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Vicki Marsh
kilifi [dot] kemri-wellcome [dot] org Research
Meaningful community participation has been advocated for many types of health research for some time. Forms and mechanisms are debated, but there is broad agreement on the potential for increased participation to afford greater protection, respect and empowerment to communities while facilitating research. Nowhere is this notion more relevant than where research is needed the most - in developing countries that bear the highest burden of disease. It is also in developing countries that the contrasts in cultural and social norms and technological know-how between researchers and research participants are often the greatest. Issues such as these underpin current ethical debates on ways in which communities can be engaged in health research, and are a key focus for operational and research agendas at the KEMRI Wellcome Trust Programme in Kilifi.
Vicki Marsh is one of the group of scientists in the Social and Behavioural Research group that currently work alongside community facilitators (Community Liaison Group) to develop, implement and evaluate systematic and innovative approaches to community engagement in health research in this typical rural district in Kenya. Activities include a range of approaches that aim to strengthen communication, interactivity and mutual understanding between staff at the centre, research stakeholders across the district, local residents and community leaders. The Community Liaison Group provides support to scientists across the programme in developing and implementing project specific community engagement activities throughout the research life cycle. Evaluation of community engagement within the centre draws on multi-method approaches, including community and facility based surveys and detailed case studies around specific areas of research. In addition to a coordination role for community engagement activities at the centre, Vicki is currently conducting a qualitative study on social and ethical issues for communities involved in genome-wide association studies, including predictive screening for sickle cell disease. Other research areas that she is currently involved in include developing and assessing locally relevant and standardized ways of supporting informed consent and exploring payments to participants in research. Past research has addressed the role of patent medicine retailers in malaria control. This included feasibility and effectiveness studies as well as a collaboration with the Division of Malaria Control to evaluate the Ministry of Health district level programmes in Kenya. This work has contributed to international strategic policy development for this sector in malaria control.
Collaborations
Publications
Publications: peer reviewed journals
1. TA Aubya, G Fegan, Y Rowa, EK Baya, WM Mutemi, SA Ochola and VM Marsh (2009). The Impact of Ministry of Health Interventions on Private Medicine Retailer Knowledge and Practices on Anti-malarial Treatment in Kenya. American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene (in press)
2. VM Marsh, DKamuya, C Gikonyo, Y Rowa, CS Molyneux (2008). Beginning community engagement at a busy biomedical research programme: Experiences from KEMRI CGMRC-Wellcome Trust Research Programme, Kilifi. Social Science & Medicine 67, 721-733
3. Gikonyo C, Bejon P, Marsh V, and CS Molyneux (2008). Taking social relationships seriously: Lessons learned from the informed consent practices of a vaccine trial on the Kenyan Coast, Social Science and Medicine, 67(5): 708-720
4. Molyneux, S, Gikonyo, C, Marsh, V and Bejon, P (2007). Incorporating a quiz into informed consent processes: qualitative study of participants reactions. Malaria Journal 2007, Nov 10; 6(1):145
5. Starling B, Kamuya D, Gikonyo C, Molyneux CS & Marsh VM. (2007). Utafiti in coastal Kenya. Science and Public Affairs, June 2007, 10 - 11.
6. Abuya TO, Mutemi W, Baya EK, Ochola SA, Fegan G, Marsh V (2007). Use of over-the-counter malaria medicines in children and adults in three districts in Kenya: Implications for private medicine retailer interventions. Malaria Journal May 10; 6:57
7. CA Goodman, WM Mutemi, EK Baya, A Willetts and V Marsh (2006). The cost-effectiveness of improving malaria home management: Shopkeeper training in rural Kenya. Health Policy and Planning, 21 (4), 275-288
8. Trudie Lang, Dyfrig Hughes, Tom Kanyok, Jane Kengeya Katondo, Vicki Marsh, Ane Haaland, Munir Pirmohamed and Peter Winstanley (2006). Beyond registration: Measuring the public health potential of new treatments for malaria in Africa. Lancet Infectious Diseases, 6 (1): 46-52.
9. Marsh VM, Mutemi WM, Willetts A, Bayah K, Were S, Ross A and Marsh K (2004). Improving malaria home treatment by training drug retailers in rural Kenya. Tropical Medicine and International Health, 9 (4): 451-460.
10. Abdinasir Amin, Dyfrig Hughes, Vicki Marsh, Timothy O Abuya, Gilbert O Kokwaro, Peter A Winstanley, Sam A Ochola and Robert W Snow (2004). The difference between effectiveness and efficacy of antimalarial drugs in Kenya. Tropical Medicine and International Health, 9 (9): 967-974.
11. TO Abuya, CS Molyneux, ASS Orago, S Were and V Marsh (2004). Quality of care provided to children presenting to private clinics on the Kenyan Coast. African Health Sciences 4 (3): 160-170.
12. Abdinasir A, Marsh V, Noor A, Ochola S and Snow RW (2003). The use of formal and informal curative services in the management of paediatric fevers in four districts in Kenya. Tropical Medicine and International Health, 8 (12): 1143-1152.
13. Marsh VM, Mutemi WM, Muturi J, Haaland A, Watkins W, Otieno G, Marsh K (1999). Changing home treatment of childhood fevers by training shop keepers in rural Kenya. Tropical Medicine and International Health 4 (5): 383-389.
14. Marsh VM, Mutemi WM, Some ES, Haaland A and Snow RW (1996). Evaluating the community education programme of an insecticide-treated bed net trial on the Kenyan Coast. Health Policy and Planning 11(3): 280-291
Publications: Policy documents and manuals
1. Quality information in field research: training manual on practical communication for field researcher and project personnel (2005) UNICEF/UNDP/World Bank/WHO, TDR/IRM/PCT/05.1O
2. Policy to Strategy and Implementation Brief: Home Care and Management for Malaria (2002). Malaria Consortium, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.
3. Training Drug Retailers: Developing District Level Programmes for Malaria Control in Kenya (2002). Division of Malaria Control, Ministry of Health, Kenya.
4. Information for non-pharmacists selling anti-malarial drugs (2002). CTD, WHO, Geneva.