Understanding the importance of context in global health respiratory research: A RESPIRE capacity building initiative

Research questions: What is the significance of understanding context in global health respiratory research? Background: Environment, culture, and socioeconomic dynamics intricately shape respiratory health trends, interventions, and outcomes worldwide. Understanding and recognising the significance of these contextual factors in global respiratory research, and tailoring research methodologies accordingly, is essential to the development of effective respiratory health interventions. This abstract outlines a career development fellowship, which aims to develop implementation research capacity in both the career development fellows and their collaborators, supporting them to identify key contextual factors and to adapt research approaches accordingly. Methodology: Funded by the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR), RESPIRE is a Global Health Research Unit that focuses on respiratory health in Asia. The RESPIRE capacity-building fellowship, supported by the University of Edinburgh, aims to provide career development opportunities, promote capacity building, and foster south-south collaboration within the RESPIRE organisations and beyond. As part of the planned activities, site visits will be conducted by fellows, including visits to the Thai community local to Walailak University, Thailand, in January 2024, and the tribal area of MAHAN Trust, India, in July 2024. These visits serve two main purposes: 1. Developing an understanding and acquiring skills to tailor methodologies to diverse strategies for implementation research across various contexts. This is a critical skill for fellows who aspire to become future leaders in global health research. 2. Offering training to local researchers to enhance their proficiency in relevant research methodologies. This involves sharing expertise from fellows that can benefit RESPIRE partner organisations and staff. Questions to discuss: 1. What challenges might arise during site visits to RESPIRE-affiliated and non-affiliated organisations? 2. How can the insights gained from these visits support capacity building at the RESPIRE Fellows institution, and be disseminated effectively among RESPIRE partners and beyond?