Paper Short Abstract:

Communication involving cross-cultural and interdisciplinary teams can address health issues. How do we involve local communities and develop interdisciplinary teams to address health emergencies? This paper examines how to develop culturally appropriate communication to address health emergencies.

Paper Abstract:

The initial response to epidemics such as the West Africa Ebola epidemic tended to have a biomedical focus with little consideration of traditional healers and local knowledge practices. The flow of information tended to be top down and one directional, from the West to the local communities, rather than multi-directional exchange of knowledge. The one directional flow of information marginalized the local communities and traditional healers in developing culturally appropriate communications to address epidemics such as Ebola in West Africa. The one directional approach resulted in lack of trust and misinformation. Furthermore, involvement of anthropologists who could help navigate the local cultures was minimized at the beginning. Lack of understanding the “norms” and value of the “other” discipline may inhibit interdisciplinary knowledge exchange. This paper examines the following: 1)the flow of knowledge to address health emergencies; 2) the potential benefits of working with local communities and traditional healers to address a health issue; and 3) the development and use of interdisciplinary teams to address health emergencies. Collaborating with local communities and traditional healers and interdisciplinary teams may result in more effective and culturally sensitive communications to address health emergencies.