Project in Nepal

InvestigatorsPhoto of trainee in Nepal

Insitute for Social and Environmental Research, Nepal (ISER-N)

Dirgha J. Ghimire, PhD, Research Professor, University of Michigan

Carlos F. Mendes de Leon, PhD, Research Professor, Georgetown University

Emily Treleaven, PhD, MPH, Research Assistant Professor, Institute for Social Research

Candidates at the Masters and PhD levels are welcome to get involved with research at ISER-N. 

Institute for Social and Environmental Research- Nepal (ISER-N), Chitwan, Nepal

The Institute for Social and Environmental Research-Nepal (ISER-N) is a premier research and development non-governmental organization. The goal of this institute is to build interdisciplinary research capacity to improve human lives and environmental conditions through high-quality scientific research, policy advocacy, and effective program interventions. The institute combines a state-of-the-art of interdisciplinary research with capacity building and evidence-based policy feedback and community development programs. This structure shapes our programs, which integrates research within capacity building and policy feedback and community development programs. The institute aims to contribute toward instituting scientific research and evidence-based policy feedback to foster policy debates and inform policies and programs that focus on social equity and justice (for more information visit https://isernepal.org.np/).

Objectives:

  • To provide opportunities to enhance the research knowledge and skills of trainees, and in areas that are not commonly available within their home institutions.
  • To offer hands-on research and training experience in interdisciplinary research as per trainees background.
  • To provide opportunity to participate in training in data analysis and statistical software as appropriate.
  • To provide practical learning experiences for trainee in various aspects of the organization.
  • To develop trainee as competent human resources for future professional work.
  • To leverage the academic learning of interns for the benefit of our organization 

Anticipated activities:

As a trainee, you will be engaged in a full-time (100%) position and expected to perform your duties with the highest ethical standards of integrity, accountability, respect, and excellence. You must adhere to ISER-N's research principles, which uphold democratic and ethical values, respecting the equal dignity of every human being. Confidentiality of research subjects, including respondents, their families, communities, and affiliated organizations, must be strictly maintained.

Trainee(s) will work closely with ISER-N researchers, collaborators, faculty, and staff on research projects covering a wide range of topics. These include population studies, family dynamics, social psychology, mental health, reproductive health, aging, attitudes and behaviors, human-environment interaction, statistics, public policy, information science, public health, and new social science research methods. Depending on your background and ability, you will contribute in preparation, table and graph creation, proposal and manuscript writing, research instrument review, design, translation, pretesting, validation, training on research methods, data collection techniques, data entry, cleaning, management, manuscript preparation, and publication.

Techniques or Methods students should be familiar with:

  • Statistical analysis
  • Study design
  • Data management
  • Availability for in person meeting with Nepal research team at the U-M Institute for Social Research and Virtual meeting(s) with Nepal team before arrival Nepal is required to prepare students in advance

Project 1: Chitwan Valley Family Study- Study of Cognition and Aging in Nepal

Investigators: Dirgha J. Ghimire, PhD; Carlos F. Mendes de Leon, PhD

The overall goal of the Chitwan Valley Family Study – Study on Cognitive Aging in Nepal (CVFS-SCAN) is to study the incidence of Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias (ADRD) in Nepal, and to identify the most important factors that may put Nepali adults at increased risk of developing dementia later in life. A second goal of CVFS-SCAN is to develop a sustainable program of population-based research in ADRD outcomes in Nepal. The study is motivated by the rapidly growing number of adults in Nepal who survive until older ages. This is also known as population aging which is becoming increasingly more common in many low- and middle-income countries (LMIC), such as Nepal. As a result, there will also be a growing number of adults at risk of developing ADRD. There is currently very little information on ADRD in Nepal. 

CVFS-SCAN is designed to develop a new, population-based, longitudinal cohort study of ADRD in older adults in Nepal. The study focuses on several topics that may have particular relevance for understanding the incidence of ADRD in Nepal. The first topic is related to the effect of international labor migration on health later in life, including ADRD.  The second topic is related to exposure to the armed conflict during the civil war in Nepal, which happened from 1996 to 2006. CVFS-SCAN will assess what the needs are of the older adults in Chitwan Valley, and who is helping them to take care of these needs. The information CVFS-SCAN will collect from its respondents will be critically important to find out who is at increased risk of developing ADRD in Nepal, and what their care needs are.  It is our goal to improve the timely identification of older adults at risk of ADRD so that appropriate prevention and care policies can be developed. 

Anticipated activities:

  • Assisting researchers design research protocol and data collection tools
  • Conducting cognitive interviews and pilot testing of research instruments
  • Content analyses of cognitive interviews
  • Support field data collection and data management
  • Data analyses
  • Conducting literature reviews

Project 2: Intergenerational disadvantage and disparities in acute respiratory infection and diarrhea in early childhood

Investigator: Emily Treleaven, PhD, MPH

Across and within countries, children and families who experience persistent social and economic disadvantages often determined by their race, ethnicity, social group, or other socio- demographic characteristics also likely face unequal burdens of disease and poorer access to timely, quality health services in early childhood. The objective of this project is to examine how social and economic disadvantages over multiple generations affect infection burden and healthcare utilization in early childhood. We are collecting high-frequency data about children’s acute respiratory and diarrhea-related symptoms and subsequent healthcare utilization. We will then link this data to information about children’s parents, households, and communities, and health services in the study area to test relationships between these factors. 

Anticipated activities:

  • Conducting cognitive interviews and pilot testing of research instruments
  • Content analyses of cognitive interviews
  • Support field data collection and data management
  • Data analyses
  • Conducting literature reviews

Additional Information:

Bharatpur is a city in south central Nepal. It is the third most populous city of Nepal after Kathmandu and Pokhara with 369,377 inhabitants in 2021. It is also the second largest metropolitan city in Nepal by area. It is the district headquarter of the Chitwan District.