, the course offers tools for intercultural communication, resource mobilization, and building multi-stakeholder partnerships.

Sept 23

Class 1 (Irene Falgas Bague, SwissTPH & Khatarina Blaurock from IMPULS program at Univ. Basel): Introduction to concepts of sustainability and cultural humility. Course description and evaluation. Presentation of group projects. Podcast production tips.

Class 2 (Swiss TPH DEI member and member from McGill University and Kiara Alvarez (John Hopkins University)): Questioning Global Health. Historical perspective and Ethical considerations. Different areas and types of partnerships. Common challenges. Principles of Community and Participatory research.

Oct. 14

Class 3 (Ravi Paul, Chimuka Muleya (University of Zambia) & Irene Falgas): Partnerships in mental health research. Experiences from the field and group work.

Class 4 (Pablo M. de Salazar (Swiss TPH), and Horace Cox (WHO)): Institutional research Partnerships. Experiences from the field in infectious diseases research.

Oct 21

Class 5 (Carmen Sant (SwissTPH) & Carmen Sant & Paula Dias Bevilacqua (University Minas Gerais, Brazil): Intersectionality and systems thinking research. Experience of partnering policy, community and research.

Class 6 (Mirko Winkler (SwissTPH), Olga Combaco (Mozambique Health Ministry)): PHD-supervisor partnerships.

Oct 28

Class 7 (Sascha Meuter (Foundation Hirondelle): The importance of communication. Partnerships in media research. Experiences from the field.

Class 8 (Irene Falgas Bague): Group dynamic PodCast presentation and evaluation.

Methods

Together with Swiss TPH researchers and international partners, students will discuss topics such as racism, cultural assumptions, implicit biases, sustainable research questions, and collaboration across diverse backgrounds.

As a key output, students will develop a podcast on a topic from their own field, framed within cultural humility and sustainable partnerships. Students will work in groups and receive mentoring support, including from Swiss TPH’s DEI network.

Selected podcasts may be shared via the University of Basel’s New Media Center and Swiss TPH’s communication channels. Participants will gain hands-on experience in multicultural communication and demonstrate their understanding through a creative, practice-oriented project.

Target Group

All Doctoral Candidates and Postdocs

About the Trainer

The course is coordinated by Dr. Irene Falgas-Bague, a clinical psychiatrist specialized in social and cultural psychiatry and public health researcher from the SwissTPH, leading the community mental health research group at the Department of Epidemiology and Public Health.

The course will count on excellent trainers from across the world, specializing in complex partnerships and leading projects worldwide.

Workload

Total 60h (course attendance 8 x 2h, workshop assignment production 42h, mentoring (optional) 2h)

Feature

Once registration is open, applications will be collected for 24 hours and course places allocated by lot. All registrations received after the initial 24h period will be put on a waiting list and assigned on a first come, first served basis.

Course places/places on the waiting list will be confirmed by e-mail. Course registrations can only be canceled before the registration period ends (send an e-mail to grace@unibas.ch). Full course attendance is mandatory. Participants who fail to attend a course without prior notification or withdraw after the registration deadline are subject to a fee of CHF 30. In addition, participants who cancel their course registration at a later point in time, are absent without an excuse or do not attend the entire course will, for reasons of fairness, not be considered for course registration in the following semester and will be removed from other courses offered in the same semester. Please find the detailed regulations on the Transferable Skills Homepage.