4th Annual International Course on Qualitative Methods

The 4th annual International Course on Qualitative Methods for Health and Social Care Research was held from the 9th to 13th March at the Postgraduate Institute of Management, Colombo. The course was conducted by the Institute for Research and Development in collaboration with University of Cambridge, UK, Keele University, UK, and South Asian Hub for Advocacy, Research & Education on Mental Health (SHARE).

The chief guest at the opening ceremony was Dr. Sunil De Alwis, Deputy Director General (Education, Training & Research), Ministry of Health. Resource persons included Dr. Tine Van Bortel, Prof. Athula Sumathipala, Dr. Godwin Kodituwakku, Dr. Gominda Ponnamperuma, Dr Buddhika Fernando, and Dr. Buddhika Abeyrathna. This years course included a special section on “Ethical Issues related to Qualitative research”. A total of 46 participants consisting of medical officers, psychologists, nurses, physiotherapists, and teachers attended the the 5 day day course. Two international students from Pakistan and Nepal sponsored by SHARE participated in this years course. The first ever qualitative research symposium in Sri Lanka was held alongside this course on the 11th of March 2016.