Forging Links for Health Research

This book examines the contribution of health research to development and, in particular, the equity dimension of development. It presents the views & experiences of individuals, groups, & institutions involved in essential national health research over the past decade, highlighting key achievements & setbacks since the 1990s and the prospects for health research in the coming decades. The first part has three chapters: an account of the main events of the past decade in health research & development, an essay on the evolving understanding of inequities in health, and an analysis of the contribution of health research to human development. Part 2 focusses mainly on the country experience of three aspects of the health research process: promoting community participation, translating research into action & policy, and strengthening capacities of national health research systems. It also reviews the health research situation in several regions and analyzes the contribution of regional arrangements to national health research efforts. The final part looks to the future in two chapters covering the story of the Council on Health Research & Development, view of national health research leaders from developing countries, and important realities confronting the global health research community.