TDR supports 7 universities from low- and middle-income countries to provide PhD and Masters degrees focused on implementation research in malaria, TB and neglected tropical diseases to improve health in those regions.
There are 3 universities in Africa, 2 in Asia, and 1 each in Latin America and the Middle Eastern region. Each university serves students from their region.
This support scheme began in 2015 to do the following:
- Increase the numbers of scientists in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) trained in implementation research on infectious diseases of poverty
- Support the development of implementation research as a field of study
- Increase the capacity of universities in LMICs to provide this curriculum, manage training grant schemes and mentor students
- Expand the reach of this type of education and training in a systematic process
Application deadline for Masters Degree Programme: Application deadline for TDR scholarship: 31 August 2016
The University of the Witwatersrand’s School of Public Health announces a call for full-time Master and Doctoral Degree Programmes in the field of Implementation Science. The award for the programmes is provided by TDR, the Special Programme for Research and Training in Tropical Diseases hosted at the World Health Organization (WHO) in Geneva, Switzerland. The degree programmes are open to candidates from a range of disciplines including Clinical and other health-related fields; Statistics and other quantitative fields, as well as Demography and Social Sciences. The degree programmes should also appeal to candidates who want to become more involved in research in health-related fields. Training will be focused on courses relevant to a career in implementation science. Implementation science is a growing field that supports the identification of health system bottlenecks and approaches to address them, and is particularly useful in low- and middleincome countries where many health interventions do not reach those who need them. The goal of this scheme is to enhance graduate training capacity and boost the number of researchers and practitioners in low and middle-income countries. Further information on implementation research is available from: www.who.int/tdr/publications/topics/ir-toolkit/en
DEGREE PROGRAMMES ON OFFER
- MSc Epidemiology in the field of Implementation Science (18 months full-time)
- PhD in Implementation Science within the Interdiscipinary PhD Programme in Public and Population Health (36 months full-time). Applicants into this PhD programme are required to sit for and pass the five Implementation Science core courses.
ELIGIBILITY
- The scholarship is open to nationals of low and middle income countries in the WHO African Region that are resident in the region. (http://data.worldbank.org/about/countryand-lending-groups#Sub_Saharan_Africa )
- Applicants should normally be under 35 years for the Master Programme and under 40 years for the PhD Programme.
- Meet the University requirements for the level of degree applied for.
SCHOLARSHIP PACKAGE The scheme will provide full scholarships for nine Masters and two PhD Fellows in the 2017 academic year and covers the following:
- Return economy air fare
- Tuition fees and basic medical and accident insurance
- A monthly stipend to cover living expenses.
- An allowance towards the costs of recommended learning materials (reference text books and a laptop)
- Support for the Masters or PhD research project expenses and supervision
- Payment for an intensive English language course (where necessary) to improve the grantee’s academic performance Further, recipients’ careers will be tracked with the new TDR Global alumni and stakeholder platform that will monitor the impact of the programme, as well as networking and increased visibility opportunities for the Fellows.
The application process is two-fold.
- Application to the University of the Witwatersrand
Apply for the desired level of study by completing a Wits postgraduate application form online
at: http://www.wits.ac.za/postgraduate/applications/ Application fee is R200 for both
international and local applications. Applicants should note to apply for accommodation also.
Application deadlines are: 31 July 2016 for the MSc Programme and 31 August 2016 for the PhD Programme For more information on applications, please go to: www.wits.ac.za/askwits for general application queries. - Application for the TDR scholarshipThe application for the TDR scholarship should be made separately in writing and should include the following documents:
- A letter of motivation
- A certified copy of the bio-data page of the passport
- Evidence of application to study Implementation Science as the field of study in the MSc Epidemiology Programme at the University of the Witwatersrand or the Interdisciplinary PhD Programme of the School of Public Health commencing in the 2017 academic year
- A comprehensive curriculum vitae including a description of relevant research and work experience
- Two confidential referee reports should be sent directly by the referees to Mrs. Gloria Bowes (Gloria.Bowes@wits.ac.za).
