Since 2011, healthcare workers and research scientists working in low and middle income countries have accessed The Global Health Network over 14 million times to access and share research methods, knowledge, tools and processes, with many thousands of their peers across the world. Over 550,000 online course modules have been taken, and there are 37 research groups exchanging their research know-how on this platform.
The Global Health Network has grown into a renowned, valuable and trusted resource to those working in global health research. Impact evaluation is embedded and strong quantitative and qualitative data show how teams are gaining and that their research is being made easier, faster and better through the tools, training and guidance they have accessed here.
The Global Health Network was cited in the World Health Report (WHO 2013) (Research for universal health coverage) for the contribution this is bringing to research capacity development in LMICs by facilitating the sharing of templates, tools, protocols and allowing research staff to provide support and guidance to each other. The report concluded that if there is ever to be really dramatic improvements to the mortality that is caused by the world’s most burdensome diseases, than there is a drastic need for more evidence. The call is for more research and that low and middle-income countries need to be the generators and not the passive recipients of data and evidence. Here in lies the problem. There are still far too few locally-led research studies that are conceived, planned, led and operated by researchers from and in LMICs. There are compounding reasons for this, but the lack of access to support, training, tools and resources are important factors in this gap.
Here is exactly where The Global Health Network is making a difference. By enabling research through sharing of knowledge, expertise and know-how, providing free certified high-quality training resources, and creating opportunities for collaboration among research groups.