AFRICA HEALTH RESEARCH TRAINING PROGRAMME
HOW TO APPLY
OUR PROGRAMME
OUR PROGRAMME
UK APPLICANTS
Eligibility criteria
The PhD programme is open to all health professionals registered with UK professional bodies who want to undertake research focused on the major global health challenges in Africa. You must be:
· Eligible to work in the UK and qualify for home or UK-level fees
· Willing to be based in one of the programme's African Partner Institutions for 18-24 months
· Propose research within the remit of the programme, focusing on issues of public health importance to Africa
Wellcome’s definition of health professionals include:
Art therapists, chiropodists/podiatrists, chiropractors, clinical psychologists, dental hygienists, dental nurses, dental therapists, dentists, dieticians, drama therapists, health visitors, healthcare scientists (in life sciences, physiological sciences, physical sciences and biomechanical engineering, and bioinformatics), medical graduates, midwives, music therapists, non-medical public health specialists, nurses, occupational therapists, operating department practitioners, optometrists and dispensing opticians, orthoptists, osteopaths, paramedics, pharmacists, pharmacy technicians, physiotherapists, practitioner psychologists, prosthetists and orthotists, radiographers, social workers, speech and language therapists, vets.
Funding
The programme will cover the fellow’s salary (according to experience on the appropriate NHS salary scale), research costs, PhD registration fees, and overseas living costs.
Application Process
We have a maximum of 5 PhD fellowships to offer per year. We have one application cycle per year over five years, with each round advertised in the last quarter of the year. Applicants apply via the vacancies section of the LSHTM website.
Our application process is split into two stages:
Stage 1
The application needs to contain the following elements:
1. Application form - completed on the jobs.lshtm.ac.uk website
2. Supporting letter from academic referee
3. Completed Equal Opportunities Monitoring Form (only used for programme monitoring)
The application form assesses your career history to date, your achievements in research to date, your experience of working in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), your motivation to enrol in this PhD programme, how the fellowship will support your ambitions to develop an academic career an outline of your ideas for a PhD project. It is not expected that you will have identified a definite PhD supervisor and developed a specific project by this stage, although you have broad ideas for your research project, potential supervisory team, UK institution and African Partner Institution. This will enable us to understand the relevance of your proposed research to the CREATE PhD Programme, and to direct you to appropriate supervisors should you be shortlisted.
Applicants will be shortlisted based on this application form by a panel comprising multidisciplinary research experts and health professionals from each of the UK institutions. Due to the high volume of applications, no feedback will be provided to unsuccessful applicants at this stage.
Stage 2
Shortlisted applicants from Stage 1 will submit an application for one of our five available PhD fellowships. This will include
1) A project details form
2) A detailed budget
3) Endorsement of application and budget from your proposed host UK and African Institutions.
You will need to identify a UK institution from one of our five UK partner institutions where you will register your PhD and an African host Institution from one of our 6 African Partner Institutions (APIs) where you will based when you conduct your research. You will also need a UK supervisor from the Institution where you will register your PhD and an African supervisor based in the country where you will conduct your research and an African supervisor. Your supervisors will support you to develop your project proposal, which will specify research aims, hypotheses, approach, impact, and budget. At both UK and African institutions you need a sponsor . Ensure at an early stage that your supervisors (including any co-supervisors), sponsors and collaborators are able to confirm their contribution to the application.
Each shortlisted applicant will be designated a Programme Director from a UK and African Partner Institution to signpost them to appropriate supervisors and provide guidance on their application. In addition, all shortlisted applicants will be invited to a pre-application webinar to support them to develop a strong proposal.
The final selection will be made based on both your written submission and interview. We will assess:· The importance of the research question, and the scientific merit, feasibility and the likely impact of your proposed project
· Your plans for research training
· The suitability of your sponsor, supervisory team and training environment
Guidance for Stage 2 applications is made available to those shortlisted from Stage 1.
