Building RESPIRE relationships in Malaysia

The NIHR Global Health Research Unit on Respiratory Health (RESPIRE) aims to reduce the impact and number of deaths caused by respiratory diseases in Asia in partnership with collaborators from four Asian countries – Bangladesh, India, Malaysia and Pakistan.

Organised by RESPIRE Malaysia, the one-day workshop was designed to engage with stakeholders from the area involved in the programme.

A new model for engagement

50 participants took part in the workshop, including representatives from the Malaysian Ministry of Health, as well as health clinics, schools, clinical research centres and non-governmental organisations.

Delivered by the RESPIRE Malaysia team and RESPIRE Partnerships Manager, Dr Poonam Malik, the event was the first of its kind hosted in the University of Malaya and the Universiti Putra Malaysia. The team hope it will serve as a strong model for a new style of community engagement in research in Malaysia. 

Shaping future research to maximise relevance

The event also provided a platform for researchers and stakeholders to exchange ideas on how to facilitate research activities and better publicise information.

We are happy to be a part of this team because usually we are the ones who be the ‘lab rat’, being investigated in research, but now we have the opportunity to be involved as part of the research team.

Mr Zainuddin Jambari

The RESPIRE Malaysia team plan to host more events and meetings to engage the PPI group and other stakeholders to help shape their research going forward. Their goal is to maximise the relevance of the research and, ultimately, to create opportunities for it to become integrated into real-world practice.