USM & Partners Launch Research Into COVID-19 Societal Impact
June 23, 2021
“Research is fundamental for the development of any nation. USM is committed to the development of St. Martin with excellent scientific research that speaks to the collective needs and aspirations of our society. We are very proud to participate in this timely and necessary research initiative”.
On Saturday, 19 June, the University of St. Martin (USM) joined a consortium of three other Caribbean institutions and one Dutch university in a webinar launch of the two-year research project entitled Upholding Human Rights in a Pandemic: the Social Impact of COVID-19 Measures on Vulnerable Families in Curaçao, Aruba and St. Martin (COVIDCAS). Using a human rights-based approach, the study will focus on the results of State responses towards protecting low-income families, women, migrants and the elderly during the novel corona crisis.
Moderated by Dr. Tineke Alberts of the Curaçao Biomedical and Health Research Institute (CBHRI), the two-hour webinar was held on the virtual platform Zoom. Principle investigator and CBHRI director Professor Ashley Duits introduced the project and the research team
hailing from Utrecht University (UU) in the Netherlands, University of Curaçao (UoC), University of Aruba (UA) and USM. The webinar was attended among others by Prime Minister of Sint Maarten Silveria Jacobs and the Chair of the USM Board of Directors Mrs. Valerie Giterson-Pantophlet.
Using in-depth interviews with 30 vulnerable families per island and 15 Red Cross volunteers and other stakeholders, researchers will evaluate government performances and make recommendations for future outbreaks and epidemics, while focus groups with policy makers are set to validate the research outcome.
During the webinar launch, the operationalization and planning was presented by Elly Hellings, Msc. and Dr. Merel Griffith-Lendering. Among the many benefits provided by this initiative is that of research capacity building among the CAS islands, which was highlighted and discussed by USM President Dr. Antonio Carmona Báez, UA law lecturer Dr. Benedicta Deogratias, director of UoC’s Research Institute Dr. Elisabeth Echteld, UU professor Dr. Ajay Bailey and Dr. Ilse van Liempt.
“Research is fundamental for the development of any nation. USM is committed to the development of St. Martin with excellent scientific research that speaks to the collective needs and aspirations of our society. We are very proud to participate in this timely and necessary research initiative”, said Dr. Carmona Báez.
“Sint Maarten is a Small Island Developing State (SIDS), where policies, public health practices and programmes should be based on St. Martin and Caribbean-specific research, prefearbly carried out by those who know local realities in close collaboration with institutions in other SIDS like Curaçao and Aruba, and universities in the Dutch Kingdom. In Sint Maarten there is lack of data – not because research is not being conducted, but because research is constantly being carried out by expensive consultants who leave with the island with the data they collected; data needs to be safeguarded on each island institutionally. What we aim to do is contribute to capacity building by exposing our students to research methods and training in data collection and analysis, and interaction with graduate students in the region and across the Atlantic.”
The Sint Maarten research team for COVIDCAS consists of sociologist drs. Raymond Jessurun, upcoming USM graduate Iyanla Richardson and UU graduate student Sophie Mazur, who studies disaster management in times of natural and pandemic crises. Last week, the three began exploratory research activities among government agencies, non-governmental organizations, and grassroots organizations. Later this year, USM will train students and interested alumni in the carrying out of focus groups, documentation and data analysis.
COVIDCAS is sponsored by Dutch health research organization ZonMw, which awarded the consortium of Caribbean institutions a grant of €250,000 for their unique project in December 2020. Together with the universities of Aruba and Curaçao, USM will also be leading another COVID-19 related research project dealing with food security and economic diversification during the pandemic.
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Moderated by Dr. Tineke Alberts of the Curaçao Biomedical and Health Research Institute (CBHRI), the two-hour webinar was held on the virtual platform Zoom. Principle investigator and CBHRI director Professor Ashley Duits introduced the project and the research team
hailing from Utrecht University (UU) in the Netherlands, University of Curaçao (UoC), University of Aruba (UA) and USM. The webinar was attended among others by Prime Minister of Sint Maarten Silveria Jacobs and the Chair of the USM Board of Directors Mrs. Valerie Giterson-Pantophlet.
Using in-depth interviews with 30 vulnerable families per island and 15 Red Cross volunteers and other stakeholders, researchers will evaluate government performances and make recommendations for future outbreaks and epidemics, while focus groups with policy makers are set to validate the research outcome.
During the webinar launch, the operationalization and planning was presented by Elly Hellings, Msc. and Dr. Merel Griffith-Lendering. Among the many benefits provided by this initiative is that of research capacity building among the CAS islands, which was highlighted and discussed by USM President Dr. Antonio Carmona Báez, UA law lecturer Dr. Benedicta Deogratias, director of UoC’s Research Institute Dr. Elisabeth Echteld, UU professor Dr. Ajay Bailey and Dr. Ilse van Liempt.
“Research is fundamental for the development of any nation. USM is committed to the development of St. Martin with excellent scientific research that speaks to the collective needs and aspirations of our society. We are very proud to participate in this timely and necessary research initiative”, said Dr. Carmona Báez.
“Sint Maarten is a Small Island Developing State (SIDS), where policies, public health practices and programmes should be based on St. Martin and Caribbean-specific research, prefearbly carried out by those who know local realities in close collaboration with institutions in other SIDS like Curaçao and Aruba, and universities in the Dutch Kingdom. In Sint Maarten there is lack of data – not because research is not being conducted, but because research is constantly being carried out by expensive consultants who leave with the island with the data they collected; data needs to be safeguarded on each island institutionally. What we aim to do is contribute to capacity building by exposing our students to research methods and training in data collection and analysis, and interaction with graduate students in the region and across the Atlantic.”
The Sint Maarten research team for COVIDCAS consists of sociologist drs. Raymond Jessurun, upcoming USM graduate Iyanla Richardson and UU graduate student Sophie Mazur, who studies disaster management in times of natural and pandemic crises. Last week, the three began exploratory research activities among government agencies, non-governmental organizations, and grassroots organizations. Later this year, USM will train students and interested alumni in the carrying out of focus groups, documentation and data analysis.
COVIDCAS is sponsored by Dutch health research organization ZonMw, which awarded the consortium of Caribbean institutions a grant of €250,000 for their unique project in December 2020. Together with the universities of Aruba and Curaçao, USM will also be leading another COVID-19 related research project dealing with food security and economic diversification during the pandemic.
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