Book Review: Collaboration across Health Research and Medical Care

Reinforcing the title of this book, Collaborations across Health Research and Medical Care was written with 17 contributors. Each contributor fluently depicts their experience within different aspects of collaboration in research and medical care, while also delivering specified theories and examples pertaining to their focus. The information highlights social organization and content of collaboration through diversity of basic and applied forms of research. This volume is divided into 3 sections of varied approaches, supporting and arguing major focal points through progressive practices in collaborated research.

The first part of this volume is introductory, delving into the differences of opinion and motivation between scientists and methods of research. It highlights the evolvement and importance of collaboration internationally. Concisely, authors of the first section deliver enlightening information between research methods while also exemplifying complications that can arise through diverse collaboration.

Part two focuses on collaboration in health research, using the Virgo Consortium for Cosmological Supercomputer Simulations (in which scientists collaborate globally from the UK, Netherlands, Germany, USA, Canada, and China) as a good basis to support collaborative research with the idea that a global pandemic is bound to occur again. Additionally, it delves into genomics and bibliometric research as an effective method of study. The authors highlight pros, cons and complications that can occur with intellectual property when co-authoring. Further information is given on the evolution of collaboration with charts depicting overviews of international publications presenting the evolution of this practice. The last sub category addresses legitimacy and credibility of research methods using a relevant example which delivers insightful information pertaining to academic and government researchers with corporations and trade associations.

Part three focuses on collaborative health infrastructures, discussing benefits and complications of registry networks and its impact on developing clinical practice and assisting in evolving health policies. Leading into child index script and multidisciplinary collaboration, the author perceptively highlights current issues in regards to child welfare and how research for this paradigm is not scripted easily.

The last section of this volume discusses many topics, comprehended with ease while depicting the importance of different actors supporting research projects, directly or indirectly; varying research clusters with both intellectual and social reasons for collaboration, and distinguishing credibility and legitimacy. The portion ends with collaborative processes between physician and patient through analytical phases.

After completing this volume I can conclude that this piece of literature comprehensively identifies the advantages, motivations and complications of collaborative work, internationally or locally. The parts discussed and delivered are diverse enough to encompass different aspects of collaborative research while delivering specific examples. This book succeeded in reviewing numerous areas of focus candidly and providing sufficient references and footnotes to support their reviews. Each author conveys succinctly, resulting in the reader to ruminate each topic of discussion.

Reviewed by

Alisha Jordan

Freelance Writer/Author

Healthy Collaboration

Bart Penders, Niki Vermeulen & John N. Parker (eds.). Ashgate Publishing Ltd. Farnham, UK.

247 pages, $107.96

ISBN 9781409460954