Diseases have no borders. A disease anywhere in the world may become a health threat everywhere. It takes less than 36 hours for an outbreak to spread from a remote village to any major city in the world, therefore, the most effective – and cost effective – way to protect people from such health threats i.e measles, cholera and COVID-19 is to stop them before they spread to others and cross borders. Here comes the role of public health surveillance. Public health surveillance is the continuous, systematic collection, analysis and interpretation of health-related data. An effective disease surveillance system is essential to detecting disease outbreaks quickly before they spread, cost lives and become difficult to control. Digital technologies can improve the ability to both detect and respond to disease outbreaks by sharing data swiftly thus helping us to understand how and where diseases are spreading. This information is crucial for deciding what health policies and strategies to make and follow. Significance of this research is not limited to one country but it has global health dimensions. It can help to address the critical issue of global health security by evaluating the impact of digital technologies on public health surveillance. Low and middle income countries (LMICs) including Pakistan have fragile health systems therefore the risk of spreading diseases, even beyond their borders, is high. Disease surveillance system in Pakistan has largely been outdated and paper based, frequently leading to delayed detection of measles, cholera and other communicable disease outbreaks. In 2017, Ministry of Health Pakistan, with support of World Health Organization (WHO), launched Integrated Disease Surveillance and Response (IDSR) system which uses electronic health information system (District Health Information System – DHIS-2) as a platform for rapid and near real time reporting for selected diseases. From 2017 to 2022, the new system was implemented in 52 districts of the country while remaining 104 districts are still using paper based system. The dual existence of different reporting systems presents a unique opportunity for a comparative analysis, allowing for insights into the effectiveness of the digital transition. As a doctoral researcher, I will conduct an evaluation to address the existing knowledge gap regarding the effectiveness of transitioning from traditional paper-based disease data reporting systems to new digital systems. Specifically, my research will focus on evaluating the impact of Integrated Disease Surveillance and Response (IDSR) and District Health Information System 2 (DHIS-2) initiatives in Pakistan. This evaluation aims to assess the effectiveness of new electronic infectious disease surveillance system in enhancing the country's health system capabilities. I aim to conduct a comparative analysis of the performance between DHIS-2, an electronic system, and traditional paper-based systems through cross sectional study, evaluate the effectiveness of the Integrated Disease Surveillance and Response (IDSR) framework and the District Health Information System 2 (DHIS-2) through a comprehensive assessment and explore the determinants influencing the adoption of electronic surveillance systems through a mix method study. The local research infrastructure is well-established, with the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Pakistan under Ministry of Health serving as a central data hub for disease surveillance and public health information. The presence of this infrastructure is vital for the success of the research project, as it provides access to comprehensive and up-to-date data on disease surveillance, outbreaks, and response efforts across Pakistan. The NIH website hosts weekly epidemiological IDSR reports. These reports serve as a rich source of information, forming the foundation for the research and ensuring the reliability and relevance of the data collected. Furthermore, the International Doctoral Programme in Epidemiology and Public Health at Tampere University, drawing on its expertise and research strength, will help to improve the quality and depth of the research findings. Together, these elements of the research infrastructure will contribute to the robustness of the study. The research project is feasible as IDSR implementation, led by Ministry of Health Pakistan, is already in progress with support of WHO. I have five years of practical experience, as a public health expert, in disease surveillance, monitoring and evaluation with World Health Organization, US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and UK Health Security Agency. My previous role as the Training Coordinator in the Integrated Disease Surveillance and Response (IDSR) project has been very relevant. Research will be implemented in phased manner starting from kick off meetings, ethical approvals to data collection, data analysis, reporting and dissemination and finalization and publications. The results of this study may help to improve global health security by examining how well digital health information systems detect and respond to diseases quickly. In Pakistan, the findings might help strengthen the healthcare system, providing useful guidance to policy makers and contributing to practical strategies for better public health monitoring. My research is in line with the European Union's recent Global Health Strategy, which is a cornerstone of the EU's external policy. Addressing and mitigating health threats, particularly pandemics, is highlighted as a key priority within this strategy. Through my research, I aim to contribute to this overarching goal by examining the effectiveness of infectious disease surveillance systems, ultimately working towards a healthier and more resilient global community.

Team

I4Future - Imaging for the Future: Novel Imaging and Characterization Methods in Bio, Medical and Environmental Research and Technology Innovations is a Marie Sklodowska-Curie action co-funded international, interdisciplinary and inter-sectoral doctoral programme. The programme brings together complementary and supplementary expertise of internationally accredited researchers with the aim of training young researchers in an interdisciplinary manner in highly relevant sosioeconomic research areas using state-of-the-art techniques. The programme network consists of 17 University of Oulu research groups, 10 international partner universities, 11 private companies and 4 multidisciplinary public sector organisations.

