Document(s) 4 of 4

Principal Investigators, Community of Practice in Ecohealth-Toxics in Latin America and the Caribbean (CoPEH-TLAC):

Dr Donna Mergler, Centre de recherche interdisciplinaire sur la biologie, la santé, la société et l’environnement (Centre for Interdisciplinary Research on Biology, Health, Society and the Environment), University of Quebec in Montreal, Canada

Dr Berna Van Wendel & Dr Douglas Barrazza, Instituto Regional de Estudios en Sustancias Tóxicas (Central American Institute for Toxic Substances), University of Costa Rica

The International EcoHealth Forum 2008 (IEF 2008) “was an important event along CoPEH-TLAC’s current path of exponential growth,” said Dr Donna Mergler, one of CoPEH-TLAC’s principal investigators. That growth is set to continue with the harvest of ideas and contacts at the Forum.

CoPEH-TLAC members came to IEF 2008 to learn about different experiences on ecohealth approaches, to increase the CoPEH’s visibility, to continue networking, and to strengthen existing collaborations. Researchers from around the world provided feedback on CoPEH-TLAC’s work at different levels, including on the research being carried out by its members, and on the function and management of the community of practice.

Following IEF 2008, CoPEH-TLAC held a general meeting in Mérida with the participation of over 60 members to discuss ideas from the Forum and plan the CoPEH’s future work.  Members of the central coordinating committee, Berna Van Wendel, Douglas Barrazza, Ineke Wesseling and Donna Mergler all agreed that the meeting delivered on and surpassed their expectations. An important milestone was also reached: CoPEH members decided to broaden the community’s thematic focus in response to the interest expressed by scientists from across the region, whose work was not necessarily confined to toxic substances. CoPEH-TLAC became henceforth CoPEH-LAC.

For Dr Mergler, the diversity of participants in the Forum ensured that “global and local approaches were brought together” —the large number of local experiences presented were very helpful  in understanding the global dimensions of research for development.

Dr Berna Van Wendel from the Central American Institute for Studies on Toxic Substances met with other researchers studying the effects of pesticides. She gained knowledge about project monitoring and evaluation techniques that she is putting into practice in her CoPEH-LAC nodeand respective projects.

Dr Ineke Wesseling, director of SALTRA—an occupational health organization in Latin America—is also following up on a number of ideas borne from the Forum.  One of them is developing a program to link senior researchers with emerging young researchers from the South to write research proposals and scientific articles together.

On CoPEH-LAC’s expansion Dr Mergler noted how “We gained new active members, who have brought the CoPEH into new areas of research.”  A case in point is that of the Universidad de San Carlos and Universidad del Valle in Guatemala, where researchers working on Leptospirosis will now incorporate an ecohealth approach in their projects.

Other collaborative CoPEH-LAC activities include ecohealth training for school teachers, as well as development of academic curricula at the undergraduate and graduate levels. Dr Mergler said she would like to develop a mechanism for Southern inter-regional collaboration and a “central bank” of university and civil society curricula resources. 

CoPEH-LAC members see the International Association for Ecology and Health (EcoHealth) as an advocate for ecohealth, particularly in fostering the link between epidemiology and ecohealth. EcoHealth is a catalyst for engaging academic researchers, students, and practitioners from different disciplines into a dialogue on the use and dissemination of different aspects of ecohealth approaches.

“We want to continue our relationship with the Association and we are willing to be actively involved in the organization of the 2010 meeting,” said Dr Mergler. “Now that we know each other better, we plan to develop inter-regional links more.”

As most of the Forum participants are now affiliated with the EcoHealth Association, expectations are that ecohealth scientists, including the CoPEHs, will be involved in the Association’s activities.

“We feel that we are part of something bigger,” said Dr Van Wendel. “Friendship work” with capacity building activities is fundamental to CoPEH-LAC’s research agenda and practice, said Dr Mergler.

Community of Practice in Ecohealth-Toxics in Latin America and the Caribbean (CoPEH-TLAC)
Program on Work and Health in Central America, University of Costa Rica
Central American Institute for Studies on Toxic Substances, Costa Rica
Universidad de San Carlos, Guatemala
Universidad del Valle, Guatemala
International Association for Ecology and Health

Document(s) 4 of 4