Napat Khirikoekkong

Napat is a Senior Social Science Researcher and Engagement Facilitator with the Bioethics and Engagement Department at MORU in Bangkok, Thailand. Napat has led a number of projects focused on the challenges faced by marginalised communities along the Thai-Myanmar border, including: the Resilience, Empowerment, and Advocacy in Women’s and Children’s Health Research (REACH) study; the Tak Community Advisory Board (T-CAB), which enables the marginalised population within the Thai-Burmese border region to raise issues of concern; the Thai-Myanmar Young Person’s Advisory Group (Y-PAG), which provides a platform for dialogue between young people and researchers; and, from 2021 to the present, the Melioidosis Vaccines Attitudes to Vaccines (MeVa) study, which explores attitudes toward vaccines in general, the melioidosis vaccine, and the community’s perception of participation in clinical trials.

Under the supervision of Prof Phaik Yeong Cheah, Napat will be engaging with MORU’s stakeholders for a priority-setting engagement titled “Embedding the Voice of the Community in MORU Health Research Priority Setting.” This will involve MORU’s stakeholders in Thailand and at field research sites, with the primary objective of exploring and understanding the perspectives of stakeholders, which will inform future MORU research priorities. The secondary objective is to identify ethical and practical issues related to healthcare research priority setting, specifically in relation to involving communities and end users.

Napat has been part of an advisory group for CONNECT by The Global Health Network (TGHN) since 2023, bringing experience with community health workers and marginalised communities to the discussion. She is also part of the Southeast Asia Bioethics Network (SEABION) focusing on migration health ethics in this region.