Sanitation is a human right
Dr Dani Barrington and Dr Pete Culmer have co-authored a recent article that addresses the importance of sanitation as a human right and the psychological challenges of incontinence.
The article co-authored by Dr Dani Barrington, School of Civil Engineering, and Dr Pete Culmer, School of Mechanical Engineering, was published by The Conversation. We rarely hear or speak about incontinence. But the condition – the involuntary loss of urine or faecal matter – is frighteningly common. This article grew out of conversations between Dani and Pete with Zara Ansari (Masters student, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine), Claire Scott (Masters student, Cranfield University) and Sarah House (independent consultant) following a side event that they facilitated together at the WEDC 2017 Conference.
About Dr Dani Barrington
Dani works in the field of water, sanitation and health in low resource contexts. She is passionate about working at the nexus of technology and society, particularly investigating how appropriate technologies, community-led programs and public policy can improve health and well-being outcomes. She is also Editor-in-Chief of The Journal of Humanitarian Engineering, published by Engineers Without Borders Australia.
About Dr Pete Culmer
Dr Culmer’s research interest is, very broadly, the application of engineering science to advance healthcare. The core of his work is developing and applying new 'enabling technologies' suited to medical applications, with a focus on sensing systems, robotics, and control. Dr Culmer enjoys working closely with clinical colleague to identify and understand clinical challenges and how our technologies can be employed, with a particular focus on surgical oncology and incontinence therapies.
Pete Culmer receives funding from UK research councils – EPSRC and the UK National Institute of Health Research (NIHR). He is a member of the iMechE Biomedical Engineering Association.
Related Articles
- The Conversation - Why we need to talk about incontinence
- Medical Express - The psychological impact of incontinence
Image: Not being able to afford washing powder entrenches stigma around incontinence. Laboko/Shutterstock.com. Source: The Conversation
