Empiricism, Embodied Knowledge, and Public Health: Reflections on our Geneva Study Tour
John Timbol and Madhulika Singh, postgraduate global public health students, discuss knowledge-making and international health policy
There is something about sharing a room, or a moment, with like-minded people that makes in-person experiences infinitely richer than interacting with them through a screen.
In recent decades, there has been a push towards positivism in global health, where interventions are only deemed worthwhile if backed by statistically significant results in epidemiologic studies high up on the hierarchy of evidence. This trend has earned some pushback from thinkers who place a premium on experiential and indigenous knowledge. Public health students like us think that both parties have a point. The truth probably lies somewhere in the middle.
We may have struck that golden mean during our one-week study tour in Geneva, during which faculty and students of the University of Leeds’ Master of Public Health and MSc International Health programs visited the World Health Organization, the United Nations, the Geneva Graduate Institute, the International Labor Organization, the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies, the United Nations High Commission for Human Rights, GAVI the Vaccine Alliance, and the Centre of Competence on Humanitarian Negotiations. The time we spent there was extraordinary, and we are grateful to the Nuffield Centre of International Health and Development for organizing this trip for us.
Oh, but we were talking about the middle road between positivism and embodied knowledge. Allow us to elaborate.
Hard evidence informs policy
We spent three days in the WHO’s headquarters where we discussed various health issues with experts on health emergencies, human resources, communications, mental health, migration, antimicrobial resistance, vaccines, behavioural science, sexual and reproductive health, and primary health care. It was an exciting time, especially since one of the speakers, Dr. Blerta Maliqi, is an alumna of the University of Leeds!
There is no policy without evidence
One of our key takeaways is that there is no policy without evidence. The WHO’s guidance on the fair and ethical management of international health worker migration, for instance, wouldn’t have been written without hard data showing that there is significant brain drain from poor nations into rich ones. In one of our favorite sessions on Quality of Care, led by Dr. Maliqi, we learned that a significant number of people die not because they couldn’t access healthcare services, but because when they do access it, service quality is terrible.
So, positivism plays an important role in global health because we need empirical data to inform our policies. And yet…
The intangibles matter, too
There was almost nothing in this study tour that we couldn’t have looked up online. But there is something about sharing a room, or a moment, with like-minded people that makes in-person experiences infinitely richer than interacting with them through a screen.
Our visit to the IFRC illustrates this. Being in their office made us feel the tireless service of millions of volunteers worldwide. This reaffirmed our belief in the power of collective action in times of crisis. Our visit to CCHN’s small but cozy office was also a revelation. There, we spent a couple of hours talking with humanitarian negotiator Hala El Khoury about her experiences in the field, which made us realize that negotiation permeates every level of our work. Understanding the nuances of negotiation will be key in our careers, and we think that being in the same room as an experienced negotiator was necessary for us to truly grasp this.
Being in the same place with our colleagues in public health was enriching in many other ways. Networking with experts, for instance, enlightened many of us about what to do with our dissertations and our careers after graduation. Doing mundane and touristy things with our teachers and classmates will also stay with us for a long time. Who would’ve thought that grocery shopping with our colleagues would be as much of a core memory for us as strolling along Geneva’s Bains des Paquis and Mont Saleve?
In closing, as emphasized by Dr. Shams Syed during one of the WHO forums, while it is essential to emphasize the importance of data-driven research for context-specific and sustainable approaches, the core of our efforts must always be compassion. Data makes us aware; awareness makes us empathize; and empathy makes us take appropriate action.
May this study tour help us make full use of empirical data and embodied knowledge to work towards healthier lives for all people at all ages.
Dig Deeper:
- We would like to direct the reader to Chapter 2 of Dr. Rochelle Burgess’ book, “Rethinking Global Health: Frameworks of Power” for an excellent discussion of the positivism vs. embodied knowledge debate in public health. It’s free to download!
- Bilateral agreements on health worker migration and mobility (who.int)
- Quality health services (who.int)
Learn more about The Geneva Study Tour
About the authors:
John Timbol and Madhulika Singh are postgraduate students of the University of Leeds. They are pursuing their Master of Public Health [Internationa] degree from The Nuffield Centre for International Health and Development.
