AFRICA HEALTH RESEARCH TRAINING PROGRAMME
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OVERVIEW
The CREATE PhD Programme is a three-year (full-time or equivalent) PhD programme, which will train future global health research leaders who are not only technically excellent, but are equipped to work effectively across scientific and clinical disciplines in equitable partnerships with their peers in low-income countries.
The CREATE PhD Programme will provide 25 doctoral fellowships to UK professional body registered health professionals who will register for their PhD at one of the five UK Partner Institutions and conduct their research at one of six African Partner Institutions. In addition, the CREATE PhD Programme will also recruit and support an equal number of fellows based in African partner countries (Uganda, The Gambia, Zambia, Zimbabwe and Ethiopia) to undertake a PhD. The fellows from the African countries will have the choice to register their PhD in their home country or at one of the UK partner institutions. It is generally expected that all fellows will spend approximately 2 years in the African partner country undertaking their research.
UK recruited fellows will be paired with the African PhD fellow in the same country where they will be based, to create a blended south-north cohort of fellows. All CREATE PhD Programme fellows, regardless of their source of recruitment, will be able to access a large supervisory pool, training and mentorship offered by the Programme.
We welcome applications from individuals who have the scientific rigour, drive and ambition to carry out world-class research that focuses on issues of public health importance in Africa. Academic excellence, evidence of prior productive research or other relevant experience and a vision of how the PhD will shape their career goals are essential.
We strongly encourage interdisciplinary research projects and our supervisory pool covers a range of academic disciplines and global health expertise from infectious diseases, maternal, child and adolescent health, and non-communicable diseases, neglected tropical diseases and mental health. Research does not need to be restricted to these areas but should be focused on the health needs of people in sub-Saharan Africa.
All fellows will have one or more supervisors from the UK institution, as well as a supervisor from the African Partner Institution or a Health Education Institution (HEI) in the African partner country. All fellows will also have a mentor (matched to their health profession) to provide support and guidance for balancing their clinical and research career. Fellows will be provided with rich training opportunities aimed at equipping them to be future academic leaders and mentors, to maximise their research impact and to address the substantial inequalities in global health.
THE BENEFITS OF THIS UNIQUE PhD PROGRAMME
You will receive a highly prestigious PhD Training Fellowship, which includes:
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Dedicated support from the Project Management Group to support the application process and to provide oversight of your PhD.
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Outstanding global health supervisory expertise across a broad range of research themes and academic disciplines including laboratory science, bioinformatics, epidemiology, biostatistics, implementation science, social science and anthropology, development geography, health economics and health policy.
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Access to African Partner Institutions spread across the continent in countries with different disease burdens and health systems and with exceptional research platforms providing rich research opportunities.
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Access to relevant postgraduate training courses to promote scientifically rigorous research, and a rich programme of training and cohort activities.
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The Digital Global Health Academy, a modular research training programme, aimed at equipping fellows to be future global health leaders
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A centralised mentorship scheme as an additional support to the supervisory team.
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Peer-partnering of UK and African PhD fellows, sharing knowledge, ideas and training opportunities, building a mutually supportive community of fellows.
PARTNER INSTITUTIONS
Our PhD programme will be a partnership of 5 UK Institutions and 6 African Institutions in 5 African countries. There are strong existing partnerships between institutions, including both North-North, South-North and South-South partnerships.
The UK partnership has an excellent research and training record, having been established in 1995 as the Wellcome Trust Bloomsbury Centre for Global Health Research, which has been awarded about 90 Wellcome fellowships to date. Our African Partner Institutions (APIs) have robust research infrastructure and exceptional research platforms, as well as a track record for conducting high-quality research focused on addressing issues of public health importance and supporting local and international PhD students. Concentrating our African partnerships on these designated institutions will ensure that there is a critical mass of fellows to enable peer support, provision of high-quality structured training and development activities and new North-South and South-South collaborations.
