The 2024 Research Dissemination Conference featured a sizzling discussion on missed
opportunities and potential to leverage the collaborative options to achieve
multidisciplinary research and innovation. Notable faces in health research of Prof.
Adamson Muula, Dr. Dzinkambani Kambalame and Dr Dominic Nkhoma banged heads,
engaging the audience through a moving discussion on investing in research that
complements each other to ensure progression towards achieving national health
priorities
Setting the pace of the discussion, Prof. Muula zeroed in on the importance of
concerted efforts from researchers to develop common solutions to prevalent health
sector challenges.
“The bigger challenge in multidisciplinary research and innovation is funding. With
recent funding cuts, research is facing pitfalls that need concerted efforts from all
corners of the health sectors. Most importantly, we need to invest in the new generation
of researchers which are young and ambitious. I therefore encourage young
researchers to attach themselves to experienced reseacrh experts to learn and avoid
jumping the gun to extreme projects that will drain away their confidence. A multifaceted
perspective and action that engages the youth is key to realizing national health
priorities as it will facilitate sustainability and knowledge transfer” said Muula.
Dr. Kambalame highlighted the importance of transforming research into policies
emphasizing that Malawi Government through The Ministry of Health leverages
research outcomes to develop actionable and strategic health sector policies.
On his part, Dr Nkhoma stressed on the importance of holistic interpretation of issues
that aids entrepreneurship, research, innovation and spearhead the country towards
economic development. He alluded that to achieve economic develpment through
research and innovation, there is need to leverage partnerships opportunities to build
coordinated and resilient health systems to cater for the health care needs of the
growing population.
The Panelists discussed how multidisciplinary health research and innovation is key to
economic development hence underscoring the relevance of research-led solutions in
addressing national and global’s urgent health priorities. The three emphasized that a
multidisciplinary approach that aims at economic development should engage key
policy makers to transform research into actionable and implemented policies that align
with Malawi2063 and the UN’s sustainable Development Goals