The influence of global logistics on clinical norms in humanitarian medicine.

Objective 1: Conduct data collection in WHO Archives

I plan to visit the WHO archives for the first time in Spring/Summer 2024. I have already made contact with Reynald Erard, WHO’s archivist, and have identified document collections that will be of interest. In particular, I plan to prioritise consulting the following boxes in the ‘Centralized files, 3rd generation, Sub-fonds 3 1955-1983’ collection: A10 Antibiotics, C6 Cholera and other Diarrhoeal Diseases, E19 Essential Drugs [Action Programme on], E17 Emergency Assistance, H7 Health Protection and Promotion, and P21 Primary Health Care. This will allow me to gain greater insight to the internal policy discussions on emergency healthcare and the management of infectious diseases, like cholera, which were common in displaced populations. Following analysis of these documents, I will return to the WHO archives while at Brocher to consult any additional sub-series that I have not yet looked at and which I will have identified as being relevant to my targeted writing goals at that stage.

Objective 2: Conduct data collection in UNHCR Archives

Similarly, I aim to visit the UNHCR archives for an initial data gathering trip in 2024. UNHCR played an important role in influencing decisions around the content, procurement procedures and transport of Emergency Medical Kits to the field in the 1980s. This is evident from correspondence with UNHCR officials that appears in the WHO archive. However, it is necessary to directly analyse UNHCR documents to gain a full picture of the discussions. I have contacted UNHCR to make enquiries about visiting the archive in summer 2024, and I anticipate that while at Brocher I will return to the archive to check any documents I still need to consult for the writing of the article. 

Objective 3: Write ‘The Moral Economy of Humanitarian Medicine’ article on standardisation, logistics and clinical norms in humanitarian settings

Most of my time at Brocher will be spent writing an academic article based on my research into the development of clinical norms and the ethical implications of standardisation since the late 1970s. Intended primarily for a humanitarian practitioner and researcher audience, the article will be targeted for publication in Disasters.

Objective 4: Edit book manuscript on Oxfam and MSF’s humanitarian programmes in the 1980s

As mentioned, my book project (under consideration by Manchester University Press) will illuminate another aspect of this history in its attention to case-studies of humanitarian interactions and the influence of medicalisation (see Miriam Ticktin) on relations between MSF and famine victims in Ethiopia, as well as refugees in Central America and Southeast Asia. I plan to submit a draft of the book manuscript to the editorial body before September 2024. Following receipt of feedback on this, I aim to conclude the process of engaging with reviewer comments and making final edits to the chapters while at Brocher.

Objective 5: Conduct interviews 

In 2024, I will be conducting many oral history interviews with MSF, WHO and other agency personnel active in humanitarian medicine or logistics since the late 1970s. Working from an existing list of contacts and names from the archives, it is expected that this process will snow-ball, with additional potential interviewees being suggested by those we interview in the first round. Most of these interviews will be conducted online but my project team has purchased (with Wellcome funding) professional recording equipment for in-person interviews. Geneva would be a great location to record any newly identified interviews in person in 2025, given its position as a global centre and meeting place for humanitarian and diplomatic professionals. 

Objective 6: Network with academics and humanitarian practitioners in Geneva

Finally, time permitting, I aim to use my time at Brocher to develop my professional network with researchers and practitioners in the humanitarian and global health communities. As mentioned, I have existing contacts I can draw on but I would also plan to attend seminars and conferences in Geneva to make new connections. This would help me to ensure a broad audience of relevant policy professionals engage with my research, and it would also mean I am plugged into the most recent outputs and ongoing conversations being had in these communities.