A Country’s First Community Based Participatory Research Workshop

The Medical College of Wisconsin (MCW) and Dhulikhel Hospital in Nepal joined forces in 2011 to fortify healthcare systems and enhance individual providers' capabilities in community health, clinical medicine and research. Spearheaded by Bipin Thapa, MD, MS, FACP, assistant dean and professor of medicine at MCW, this partnership has flourished over the years, fostering a robust exchange of knowledge, expertise and culture.

The leadership at Dhulikhel Hospital, which has 18 outreach community health centers in rural areas, recognized that they lacked expertise and formal training in community based participatory research (CBPR), an established method to address and respond to unique community health needs.

Driven by the collaboration and visionary leadership of MCW's Laura Cassidy, PhD, MS, associate dean of global health, and Dhulikhel Hospital's Biraj Karmacharya, PhD, MPH, director of public health, community programs and global engagement, an innovative CBPR workshop was developed to cultivate mutually beneficial opportunities that uplift public and community health. The workshop took place January 22-24, 2024.

“The community based participatory research workshop was a big success and we are continuing discussions on a plan to create an MCW-Dhulikhel Hub of Excellence for Community-engaged Research for the entire country of Nepal,” says Dr. Cassidy. “Our faculty worked with Nepali healthcare professionals to develop three concepts for pilot projects that can be refined and potentially conducted to further establish our collaboration and scholarly activities.”

The interactive workshop included participants from outreach centers, students, staff and faculty from across Nepal. MCW experts included Kirsten Beyer, PhD, MPH, MS, professor of epidemiology, Julia Dickson-Gomez, PhD, professor of epidemiology, and Staci Young, PhD, senior associate dean for community engagement and professor of family and community medicine.

“The workshop at Dhulikhel Hospital was a great opportunity to share information about community based participatory research and to learn from participants from across the country,” says Dr. Young. “The ongoing relationship between the hospital and MCW brought this workshop to fruition. The collaboration between the Office of Community Engagement and the Office of Global Health showcases how the community engagement mission is intertwined with our other missions, and that its principles can be applied locally and globally.”

“It was great to engage with the learners as they talked about some of the pressing health problems facing their communities and the complexities involved in providing care,” says Dr. Dickson-Gomez. “Their knowledge about and commitment to the communities in which they work was truly inspiring.”

“The workshop introduced a fresh perspective on addressing health issues and gathering insights from the community, providing a dynamic approach to research that resonated deeply with my own experiences and practices,” says Nepalese participant Surakshya Kunwar. “The workshop underscored the importance of embedding the concepts and principles of CBPR into our existing research framework. This integration holds immense potential for leveraging the collective expertise and insights of community members to inform and enrich our research endeavors.”

The workshop accomplished the organizers’ goals of establishing new research partnerships, training faculty, staff and students, and identifying opportunities to partner on potential grant submissions. As the partnership between Dhulikhel Hospital and the Medical College of Wisconsin continues to thrive, it serves as a testament to the power of collaboration in shaping a healthier, more equitable future for all.

Those interested in learning more about the decade-long collaboration between Dhulikhel Hospital and the Medical College of Wisconsin can contact Tifany Frazer, MPH, director of the Office of Global Health, at tfrazer@mcw.edu.