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​About this seminar

In this session of Up Close & Policy, we explore how researchers can engage with policy professionals in low and middle-income countries at multiple levels such as grass-roots, local, regional and national.

We welcome Prof Monica Lakhanpaul, Professor of Integrated Community Child Health (Ïã¸ÛÁùºÏ²ÊÖÐÌØÍø Institute of Child Health, Department of Population, Policy & Practice) and Dr Priti Parikh (Associate Professor, The Bartlett School of Sustainable Construction) to share on their experience in working with policymakers in an international context. They will discuss experiences of influencing policy through community engagement in India with Mr. Hemant Chaturvedi and regional/national level cross sectoral partnerships with government officials in South Africa with Dr. Sandile Mbatha.

Ïã¸ÛÁùºÏ²ÊÖÐÌØÍø Public Policy is committed to increasing the diversity and inclusivity of its activities. We encourage people from under-represented groups (BAME, LGBTQ+, a mature student, or disabled) to attend.

Ïã¸ÛÁùºÏ²ÊÖÐÌØÍø Speakers

• Professor Monica Lakhanpaul is the co-director of the Childhood Infections and Pollution (CHIP) consortium, a project using a One Health, technology-enabled citizen science approach to reduce the infection burden and antimicrobial resistance in children under-5 in peri-urban slums in low- and middle-income countries. She was also the lead investigator on the PANSChSHEEEL (Participatory Approach for Nutrition in Children, Strengthening HEEE Linkage) project. Her work has focussed on using structured collaborative participatory methods to co design interventions for community health issues. Her work has taken a lifecourse approach and primarily addressed problems such as nutrition, asthma and disability relevant to South Asian families in the UK and she now wishes to use this knowledge to address problems globally.
• Dr. Priti Parikh is an Associate Professor in Bartlett and heads the Engineering for International Development Centre. Priti and her team research infrastructure solutions in resource challenged settings, evidence links between infrastructure and SDGs and explore the impact of infrastructure on well-being. Priti has a track record of engaging with policy makers, practitioners, and industry. In 2021, Apolitical named her as one of the 100 most influential academics globally for engaging with policy makers. She has led interdisciplinary teams at Ïã¸ÛÁùºÏ²ÊÖÐÌØÍø to evidence links between sanitation and SDGs in partnership with eThekwini Municipality and Water Aid to accelerate action for sanitation.
• Mr. Hemant Chatturvedi (Ïã¸ÛÁùºÏ²ÊÖÐÌØÍø Department of Population, Policy & Practice) has worked with third sector organisations like save the children, worked in the field with local leaders and has supported ground up engagement with local and national policy makers.

External Speakers

• Dr Sandile Mbatha, Senior Manager: Research and Policy Advocacy at eThekwini Municipality