In response to the call for research proposals under the “Research in Priority Areas of Public Health Grant 2014–2015”, 97 proposals were received from 16 Member States.
All submitted proposals were subject to review by the Regional Office’s relevant technical programmes, which was followed by a selection meeting held from 3 to 4 February 2015. The participants of the selected meeting reviewed and discussed the submitted proposals and shortlisted 12 proposals for potential funding, subject to final clearance by the Regional Office Ethics Review Committee.
The focus for this round were the five strategic areas identified by the WHO Regional Director for the Eastern Mediterranean in the 2012 strategic paper “Shaping the future of health in the WHO Eastern Mediterranean Region: reinforcing the role of WHO”.
The principal investigators and their research teams will be allocated 10 months to finalize their projects, which are envisioned to result in a peer-reviewed publication presenting the main findings and results.
Table 1. Projects selected for potential funding, grouped by WHO priority area
|
Title of the project |
Priority area |
|
Coping strategies for addressing barriers to immunization of children in Punjab, Pakistan |
Communicable diseases |
|
Assessment of meningitis case-based surveillance (CBS) System in Khartoum State (January 2013 up to December 2014) |
Communicable diseases |
|
Reproductive Age Mortality Survey (RAMOS) in West Azerbaijan province, Iran: An examination of the national Maternal Mortality Surveillance System |
Reproductive, maternal, child health and nutrition |
|
The effect of Vitamin D replacement on maternal and neonatal outcomes: A random controlled trial in pregnant women with Hypovitaminosis D (Lebanon) |
Reproductive, maternal, child health and nutrition |
|
A Multi-State Study to Develop and Test a Benchmark Protocol for Assessment of Health Emergency Preparedness in the Eastern Mediterranean Region |
Emergency preparedness and response |
|
Assessing the role of decentralizing health reform in Iraqi Kurdistan region on addressing the needs of the disadvantaged population in semi-urban and rural areas |
Health systems strengthening |
|
Assessment of socio-economic and organizational barriers to access primary health care in Oman: pilot testing and cross sectional study |
Health systems strengthening |
|
Contributing factors to “stock out” of life- saving medicines in governmental health facilities in Sudan, 2015-2016 |
Health system strengthening |
|
Effectiveness of tobacco cessation clinics in improving tobacco smoking quit rates and lung functions among adult males in Bahrain |
Noncommunicable diseases and mental health |
|
Projecting individualized absolute breast cancer risk in Iranian women |
Noncommunicable diseases and mental health |
|
Evaluation of physical activity level (low, moderate, high) among Iranian elderly and its relationship with mental health and quality of life |
Noncommunicable diseases and mental health |
|
Intervention program for promotion of physical activity and healthy diet in primary schools in Sousse, Tunisia |
Noncommunicable diseases and mental health |