# Advancing health research practices among forcibly displaced populations: A multidisciplinary stakeholder workshop

## TL;DR

A workshop in Uganda identified challenges and strategies for ethical health research among displaced populations, focusing on infectious diseases and equitable practices.

## Contribution

The paper introduces actionable strategies for ethical, community-centered health research in displacement contexts through stakeholder collaboration.

## Key findings

- Key barriers include misaligned funding priorities and structural research design limitations.
- Solutions emphasized community engagement, adaptive methodologies, and regional research networks.
- Ethical complexities and data access issues were highlighted as critical challenges.

## Abstract

Health research among forcibly displaced populations presents distinct and multifaceted challenges, including limited healthcare access, heightened exposure to environmental hazards and insufficient research infrastructure. In December 2024, a multidisciplinary workshop convened in Kampala, Uganda, bringing together researchers, healthcare professionals, representatives from humanitarian non-governmental organizations and a global health funding body. The workshop aimed to identify key barriers and co-develop actionable strategies for conducting ethical and equitable research in contexts of displacement, with a specific focus on infectious disease. Across the 20 workshop participants, several critical challenges were identified: the misalignment between global health funding priorities and those of low- and middle-income countries; structural and methodological barriers in research design, such as restricted data access and the perpetuation of epistemic biases; and the ethical complexities of working with vulnerable and highly mobile populations. Discussants emphasized the essential role of sustained community engagement, transparent and bidirectional communication and targeted capacity-building as prerequisites for addressing these barriers. Proposed solutions highlighted the importance of long-term, sustainable research models supported by contextually adaptive methodologies, participatory approaches that centre community co-creation and the strengthening of regional research networks to improve access to funding and resources. These findings provide a basis for developing future frameworks aimed at improving health outcomes among forcibly displaced populations, and underscoring the need for a paradigmatic shift towards more inclusive, context-sensitive health research.