About REASURE2

We aim to demonstrate WHAT the pandemic has revealed about multi-scale governance failures to protect the most vulnerable; WHY the active participation of marginalized community members is vital to build effective health and climate risk minimization strategies for all; WHICH data is most relevant for community-level actions and for improved governance; HOW data collection, management, and dissemination, with community engagement and collaboration, can be successfully undertaken in various contexts (e.g., rural, urban, health, agricultural, coastal, gender, etc.) to assist people in minimizing their risks, building on the knowledge and lived experience of local communities; WHAT the lessons of the COVID-19 pandemic for global climate justice, climate governance, and mid-term human resilience are.

Our projects are geared towards answering the following questions:
1. What has the global COVID-19 pandemic revealed regarding multi-scale governance failures to protect the most vulnerable?
2. How can active participation by marginalized communities improve crisis resilience, health protection for all, and improved governance?
3. Which data is most relevant for community-level actions and for improved governance?
4. How can data be collected, managed, and disseminated to all in various contexts to support equity, resilience, and risk mitigation, and how can important data gaps be filled through community participation?
5. What are the lessons of the COVID-19 pandemic for global climate justice, climate governance, and mid-term human resilience?

General Objectives

The underlying goal of our project is to build a more resilient, inclusive and sustainable society, since pandemic and climate risks and deaths are highest for the marginalized. Improved and better-disseminated data about their situations and lived experiences, thus including them more fully in decision-making both formal and informal, helps them and supportive governments to address their needs and minimize their risks, thus increasing social resilience and sustainability.

Specific Objectives

Specific objectives are to:

  1. Build a dialogic space for formalized institutions and structures to actively engage and interact with
    community stakeholders and equity-seeking informal networks;
  2. Co-develop theoretical and operational frameworks that identify and address the systemic risks of
    pandemics and climate threats;
  3. Co-create technological platforms for systemic risk assessment and management;
    Collaboratively apply and iterate learning from the theoretical framework, technology platforms, and
    participatory initiatives.

Expected Outcomes

In addition to advancing the responsible governance,  it is anticipated that this network will achieve the following outcomes:

  1. Upgrade existing methods and develop new techniques and tools for bettering Africa clinical public health outcomes
  2. Devise comprehensive and complementary models to inform epidemic and pandemic prevention, preparedness, and response in LMICs 
  3. Map drivers and key national priorities to be considered for alignment and linkages
  4. Inform the development of new policies and approaches to stimulate innovation and technology adoption 
  5. Bridge gaps between climate change, disaster management, clinical public healthcare policy needs and solutions, and contribute to policy and disaster relief innovation
  6. Establish sustainable collaborations among local AI experts, government, civil society organizations, and community leaders.
  7. Improve identification, collection, and cataloging of relevant data required for research projects in clinical public health and global health
  8. Strengthen  and enhance capacity and prepare the next generation of leaders in  responsible AI in clinical public health policy through a unique training program in an interactive environment mentored by basic, applied, and policy researchers
  9. Build trust and knowledge of emerging and re-emerging infectious diseases   models among key decision makers to enable rapid-response in emergencies through close engagement with government, public health agencies, and other stakeholders.

 Expected Deliverable Outputs

  1. Data dashboard and portals; 

  2. An online searchable repository comprehensively compiling resources containing locally relevant data;

  3. Smartphone/web-based applications and other environmental monitoring
    tools, including AI-powered digital tools, to collect anonymized data,
    provide personalized advice for climate and disaster management, and
    ensure compliance with mitigation and response strategies; 

  4. Monthly blogs;

  5. Scholarly, peer-reviewed articles in impacted, open-access journals;

  6. Special issue in impacted journals;

  7. Books; 

  8. Policy reports.

How We Work

We are united by our shared interest in learning from the COVID-19 pandemic, to build equitable, resilient governance strategies and increase societal preparedness for future global pandemics and climate disasters. Research Questions and Novelty in Objectives, Approaches and Outcomes: The COVID-19 pandemic has revealed deep-seated inequities that transcend international borders, race, class, gender, and ethnic divisions. Yet, even as the world grapples with the onslaught of the COVID-19 pandemic, the profound risks, and vulnerabilities already evident from the climate change crisis intensifies the inequities that the most marginalized in society must face. As comprehensive measures are taken to curb the spread of the virus, our team is interested in how these measures, made with the right data, could increase community resilience for future global pandemics and climate disasters.

By addressing the data gaps revealed by the COVID-19 pandemic, we aim to build stronger and more resilient governance strategies that increase societal preparedness to face future global challenges (e.g., pandemics and disasters) equitably. We intend to leverage our expertise, community networks, and partners to collaboratively build an emergent framework for addressing global-scale socio-ecological challenges which invariably, and disproportionately impact vulnerable communities (e.g., women, children, the elderly, racial and ethnic minorities, and persons with dis/abilities). Country teams will draw on their own set of experiences, community partners, local context, constraints, and possibilities. By sharing our processes and results, we will draw out larger-scale comparisons, synergies, and conclusions in relation to our overall goal. We are excited to have the opportunity to ‘learn by doing’ and ‘in community.’

The transnational partnership’s added value for all partners in our network is grounded in our sharing across contexts and specific situations regarding effective digital data generation, management, dissemination, and ways to address equity priorities for risk minimization by amplifying the voices and agency of marginalized and highly impacted communities. 

We hold biweekly meetings and regular workshops. Our teams share ideas across contexts and specific situations regarding effective digital data generation, management, dissemination, and ways to address equity priorities for risk minimization by amplifying the voices and agency of marginalized and highly impacted communities.

Activities in each partner institution is led by a Hub Director with a strong individual track record in undertaking interdisciplinary research in good governance and at least one of the following: disaster management, climate change, data sciences;  disease modeling;  global health; environmental science; veterinary health care; citizen science; community engagement; participatory research; policy; anthropology; social works; sex, gender intersectionality, and decolonization, etc. We factor the levels of clinical public health and AI activities at the Institutions into our capacity-building strategy and support. Hub Directors  work with teams of research staff to undertake and supervise joint interdisciplinary network projects. They are also involved in joint training and promotional activities of the network. Each hub is guided by administrative support to develop good research governance structures within the broader institution.

Specific Objectives