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2022-23 Social Science Plus Pilot Project
- This call was supported by generous funding from the UCL Faculty of Engineering Sciences, Faculty of Mathematical and Physical Sciences and IOE
Medical Anthropology + Epidemiology
The Guarani-Mbyá case study: understanding the socio-cultural and epidemiological factors related to high immunodeficiency prevalence among Indigenous communities in Argentina and Brazil (12.5K)
This study will examine the socio-cultural and epidemiological factors (e.g., economic deprivation, reduced access to potable water and healthcare, malnutrition, practices and understandings, etc) that relate to the high prevalence of tuberculosis (TB) and co-related immunodeficiency diseases among the Guarani-Mbyá in Brazil and Argentina. We will take an interdisciplinary, comparative, and collaborative mixed-methods approach. This will engage with Indigenous communities’ members and leaders in order to take Guarani-Mbyá conceptions of disease and important cultural practices as a starting point. By addressing Indigenous conceptions of disease and health, we seek to enact a culturally safety action plan for immunodeficiency disease control and prevention. Our findings will contribute to global public health interventions targeted at preventing and controlling emerging diseases. We also aim to contribute to Sustainable Development Goal number 11, which targets equal opportunities for all human settlements.
Social Science Principal Investigator
Dr. Maria Paula Prates, Research Fellow in Medical Anthropology, Department of Anthropology, Social & Historical Sciences
Non-Social Science Co-Investigator
Dr. Yohhei Hamada, Clinical Research Fellow, Institute for Global Health, Population Health Sciences
Second Co-Investigator
Dr. Dalia Iskander, Lecturer in Medical Anthropology, Department of Anthropology, Social & Historical Sciences
Early Career Researcher
Dr. Kasim Allel, Research Fellow, Centre for Global Health Economics, Institute for Global Health, Population Health Sciences