Building Evidence from Local Researchers in Conflict-Affected Communities
In this webinar, co-sponsored by SAEM's Global Emergency Medicine Academy (GEMA) Humanitarian Task Force, the panel highlights the critical role of research and evidence generation from local teams in conflict-affected and neglected crisis settings. These voices can often be lost or come second to international researchers, who may face fewer barriers to obtaining funding or publishing their work in higher-tier peer-reviewed journals. With speakers from Tigray regions of Ethiopia, Sudan, and South Sudan, we explore how frontline clinician-researchers conduct research while also caring for conflict casualties in under-resourced and strained health systems. Our moderators frame this discussion within a broader conversation regarding factors that lead such research from neglected conflict settings to be underrepresented, and several initiatives to support local teams in conflict, such as the Explosive Weapons Trauma Care Collective (EXTRACCT)'s Casualty Data Initiative.
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Akeza Awealom Asgedom, PhD
Associate Professor
Mekelle University
Akeza Awealom Asgedom, PhD, is a public health researcher and genocide survivor from Tigray, Ethiopia. He is an associate professor at Mekelle University in Ethiopia and an affiliate scholar at The Africa Institute at Western University in Canada. Dr. Asgedom specializes in environmental and occupational health, humanitarian health, and health systems in conflict-affected settings.
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Alsadig Suliman Hashash
Clinical Researcher
General Surgery Registrar Sudan Medical Specialization Board
Alsadig Suliman Hashash is a clinical researcher from Sudan with more than 20 publications in international peer-reviewed journals. He is a member of both the General Surgery Registrar Sudan Medical Specialization Board and the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh. Dr. Suliman Hashash's research interests include trauma surgery, conflict-related injuries, surgical systems strengthening, global surgery, and healthcare delivery in resource-limited and conflict-affected settings.
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Majok Philips Matiop
Medical Director
Bor State Hospital
Majok Philips Matiop is a General Surgeon and Medical Director of Bor State Hospital, the only referral hospital in Jonglei State, South Sudan. Dr. Philips completed his training within the fellowship of the College of Surgeons of Eastern, Central, and Southern Africa (FCS COSECSA).
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Hannah Wild, MD
Founder & Director
Explosive Weapons Trauma Care Collective (EXTRACCT)
Hannah Wild, MD, is a resident surgeon whose work focuses on improving local casualty care in low-resource conflict settings, with an emphasis on victims of explosive injuries. Dr. Wild is the Director of the Explosive Weapons Trauma Care Collective (EXTRACCT) and splits her time between the United States and the Sahel.
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Amila Ratnayake, MS
Consultant Surgeon
Army Hospital Colombo 08
Colonel Amila Ratnayake, MS, is a consultant surgeon at Army Hospital Colombo 08 and an Adjunct Associate Professor at Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences.