The University of the Witwatersrand’s School of Public Health, in conjunction with the Special Programme for Research and Training in Tropical Diseases (TDR), hosted at the World Health Organization in Geneva, Switzerland, invites suitably qualified candidates to apply for a full scholarship supported by TDR to undertake the full-time Master Degree Programme in the field of Implementation Science.
The degree programme is 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 programme should also appeal to candidates who want to become more involved in research in health-related fields.
The University of the Witwatersrand is one of seven universities around the world participating in the TDR Postgraduate Training Scheme, which aims to strengthen capacity in implementation research.
Implementation research is a growing field that supports the identification of health system bottlenecks and approaches to address them, and is particularly useful in low- and middle-income countries where many health interventions do not reach those who need them. The goal of strengthening capacity in implementation research on infectious diseases of poverty (in particular, the neglected tropical diseases, malaria and tuberculosis) and boosting the number of researchers and practitioners in low and middle-income countries is in line with the TDR focus on improving the health and well-being of people burdened by infectious diseases of poverty through research and innovation.
DEGREE PROGRAMME ON OFFER: MSc Epidemiology in the field of Implementation Science (18 months full-time).
WITS School of Public Health Postgraduate Training Scholarship Eligibility.
- Be resident in and a national of a low- or middle-income country in the WHO African Region.
- Applicants should normally be 35 or younger for the Master Programme. Women are encouraged to apply.
- Be interested in developing a career in implementation research on infectious diseases of poverty.
- Be proficient in English.
- Meet the Programme’s requirements: http://www.wits.ac.za/publichealth/academic-programmes/postgraduate/master-of-science-in-epidemiology/
WITS School of Public Health Postgraduate Training Scholarship Benefits.
The scheme will provide full scholarships for seven Masters in the 2020 academic year and covers the following:
- Return economy air fare.
- Tuition fees.
- Basic medical and accident insurance.
- Monthly stipend to cover living expenses including accommodation.
- Support for the research project expenses.
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 provide networking and increased visibility opportunities for the Fellows.
Method of Application
The application process is two-fold.
1. Application to the University of the Witwatersrand
Apply by completing a University of the Witwatersrand postgraduate application form online at: http://www.wits.ac.za/postgraduate/applications/
Application fee is R200 for both international and local applications.
Scholarship Application Deadline: 31 July 2019.
Applicants should note to apply for accommodation also.
For more information on applications, please go to: www.wits.ac.za/askwits for general application queries or Mrs. Gloria Bowe (Gloria.Bowes@wits.ac.za) for the MSc Programme related queries
2. Application for the TDR scholarship
The application for the TDR scholarship should be made separately in writing and should include the following documents:
- A letter of motivation for applying for the scholarship.
- 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 of the School of Public Health commencing in the 2019 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).
The application deadline for TDR scholarships is 31 July 2019.
Scholarship applications should be sent to: Mrs Gloria Bowes (Gloria.Bowes@wits.ac.za) and copied to Prof. Latifat Ibisomi (Latifat.lbisomi@wits.ac.za).