Please see recordings of a Stage 2 pre-application webinar 2022 here
APPLICATION Timelines
Applications for 2023
· Stage 1 Applications Open: Monday 5th September 2022
· Stage 1 Webinar and Q&A: Wednesday 12th October 2022 (12:00hrs) - link to be provided here
· Deadline for Stage 1 applications: Friday 11th November 2022 (23.59hrs)
· Stage 1 outcomes communicated: mid-December 2022
· Deadline for Stage 2 application: Tuesday 4th April 2023 (23.59hrs)
· Interviews: w/c 8th May 2023
· Stage 2 outcomes communicated: w/c 15th May 2023
OUR PROGRAMME
OUR PROGRAMME
AFRICAN APPLICANTS
CREATE will provide 25 PhD fellowships to African nationals, matched to the fellowships awarded to UK health professionals. The African and UK fellows will be integrated into this unique programme to tackle some of the pressing public health issues affecting Africa.
Up to 5 fellowships will be awarded every year over 5 years, starting from 2022. Applicants must have the appropriate level of experience in health for the project they intend to undertake (i.e. not necessarily a health professional). Applicants will apply for defined projects spanning a range of disciplines including epidemiology, data science, statistics, social science and anthropology, laboratory science and health economics. Fellows will be part of a close-knit cohort, receiving bespoke research training and professional skills and mentorship to equip them to be future global health leaders.
Successful applicants will be matched to one of the six African Partner Institutions in one of five African countries (Ethiopia, The Gambia, Uganda, Zambia or Zimbabwe).
Eligibility Criteria
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African national
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Professional with appropriate experience in health (note - not necessarily a health professional i.e. doctor, nurse etc)
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Willing to be based in one of the Programme African Partner Institutions (linked to the PhD) for the duration of their PhD
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Requisite training required to undertake the PhD Project (as specified for each project)
Funding
The programme will provide a stipend, research costs, PhD registration and cover training costs.
Application Process
Please find more information here for the 2022 African fellowships available through the CREATE PhD Programme. These opportunities have closed and information on the 2023 projects will be published shortly.
See the individual projects listed in the table and links for further information, as well as the application documentation, for each fellowship.
Project Ref # | Project Title | Countries in which research will be conducted | Base Location | University Awarding PhD | Eligibility | African and UK Supervisors – names and contact | Application Email | API Website |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
UG2201 | Morbidity, Hematologic and Physical Growth Outcomes among HIV Exposed Uninfected Children in Kampala, Uganda | Uganda | MRC/UVRI & Makerere University | St George’s University London | MSc in Paediatrics, reproductive health, public health or related field | Makerere: Professor Kirsty Le Doare (kiledoar@sgul.ac.uk) | Achilles Kiwanuka (Achilles.Kiwanuka@mrcuganda.org) | https://www.lshtm.ac.uk/research/units/mrc-uganda/jobs-and-internships |
UG2202 | Inclusive sexual and reproductive health services for youth with developmental disabilities in Uganda | Uganda | MRC/UVRI & LSHTM Uganda Research Unit | St George’s University London | MSc in disability studies, anthropology, psychology, social work, reproductive health, public health or related field | MRC/UVRI & LSHTM Uganda Research Unit: Assistant Professor Femke Bannink Mbazzi (Femke.bannink@lshtm.ac.uk)
MRC/UVRI & LSHTM Uganda Research Unit: Associate Nambusi Kyegombe (Nambusi.kyegombe@lshtm.ac.uk) | Achilles Kiwanuka (Achilles.Kiwanuka@mrcuganda.org) | https://www.lshtm.ac.uk/research/units/mrc-uganda/jobs-and-internships |
UG2203 | Clinical Predictors of 3-Months Isoniazid Rifapentine (3HP)- Related Adverse Drug Reactions (ADR) during Tuberculosis Preventive Therapy (PAND ORA) | Uganda | MRC/UVRI & Makerere University | St George’s University London | 1. Medical degree, 2. Masters degree, and 3. Basic training in pharmacokinetics or drug pharmacology | Infectious Diseases Institute, Makerere University/Mulago National Referral Hospital: Dr Christine Sekaggya-Wiltshire (csekaggya@idi.co.ug)