Combined, our partners will provide a vibrant and thriving research environment within which to embed PhD fellows, promoting a holistic approach to global health research.
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UK PARTNER INSTITUTIONS
AFRICAN PARTNER INSTITUTIONS
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GOVERNANCE
PROGRAMME MANAGEMENT GROUP
The Programme Management Group (PMG) is responsible for implementing the CREATE PhD Programme objectives and for the operational oversight of the programme. The PMG is chaired by the Programme Director, Professor Rashida Ferrand, and includes co-directors from each of the partner institutions.
Programme
Director
LSHTM / BRTI
API Co-Lead
Monitoring Lead
Co-Director
MRC-Gambia
Co-Director
Zambart
API Co-Lead
Programme
Manager
LSHTM
Fellows
Representative
LSHTM / Zambart
Fellows
Representative
Makerere University
Co-Director
BSMS
EDI Lead
Co-Director
KCL
Co-Director
CDT-Africa
Co-Director
SGUL
Co-Director
LSHTM
Co-Director
MRC-Uganda
Co-Director
QMUL / Zvitambo
Co-Director
KCL
Co-Director
Zambart
Co-Director
MRC-Gambia
TRAINING PROGRAMME COMMITTEE
The Training Programme Committee (TPC) will develop a training programme for the UK and Africa PhD fellows with a focus on equipping fellows to become global leaders and to transform research cultures. The TPC is chaired by Dr Rosie Mayston and Dr Chido Dziva Chikwari and includes representatives from the UK and African partner institutions.
LSHTM / Zambart
Programme Manager
LSHTM
Fellows Representative TBA
Chair
LSHTM
KCL
LSHTM
SGUL
BSMS
MRC-Gambia
Zambart
KCL
CDT-Africa
Makerere University
STRATEGIC ADVISORY BOARD
The Strategic Advisory Board (SAB) provides oversight of the programme and monitors the progress towards achieving our transformative aims. The SAB provides advice to the Programme Management Board (PMB) on the direction of the CREATE PHD Programme and contributes to its strategic development. It includes representatives from UK and African Higher Education Institutions who have led innovative and impactful training initiatives and are committed to improving equity in higher education and decolonising global health. The SAB is chaired by Dr Angela Obasi.
Chair
LSTM
UCL
University of
Ghana
International Union Against Tuberculosis and Lung Disease
LSHTM
Kingston University
University of the Witswatersrand
Malawi Liverpool Wellcome Trust Clinical Research Programme / LSHTM
University of Leicester.
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EQUALITY, DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION STATEMENT
We believe that commitment to the principles of equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI) will enhance the experience and performance of the entire CREATE PhD Programme, not just of individual fellows. We will promote EDI throughout the fellowships through careful design and monitoring of recruitment, retention, training and integration of African and UK cohorts. We expect fellows, supervisors, support staff and governance groups to undergo EDI and unconscious bias training, and to uphold the principles learned.
We will promote equality, diversity and inclusion through these measures –
Recruitment
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Advertise beyond the ‘traditional’ channels.
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Hold pre-application events and webinars.
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Increase application guidance available through the website.
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Ensure flexible and part-time training is available.
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Require selection and interview panellists to have undertaken annual EDI and unconscious bias training.
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Aim for ethnic diversity and gender representation for all interview panels.
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Analyse application and selection metrics and present to Programme Management Board and Strategic Advisory Board.
Training and Supervision
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Require UK and African supervisors for each applicant.
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Ensure training of all supervisors in EDI, micro aggression and supervision.
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Support peer-pairing of African and UK fellows.
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Ensure diversity of Digital Global Health Academy (DGHA) trainers.
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Theme dedicated to ‘Transforming Research Culture’ and ‘Global Citizenship’ within DGHA.
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Ensure diversity of mentor pool.
Environment
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Identify clear pathway to reporting bullying and harassment at each institution.
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Ensure diversity of Programme Management Group and Strategic Advisory Board.
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Exchange ‘best practice’ across Doctoral Training Programmes.