The Science of Doing Better
Where are the critical gaps in access to quality medical care? Do health programmes meet the needs of patients? Is MSF’s assistance reaching those in remote and resource limited settings? And what are the root causes of today’s manifold humanitarian crises?
Operational Research helps MSF take an in-depth look at its programmes and operations, evaluates what is working well, and shows what needs to be improved. Based in Luxembourg, the Operational Research Unit LuxOR undertakes research projects supporting humanitarian action all over the world.
LuxOR shares findings with the international MSF-movement and partner organizations, and advocates for evidence-based policy and practices changes with local and international stakeholders. Supported studies are published in renowned scientific journals, and openly available to researchers and the global humanitarian community.
The Team
LuxOR is a decentralized unit based in Luxembourg and Brussels, with further colleagues working from Canada, Beirut and the field.
LuxOR Director: Amrish Baidjoe
The LuxOR Director is responsible for guiding global policy and strategic aspects of operational research for the unit and provides strategic guidance to team members and well as the medical department management, intersectional coordination and collaboration with external partners.
Program Officer: Veerle Hermans
Team coordination, support OR activities at MSF OCB level, support to the epidemiologists’ pool, liaison with operations, medical department in Brussels, and MSF Luxembourg.
Research Process Coordinator: Lekha Rathod
Overview MSF OCB Operational Research framework’s establishment and implementation, support OR activities, liaison and communication support
Policy, Practice & Communication Advisor: Maria Livia De Rubeis
Coordination of evidence-informed policy and practice implementation, lead LuxOR communications and outreach.
Medical Editor: Tony Reid
Support to field teams and researchers for OR protocols and publications in scientific journals, support on the SORT-IT courses and lead MSF website "Field Research" with open access to MSF-authored articles.
Senior Operational Research Advisor : Temmy Sunyoto
Operational research support, focal point infectious diseases, neglected tropical diseases (NTDs), vector-borne and emerging diseases, health system and health policy, non-communicable diseases (NCDs), and migration health.
Operational Research Advisor: Wilma van den Boogaard
Operational research support, focal point sexual and reproductive health (SRH), sexual and gender based violence (SGBV), and maternal health, migration, victims of torture (VoT) and mental health, neonatal and adolescent health, non-communicable diseases (NCDs), including cancer care.
ABR Operational Research Advisor: Pilar Garcia-Vello
Operational research focal point for antibiotic resistance (ABR), microbiology, laboratory, infection prevention and control (IPC), and pharmacy.
Senior Qualitative Research Advisor: Umberto Pellecchia
Operational research support for qualitative studies and social sciences. Focus on migration health, violence, outbreaks and epidemics, climate change, environment degradation and health, medical anthropology.
Qualitative Research Mobile Implementation Officer: Caroline Walker
Epidemiology and Operational Research Advisors: Iro Evamplidou and Dang Bahya-Batinda
Support to operations for regular and emergency projects, epidemiological and technical advice, epidemic intelligence activities, support to the epidemiologists’ pool, epidemiology capacity building, knowledge management.
Intern: Jelte Elsinga
Operational research support with a focus on infectious diseases.
Operational Research Advisor: under recruitment
Operational research support, focal point outbreaks/epidemics, vaccination and vaccine preventable Diseases (VPD), infectious diseases, malaria and vector-borne diseases (VBD), sexual and reproductive health (SRH), sexual and gender based violence (SGBV), and maternal health.