We want to alert you to an important opportunity to participate in an ethnographic research project coming to Martha’s Vineyard in November. The research team has asked us to help connect them with community members who have experienced alpha-gal syndrome (AGS) and/or chronic or post-treatment Lyme disease, or who are in occupations with a risk of tick exposure.
Researchers at Gemic, a consulting firm based in New York, are partnering with Jigsaw, a research and advocacy organization within Google. Their upcoming research on Martha’s Vineyard is part of a global study on how environmental changes affect community health and livelihoods, and how communities respond to emerging health risks.
Gemic will visit Martha’s Vineyard November 9–12 to have in-depth conversations with community members about tick-borne illness and increasing concerns about ticks in the environment. They are particularly interested in speaking with people who have experienced AGS or chronic/post-treatment Lyme disease, including those who have pursued conventional or alternative medical care.
If you would like to participate, email Owen Laub at owen.laub@gemic.com
More Details Below.
Be well,
Chappaquiddick Island Association Board
Gemic: Martha’s Vineyard Community Health
1. Who we are
Gemic is an independent human-centered research organization. Our goal is to ensure
that real human experiences guide how social programs and technologies are
developed.
Jigsaw is a think tank incubated by Google. Jigsaw’s mission is to design technologies
in collaboration with communities, in order to give people greater agency in the world
around them.
2. Research overview
Environmental shifts – including changing temperatures, pollution, habitat loss, and
resource scarcity – have direct effects on community health. In this project, we are
researching ways in which communities are responding to emerging health risks
related to environmental changes.
Gemic is preparing to lead research on Martha’s Vineyard focused on:
a) patient experiences of Post-treatment (Chronic) Lyme disease and Alpha Gal
syndrome and
b) proposed environmental interventions.
Gemic will lead research on Martha’s Vineyard November 9-12. Research formats will
include individual in-depth interviews and focus groups.
3. Participant Profiles
For in-depth interviews and focus groups, Gemic is seeking to recruit the below
participant profiles:
- Post-treatment (Chronic) Lyme disease patients primarily seeking conventional medical care
- Post-treatment (Chronic) Lyme disease patients primarily seeking alternative medical care
- Alpha Gal patients primarily seeking conventional medical care
- Alpha Gal patients primarily seeking alternative medical care
- Post-treatment Lyme patients and Alpha Gal patients seeking or receiving support from community-based organizations or networks
- People who experience occupational risk of tick exposure:
○ Agricultural workers
○ Landscaping workers
○ Hunters
○ Others
- People representing the various communities of Martha’s Vineyard, e.g.
○ Members of the Wampanoag Tribe of Aquinnah
○ Community organizers and advocates
4. Research participants
For all research participants, Gemic ensures informed consent, compensates all
research participants and follows the highest standards of ethics, privacy, and
confidentiality.
- For individual in-depth interviews, Gemic offers a $300 incentive.
- For focus group participation, Gemic offers a $200 incentive.
More information:
Owen Laub: owen.laub@gemic.com
Patrick Anson: patrick.anson@gemic.com
Michael Wang: michael.wang@gemic.com