News

Cambridge Infectious Diseases has become a key partner in an innovative, multidisciplinary £3.2m research consortium exploring the connections between ecosystems, health and poverty in Africa.

The University of Cambridge's wide-ranging and long-term strategy of engagement with African higher education institutions moved into its next phase following the recent announcement of a $1.2 million grant by the Carnegie Corporation of New York and a $1 million grant by The Alborada Trust.

Public engagement is an often thrown about term. Research councils are increasingly requiring some level of ‘community engagement ‘ as a condition of grant allocation, but what exactly does it involve, and how easy is it to accomplish without detracting from your research? The high turnout at the annual Cambridge Science Festival is an excellent example of opportunities for scientist to engage with an enthusiastic public, but ‘public engagement’ covers a broad range of activities, and there are plenty of opportunities to try them out. I spoke to several Cambridge Infectious Diseases members about their experiences with public engagement to find out what it involves, and why they do it.

Professors David Dunne, James Wood, and Dr Pauline Essah explain why, in the quest for understanding infectious diseases, Africa may hold the answers.