Academy of Science of South Africa (ASSAf)2022-09-012022-09-012022-08Academy of Science of South Africa (ASSAf) (2022) Health Research and its contribution to South Africa’s democracy. Available at: http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11911/248https://youtu.be/AVLWXTEhYwchttp://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11911/248MP4 Video; Duration: 01:37:00 minPlease cite as: Academy of Science of South Africa (ASSAf) (2022) Health Research and its contribution to South Africa’s democracy. Available at: http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11911/248Freedom of speech encompasses freedom of research and is an important component of any democracy. Health research, and communication around this research, have contributed to strengthening South Africa's democracy. Generally, COVID-19 research has been well disseminated and discussed openly, between scientists, civil society and government. To this extent, COVID-19 related health research can be said to have strengthened the functioning of our democracy. However, the pandemic has bought to the forefront important questions about the role of health research in a democracy. This webinar explored: 1) The extent to which the discussion around health research during COVID-19 excluded other research voices from the mainstream. 2) The extent to which health research should be a matter of discussion amongst non-specialists? Should there be limits on information shared/discussions held? 3) In an environment of the free flow of information, does the way in which health research information is shared enhance or undermine our democracy? 4) How does the dissemination of health research information affect the relationships between scientists, government and civil society?enHealth researchFree speechScience communicationDemocracySDG 3SDG 4SDG 10Video