SWEDISH SOUTH ASIAN STUDIES NETWORK

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Division of Social Medicine and Global Health, Department of Health Sciences; Lund University (in Malmö)

Postal address: Avdelningen för socialmedicin, Institutionen för hälsa, vård och samhälle, Lunds Universitet, Universitetssjukhuset MAS, SE-205 02 Malmö, Sweden
Visiting address: Malmö University Hospital, Entrance 59, 8th floor
Fax: +46 (0)40 33 62 15
Web page: http://www.med.lu.se/hvs/socialmedicin

Contact person: Professor Per-Olof Östergren, phone: +46 (0)40 33 26 68

Swedish students led by Prof. Per-Olof Östergren in Vellore. Photo: Erik Öberg/LUM

The division of Social Medicine is actively engaged in research on a variety of different topics relating to the fields of family medicine, social medicine, epidemiology, geriatrics, health economics, preventive medicine and public health. Research is based in both the clinical and basic sciences and draws upon the faculty's extensive experience in the social, behavioral and public health sciences. The faculty also actively participate in a variety of teaching, educational and training programs, including postdoctoral training and graduate education through the Master in Public Health program. Most faculty members also serve as thesis advisors to MPH students.

The department has organised 5 credits undergraduate courses on Global Health for more than 20 years. The courses normally include a two-weeks stay in Uganda or India. An exchange collaboration agreement exists with the Christian Medical College in Vellore since 2005.
Read an article about the Lund University courses at Vellore in LUM No. 2/2007. (as a pdf-file)

Since several years, the Division is also involved in training programmes on ”Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights – SRHR” funded by the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency, Sida. The target group is persons working with SRHR, in managing position and that have responsibility to develop capacity and knowledge within SRHR. Participants should have a background as midwives/teachers in the health care sector or gynaecologists/obstetricians. From South Asia, persons from Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Nepal and Sri Lanka have been accepted for these programmes every year, but from 2009 only people from Sri Lanka and Nepal (among South Asian nations) are eligible to apply. More information.
Contact person: Ditte Mårtensson. She has 15 years of experiences in international development cooperation, especially within HIV/AIDS and population issues.

Research at the department connected to South Asia

In November 2005 Professor Stig Larsson at the department received SEK 1 Million as a two-years grant from Sida/SAREC for a doctorate project titled ”The role of assistive technology among people with disabilities in the south: Poverty alleviation and human rights in Bangladesh”. More information about the 2005 Sida grants.
Professor Larsson is Director for HAREC Disability and Rehabilitation Research Centre, established in 1997 to promote and coordinate research within this field in the southern part of Sweden. It is a cooperation between five different universities in southern Sweden: Lund University, Malmö University, Växjö University, Kristianstad University and the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences in Alnarp.
In November 2008, Prof. Larsson was given SEK 1 m as a two-years grant extension for the period 2009-10 from Sida/SAREC’s Developing Country Research Council for this project on Poverty alleviation and human rights in Bangladesh. More information.

Dr. Jerker Liljestrand worked at the department during the period 2003-07 an associate professor of public health. He now works part time in Sweden, running Sida-supported Advanced International Training Programs in Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights, for obstetricians and midwives from low income countries. The rest of the time is spent in Cambodia where he works as a consultant in reproductive health.
Dr. Jerker Liljestrand however left the department and Lund University on 1 January 2008.

Dr. Liljestrand has mostly been involved in research projects on Africa, and especially Uganda, but for some period also worked with a project entitled ”Investing effectively in maternal health. Experiencies from Malaysia and Sri Lanka during 60 years, and Guatemala today”, involving researchers from Sri Lanka, Malaysia, and Australia.
Abstract: Reducing maternal mortality has been one of the major challenges for obstetricians for many years. Of all indicators commonly used to compare levels of development between countries, levels of maternal mortality show widest disparities in health in comparing low- and high-resource countries. The project focused on the area of reproductive health, and was supported by the World Bank. The studies showed how low-resource areas have developed effevtive referral systems regarded childbearing women in order to reduce maternal mortality during six decades. The study from a rural area of Guatemala reflects the importance of cultural considerations among the target group when discussing the efficiency of referral systems related to maternal health.

As a response to a call from Lund University’s deputy Vice-Chancellor, Prof. Björn Wittenmark, a research cooperation network between university departments active in HIV/AIDS research evolved in Lund/Malmö in 2004. The network named HARNESS (HIV/AIDS Research Network in Southern Sweden) included researchers on Public health, Sociology, Political science, Rural development, Geographical modelling, Social work, Sexuality, and Health economics. The network, thus, represents both a cross-disciplinary/faculty cooperation and a cross-college/university cooperation as it also entails cooperation between Lund University and Malmö University College.
Jerker Liljestrand developed the HARNESS network. The ambition was to promote and secure funding for multidisciplinary research projects on the the AIDS epidemic, the biggest scourge humanity has experienced. More information on HARNESS (as a Powerpoint presentation)
Within the framework of HARNESS, the HIV/AIDS research network in Southern Sweden, Jerker Liljestrand worked on a project entitled “The Impact of Urbanization and HIV/AIDS on Mental Health in Low-income Countries”, dealing with the rapid urbanization and high rates of HIV represent serious challenges for mental health in low-income countries (where young adults, 18-30, are particularly at risk for the development of serious mental illness). The project was mainly focused on the situation in south-western Uganda, but a comparative study was supposed to be done regarding the situation in India. The collaborating research partners in India were Professor Sulochana Abraham, and Dr. K. S. Jacob, at the Department of Psychiatry, Christian Medical College (CMC), Vellore.

Erasmus Mundus External Cooperation Window Programme scholarship programme

A large number of Indian students, PhD candidates, post-docs and academic staff has come to Lund University during the academic year 2009-10, as scholarship holders through the Erasmus Mundus External Cooperation Window mobility programme Lot 15, coordinated by Lund University. This programme was announced in 2008, and out of a total mobility of 320 persons, 53 Indian students, researchers and academic staff were selected to come specically to Lund University. More information about the EMECW programme lot 15 (from 2009 renamed to be one out of four programmes under the mobility lot 13).

One Indian researcher was selected by the EMECW lot 15 consortium to stay at the Division of Social Medicine and Global Health, Lund University.
PhD candidate Devika Mehra has been accepted for a PhD programme on “‘Star for life’ orientation programme: What is the impact on South African youth sexual and reproductive health, including the risk of HIV infection?”. She is a student from Delhi College of Arts & Commerce (affiliated to the University of Delhi), but has also studied at the University of Birmingham, UK. Devika Mehra has previous practical experience of working with HIV/AIDS programmes in local as well as regional UN organisations which is directly related to the research project to be conducted.