But social issues related to health and public health policy are a very important part of the work of the Social Research Center and others in the university. There are significant projects completed and ongoing. The Center, which has been in existence since 1953, conducts and encourages multidisciplinary social science research in Egypt and the Middle East. Its mission is to inform policy formulation and implementation, and to help initiate an informed dialogue on issues of public policy. This is of particular relevance for its health-related research.
Final reports are in the public domain and are available to all interested parties.
While project reports are in English, every attempt is made to ensure that Arabic versions are available. Thus, earlier studies at the Center, which focused on family planning and an assessment of specific child survival initiatives, have been expanded to include a broader treatment of maternal and reproductive health and a concern with well-being. Related projects at the Center, such as studies of poverty, rural economy, the social status of women, adolescence and social change, in addition to a wide range of demographic studies, broaden our understanding of the wider social context of health in Egypt. In the beginning, studies focused on particular program areas the control of diarrheal disease, acute respiratory infection and vaccination for childhood infectious diseases. Later assessment of program impact explored maternal and child health, using qualitative and ethnographic methods.