TY - JOUR T1 - Social and Political Dimensions of Disseminating Research Findings on Emerging Zoonotic Viruses: Our Experience in Sierra Leone JF - Global Health: Science and Practice JO - GLOB HEALTH SCI PRACT SP - 459 LP - 466 DO - 10.9745/GHSP-D-20-00321 VL - 9 IS - 3 AU - Dorothy Peprah AU - James Bangura AU - Mohamed Vandi AU - Harold Thomas AU - Monica Dea AU - Anton Schneider AU - Kendra Chittenden Y1 - 2021/09/30 UR - http://www.ghspjournal.org/content/9/3/459.abstract N2 - Key MessagesWe discuss the complexities and challenges in disseminating research findings on the discovery of a new ebolavirus in bats in Sierra Leone, particularly in light of the previous outbreaks.This experience pointed to the tensions that can arise between discoveries of emerging viruses with zoonotic potential and their impact on the people in direct proximity to the ecosystems in which they are found as well as on the governments charged with protecting the health of those people.Future research may benefit from considering the following: (1) prioritize dissemination of findings as a distinct step within a project with a detailed plan, (2) understand and support the role of government leaders in the dissemination process, and (3) prioritize the perspectives and potential reactions of communities when framing information and recommendations.Sharing research results with communities is a key stage of implementing global health research. This stage is widely accepted not only as essential to conducting ethical, fair research but also as integral to improving the relevance and impact of research for participants and their communities.1,2 The various activities that compose results sharing may be conducted as part of a research project’s ongoing community engagement strategy or dissemination plan. However, although sharing research results with communities is widely regarded as a best practice in global health research, little systematic guidance exists for considering the social and political implications of those findings alongside government leaders and as part of community-level dissemination strategy. Although the discipline is growing and an increasing number of scholars are interested in dissemination and implementation science, the focus is on clinical research and provider uptake.3 Little consideration has been given to how to manage the dissemination of research findings that may be perceived as negative and may require negotiation not only at the community level … ER -