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Marko Huttula, Matti Alatalo, Erkki Thuneberg, Nonne Prisle

Mining consists of a long chain of actions starting from exploring suitable mineral deposits, building up the mine infrastructure and finally initiating and conducting the production. Every step has own environmental concerns. Besides the environmentally adverse effects, mine production may affect nearby population and pollute the working environment. The main categories of particles in mines are mineral dust, combustion products of explosives and diesel engine emissions. Both mineral dust and diesel engine emissions have serious health concerns. This project focuses on different issues in mining environments, which help in making the future mines more sustainable and environmentally sound.

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Jorma Keskinen, Topi Rönkkö, Panu Karjalainen, Sampo Saari, D.Sc. (Tech.), Antti Rostedt, Jenni Alanen Ernesto Gramsch Hilkka Timonen

This project, funded by the Academy of Finland (2013–2016), provided theoretically innovative and empirically new and valuable knowledge of the complex dynamics between governance and resistance in the context of the dominant, neoliberal development paradigm. It studied social and political struggles in three countries in South Asia – Nepal, Bangladesh and India – by examining social movements that fight against forced displacement and slum demolitions – all caused by development projects. The project engaged critically in the debate on neoliberal development by analyzing problems related to it, charting possibilities for addressing hem, and offering alternative visions for socially, culturally and politically more sustainable models of development.

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This research focuses on FBOs (World Vision, Fida International and Free Pentecostal Church of Tanzania) and their development projects by employing the capability approach and examining how the faith base influences assessments of valued functionings as aspects of good life, capabilities, and freedoms. Research is based on fieldwork in several regions in Tanzania.

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In terms of social wellbeing and economic activity, Lao PDR is one of the poorest countries in Southeast Asia. Yet it is rich in terms of natural resources and holds a huge potential in renewable energy sector. FREPLA project incorporates resource development view point into a single research and development (R&D) set-up. The project aimed at identifying interlinkages, barriers, trade-offs and synergies in using the full potential of rural energy resources and applying holistic water management in national strategic planning. The key message of the project was that it is necessary to assure that the Mekong and its ecosystem services (including national and regional agri- and aquaculture) are not excessively distrubed by hydropower or any other natural resource projects, such as mining.

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Jari Kaivo-Oja (FFRC), Sari Jusi (FFRC), Jyrki Luukkanen (FFRC), Khamso Kouphokham (MEM)

Access to Sustainable Energy for All project was implemented by a consortium of seven organizations and research centres in nine countries across Europe. Between 2011 and 2014 the FFRC research team conducted case studies in Finland, the Mekong region and Cuba in order to examine the drivers of energy futures in the target countries and the alternatives that are needed to make them equitable and sustainable. The question of how to provide clean, accessible and affordable energy for all is far from straightforward. Especially those in poorer countries across the Global South lack opportunities to benefit from such luxury. The project aimed at enhancing local understanding and raise awareness among the European public about the importance of ensuring such energy sources, and also about the role of EU financing policies concerning this issue. On FFRC’s part, the project included a capacity building component to enhance local abilities, and also produced two reports about the matter to stimulate public debate and instigate initiatives to promote a shift in policies and practices.

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Jyrki Luukkanen, Mira Käkönen, Hanna Kaisti, Joni Karjalainen, Jarmo Vehmas

The objective of the study is to describe the complex and implicit process in which organizational culture are produced in the everyday working life. Drawing on the work of Schein (1992), I described organizational culture perceived by employees and analyze in three levels: artifacts (language, clothes) espoused values (prioritizing your work) and basic assumption (What’s the most important). From my ethnographic study at two large Chinese multinational companies located in Northwestern Europe, I found that Chinese and non-Chinese employees do not really communicate between each other, there are a lot of misunderstanding, tension, conflict on both side. My intention is to build dialog between Chinese and Western 1) experiences 2) theoretical models of organizational culture.

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Professor Hannu Räty, Dr Matti Kuittinen

Impact assessments used by large-scale development projects are often portrayed as neutral tools providing objective and value-free information to decision-makers. However, scholars widely agree that impact assessments are inherently biased, political, and distorted by power dynamics. Using a forthcoming natural gas project in Mozambique as case study, my ethnographic field research provides important baseline study of the social, relational, and place-bound aspects of wellbeing, often overlooked in impact assessment processes.

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This study aims to investigate and analyze the current and future drivers of deforestation and forest degradation in Cameroon and Republic of the Congo, and to discuss policy implications. The study also aims to analyze how drivers of deforestation and forest degradation have changed over the past 10 years; and investigate major challenges and barriers to address drivers of deforestation and forest degradation.

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Marcus Lindner