One of the pressing puzzles Nepal has is undermining the importance of research. This can be highlighted from the fact that there are no research programs in the undergraduate medical curriculum.

We investigated various barriers to participate in health research from recent medical graduates. Those who did not receive formal research opportunity in the undergraduate level lacked the confidence to carry independent research without supervision after graduation. The lack of knowledge regarding research methods and evidence-based practice along with the low participation of colleagues in research were some of the themes that emerged from a focus group interview of five medical interns recruited via word-of-mouth.

Research such as above is just an example which can be routinely conducted to answer questions regarding the current needs of our health care system and efforts to bridge the gap between evidence-based care and practitioners of all healthcare paradigms. However, the importance of research is often overlooked.

Therefore, Mountain Heart Nepal aims to support our community by increasing the body of scientific knowledge through its involvement in clinical research projects and training. Moreover, we are expanding our partnership with organizations around the world to facilitate research projects in Nepal.

The full information about the Mountain Heart Nepal’s ongoing research project is detailed below:

1) Global Challenges Research Fund 2019 – £92,805 Prevention of foot ulceration in Nepal (Principal Investigator- Prof Jonathan Marsden, University of Plymouth)

Implementation partner – Mountain Heart Nepal

2) Tobacco use in urban populations of Nepal- Jasmine Stephens (MBChB, BSc International Health, University of Leeds, UK)

Host organization- Mountain Heart Nepal

3) PPI exercise to understand current training in foot care for people with diabetes in Nepal

Global Challenges Research Fund 2020 – £10,000