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Anna Suwalowska
Halina Suwalowska has published a paper in the journal Global Public Health discussing the ethical and socio-cultural challenges faced by pathologists.
The findings of the paper are drawn from interviews, conducted between January and November 2018, with pathologists, senior researchers, global health experts, healthcare professionals, and social scientists from the Global South and Global North.
Identifying and reporting causes of death has significant public health benefits and provides closure for bereaved families. However, interviewees agreed that the pathology field has not attracted funding from governments or global health donors, and has been overlooked in comparison to other medical disciplines and practices such as public health, internal medicine, or obstetrics.
The research identifies challenges faced by the pathologists and a dearth of autopsy procedures, which contribute to cause of death uncertainty in global health.
Halina Suwalowska (2022) The invisible body work of ‘last responders’ – ethical and social issues faced by the pathologists in the Global South, Global Public Health, DOI: 10.1080/17441692.2022.2076896
Image credit and copyright: Anna Suwalowska