Bok John Chol

Policy Research Assistant @Pandemic Sciences Institute

In this role, I engage in strengthening health research systems across Africa, with a particular emphasis on the African Health Research Systems Barometer, an evaluative tool inspired by the works of Kirigia et al. The Barometer serves as a comprehensive instrument for assessing the responsiveness, resilience, and readiness of national health research systems to address priority health challenges. It measures critical dimensions such as governance, financing, human resources, research production, and the utilisation of evidence in policy and practice. By systematically analysing these components, the Barometer provides evidence-based insights into how well African countries are positioned to generate and apply research that improves population health outcomes. My work involves contributing to the refinement of this framework, collecting and interpreting data, and supporting capacity-building initiatives that strengthen research ecosystems. Ultimately, the aim is to inform policies that promote sustainable, equitable, and evidence-driven health development across the continent, ensuring that African nations not only produce relevant health research but also translate it into meaningful health and socioeconomic gains, as envisioned in prior studies on health research systems strengthening in Africa.