Join us for the next in the series of webinars from the Musculoskeletal Theme!

---

Dr Lucy Gates and Ms Awa Touray

School of Healthcare and Innovation / School of Health Sciences

University of Southampton

Talk: Integrating traditional healing with modern health care for more equitable fracture care pathways in The Gambia

Abstract:

Fracture care in The Gambia faces significant challenges due to a rising burden of non-communicable diseases, an ageing population, limited orthopaedic infrastructure, and a dual healthcare landscape shaped by both biomedical services and traditional bone setters (TBS). Findings from the Fractures-E3 study highlight complex, often delayed care pathways largely influenced by the widespread use of TBS—who are deeply embedded in Gambian culture but lack formal training.

Rather than seeking to eliminate traditional practices, this project explores the potential for integrating TBS into the national health system to improve fracture outcomes and reduce complications such as infection, non-union, and amputation. 

This collaborative, culturally sensitive approach presents a promising pathway to strengthen fracture care systems, promote safer practices, and improve access to timely medical intervention. Ongoing efforts aim to formalise partnerships and inform policy frameworks that support integrated, equitable musculoskeletal care in low-resource settings.

--

Lucy Gates

Dr Lucy Gates, Lecturer in Medical Technology and Design, University of Southampton Lucy is a newly appointed Lecturer in Medical Technology and Design. She is an advocate for inclusive health education and aims to develop innovative, culturally responsive education that fosters reciprocal knowledge flow between UoS and LMIC institutions. She has a particular research interest in the epidemiology of musculoskeletal Global Health and the integration of traditional and modern medicine for equitable health care pathways in LMICs. Her work scales sub-Saharan Africa, in particular South Africa, Zimbabwe and The Gambia, and Nepal. She is part of a 5-year Welcome Trust funded study named Fractures-E3, which aims to establish frequency of vertebral and hip fractures, risk factors, health costs, consequences, care pathways and available health services. Lucy is co-lead on a collaborative initiative with Social Sciences and Engineering to build multidisciplinary research with the vision of addressing the global impact of lower limb conditions in low resource settings, in particular Nepal. Lucy is an advocate for a positive and healthy institutional research culture, which is reflected in her ongoing contributions to the Concordat for Researcher Development

Please direct any questions about the webinar series to info@datascienceforhealthequity.com