On 18 and 19 November, the international satellite conference “The Role of Community Research in the Context of Health Crises” will take place at Bochum University of Applied Sciences. Funded by the German Research Foundation (DFG), the NRW Doctoral College (PK NRW) and Bochum University of Applied Sciences it reflects the recognised scientific significance of community research approaches to health equity.
The conference brings together internationally leading academics, community researchers and activists from Peru, Brazil, Canada and Europe to discuss the role of community research in promoting health equity and addressing health crises. It offers students and early-career researchers a rare opportunity for direct exchange with internationally recognised scholars and community practitioners from four continents – an experience that goes well beyond what academic coursework alone can provide.
Building on over ten years of international collaboration and community research to combat health inequalities – approaches that are increasingly recognised in international health research as essential complements to biomedical and epidemiological framework –, the conference highlights the transformative potential of community-oriented, participatory approaches to managing health crises, which have long been established in many regions of the Global South and in Canada. Many of the key participants, including A. E. Birn, A. Kapilashrami and D. Ventura, all leading critical public health scholars, have been centrally involved in this field.
In dialogue with researchers, activists and community researchers from the Global South, we will explore South-North and South-South exchanges on community research, community health and health equity (Birn, A.E. 2025a, Birn, A.E. 2025b, Ventura et al. 2024, Falge, C./Betscher, S.: 2024) and address key gaps in healthcare provision (level of care, paradigmatic approaches, accessibility, sensitivity to diversity/community participation, etc.) in European countries. Guided by a non-extractivist and power-critical approach, international case studies will focus on community mobilisation, decentralised policy-making and community-based healthcare.
Particular highlights will be the dialogic keynote ‘Dialogue across disciplines and continents for health equity’ by researchers and activists Prof. Deisy Ventura (University of São Paulo, Brazil) and Prof. Anne-Emanuelle Birn (University of Toronto, Canada) and a key note by Anuj Kapilashrami, which will take place at KoFabrik Bochum, a community space for social innovation, activism and collaborative work. Another key item on the programme is a visit to the City Lab at Bochum University of Applied Sciences and the Querenburg Community Health Centre, where participants will gain practical insights into how community research helps to shape solidarity-based health structures and work directly with local stakeholders.
Participation fees/Teilnahmegebühren
For enquiries, please contact: Stadtteillabor(at)
Organisers: Bochum University of Applied Sciences in cooperation with the Querenburg Community Health Centre e.V.
Conference coordinators: Prof. Dr Christiane Falge, Bochum University of Applied Sciences & Prof. Dr Franziska Satzinger, Fulda University of Applied Sciences
The conference is funded by the German Research Foundation (DFG), the NRW Doctoral College (PK NRW) and Bochum University of Applied Sciences (HS Bochum).
[Satellitenkonferenz zur Community Health Konferenz Bochum (CHK) – einzelne Veranstaltungen finden auch im Rahmen der CHK am 19.(/20).11.2026 statt.]