Infectious Diseases Institute, Makerere University: Dr Barbara Castelnuovo (bcastelnuovo@idi.co.ug) | Achilles Kiwanuka (Achilles.Kiwanuka@mrcuganda.org) | https://www.lshtm.ac.uk/research/units/mrc-uganda/jobs-and-internships |
UG2206 | Developing the evidence base for pharmacovigilance in Africa | Uganda | MRC/UVRI & Makerere University | St George’s University London | Makerere: Professor Kirsty Le Doare
(kiledoar@sgul.ac.uk) | Achilles Kiwanuka
(Achilles.Kiwanuka@mrcuganda.org) | https://www.lshtm.ac.uk/research/units/mrc-uganda/jobs-and-internships | |
UG2207 | Early childhood outcomes amongst high-risk preterm infants in Uganda: Risk, outcomes, early intervention and the role of kangaroo mother care | Uganda | MRC/UVRI & Makerere University | To be confirmed | MSc in relevant field, Health or allied health professional with prior experience and expertise in child health and development, ideally in developmental assessment of young children | LSHTM: Professor Cally Tann (cally.tann@lshtm.ac.uk)
Makerere: Professor Peter Waiswa
MRC-Uganda: Dr Victor Tumukunda
For queries contact Professor Kirsty Le Doare kiledoar@sgul.ac.uk
| Achilles Kiwanuka
Achilles.Kiwanuka@mrcuganda.org | https://www.lshtm.ac.uk/research/units/mrc-uganda/jobs-and-internships |
ZA2204 | Using simplified, artificial intelligence read lung ultrasound to diagnose TB | Zambia and The Netherlands | Zambart | London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine | MSc training in a relevant field
Best suited to radiologist/radiographer or infectious disease/pulmonary physician | Zambart: Dr Kwame Shanaube (kshanaube@zambart.org.zm)
LSHTM: Prof Helen Ayles (helen@zambart.org.zm) | Dr Alwyn Mwinga (alwyn@zambart.org.zm) | https://www.zambart.org.zm/create-phd-programme-africa-health-research-training-programme/ |
ZI2205 | Improving the sexual transmitted infection management cascade | Zimbabwe | The Health Research Unit Zimbabwe, Biomedical Research & Training Institute | London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine | MSc training in epidemiology or social science | Biomedical Research Training Institution: Professor Katharina Kranzer (Katharina.kranzer@lshtm.ac.uk)
London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine: Dr Michael Marks (Michael.marks@lshtm.ac.uk) | Katharina Kranzer (Create-phd@lshtm.ac.uk) | https://www.thruzim.org/opportunities |
The PhD programme is open to all candidates who want to undertake research focused on the major global health challenges in Africa. This fellowship programme will provide a 3-year research PhD training fellowship. Candidates apply through a localised admissions process at one of the African Partner Institutions (API), but if awarded a fellowship can be registered at either the API or another institution (e.g. a UK institution) dependent on the individual circumstances of the award.
PhD fellowships are intended to commence on 1st January/April 2023 (unless otherwise indicated) and will have a duration of up to 36 months. The funding will cover tuition fees, stipend, and project related costs such as travel and training. A full list of the PhD fellowship projects is shown in Table 1. The funding available for specific research projects will be determined by the individual APIs.
Candidates submit an application to their API of choice, for a particular pre-identified project, along with any other required documentation (please consult the local recruitment contact point and/or website for further information).
APPLICATION Timelines
Application Timelines (2023)
Information to be published shortly.
APPLICATION Contacts
Application Contacts (2022)
Please get in touch with the following individuals to submit your applications (after completing the necessary documentation indicated in each individual fellowship, as per table above):
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Uganda (all institutions) - Achilles Kiwanuka - achilles.kiwanuka@mrcuganda.org
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Zambia (Zambart) - Alwyn Mwinga - alwyn@zambart.org.zm
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Zimbabwe (Biomedical Research Training Institute) - Katharina Kranzer - create-phd@lshtm.ac.uk