SOMA-Net
Social Science and Medicine Africa Network
Promoting Health and Social Science Approaches in Improving Health
About SOMA-Net
SOMA-Net—the Social Science and Medicine Africa Network—is a nonprofit making indigenous research network that brings together scientists, institutions and agencies working in Health Social Science (HSS) in Africa.
The Mission, the Mandate, and the
Strategic Role
SOMA-Net's mission is to seek lasting solutions to health problems in Africa by bringing to bear the combined wisdom and experience of social and health scientists.
SOMA-Net's mandate is to encourage and facilitate relationships, interactions and capacity-building among African institutions, organizations, professionals and policy makers engaged in health-related programs.
The Network's strategic role, then, is to champion and advocate integrated and cross-disciplinary health and social science perspectives, concepts, methods, principles and approaches that increase the effectiveness of health-related institutions, agencies, professionals and policy makers in their own roles, functions and disciplines within the African context.
The Organizational Strategy
SOMA-Net's central strategy is to establish and maintain a cadre of professionals and a network of institutions and affiliates who are committed to health social science in identifying, understanding and solving health problems in Africa. This strategy has three elements:
Research in HSS - encouraging and facilitating the formulation, execution, analysis, publication and dissemination of health social science research by and among affiliates of SOMA-Net.
Advocating for HSS - vocalizing and documenting the ideals for use of health social science in improving health and obtaining the commitment of relevant institutions to integrate them into their programs.
Networking in HSS - creating a framework and processes within which professionals, institutes and agencies working in health social science communicate and interact.
The Challenges
SOMA-Net's challenges are fourfold:
- To promote health social science approaches for solving health problems in Africa.
- To assist mid-career professionals from universities and research institutions to develop the skills necessary to conduct quality health social science research and prepare high caliber research papers and technical reports.
- To enhance collaboration and communication between health social scientists and institutions.
- To document the skills, wealth of experience and relevant resources existing in health social science in Africa.
Affiliation with SOMA-Net
Members and Associates: Specific institutions, organizations and professionals who are willing to accept and champion the principles and approaches of SOMA-Net and who fulfill membership requirements.
Partners: Institutions and organizations who team up with SOMA-Net to share missions, mandates and collaboration through conferences, meetings, projects and other similar activities.
Clients: Institutions and organizations who seek to take advantage of the benefits derived from the achievements of SOMA-Net, its members, associates and partners.
SOMA-Net's challenges are fourfold:
- To document the skills, wealth of experience, and relevant resources existing in I/Td research (SSH) in Africa.
To promote Transdisciplinary approaches to solving health problems in Africa by integrating social science theory, methodology, and skills with those of the medical and biomedical sciences.
To assist mid-career professionals from universities and research institutions to develop the skills necessary to conduct quality I/TD research as well as to prepare high caliber research papers and technical reports.
To enhance collaboration among social, medical, and biomedical scientists and institutions working in health.
FOR MORE INFORMATION PLEASE CONTACT:
The Coordinator/ CEO
SOMA-Net
P. O. BOX 20811
NAIROBI, KENYA
TEL: +254 2 560569
TEL/FAX: +254 2 567577
EMAIL: SOMANET@AFRICAONLINE.CO.KE