RKC 2023 Lecture – Participation and Community-Based Research and Practice

The Robert Koch Colloquium is an annual interdisciplinary lecture series, each year focusing on one specific innovative public health topic, such as the Burden of Disease (2019), Public Health Surveillance (2021); Climate Change, and Public Health (2022). Dr. Rajesh Tandon gave a lecture on the topic ‘Participation and Community-Based Research and Practice’ on 21st June 2023.

Each year, the Robert Koch Institute, Germany’s Public Health Institute, invites leading experts to present and discuss their area of work at the Robert Koch Colloquium. This year’s colloquium focuses on social inequities and their impact on population health. Over two days, a series of lectures address specific aspects of inequities research. A final panel discussion with experts treats the role of Public Health Institutes in addressing health inequities, with a focus on Germany.

Social inequities have been described for a plethora of communicable and non-communicable diseases affecting most countries, including those with well-established healthcare systems. Structural and social barriers to resources such as regular income, education, housing, legal status, or health care, as well as the experience of racism, discrimination, and social deprivation, are closely associated with a higher risk of premature death and lower life expectancy among socially disadvantaged populations. Despite the considerable effort of contemporary social epidemiology to understand the mechanisms and pathways of health inequities, much more needs to be done, including identifying possible points of intervention. Advancements in this field require comprehensive health data based on modern health monitoring and surveillance methods and sound analytical approaches. Participation of communities herein is essential – both in research and in the development and implementation of policies and interventions. Importantly, these issues cannot be understood and addressed at the national level alone – it is essential to include a global health perspective when addressing them in public health research and practice.

The programme agenda below –