Many African countries face an unmet need in the training of medical practitioners who want to become specialized in HIV. HIV medicine sub-specialization is not attractive for many young healthcare professionals, which is in sharp contrast to the need for such specialized personnel and leadership in the hardest-hit countries in sub-Saharan Africa.
The Mark Wainberg Fellowship Programme, an initiative of the IAS Educational Fund, is aimed at contributing to improving the quality of HIV service delivery in resource-limited settings by providing two-year fellowships to clinicians from sub-Saharan Africa, who will spend one year in Europe and one year in Africa at clinical institutions. The programme will offer in-depth training for clinicians committed to careers in HIV clinical service delivery in sub-Saharan Africa with the aim of strengthening access to high-quality services for sub-Saharan Africa populations, with a client-centred service delivery approach.
The fellowship will provide expert training in HIV service delivery for people living with HIV and AIDS, from diagnosis to treatment and including co-morbidities. It will place particular emphasis on appropriate care for different patient groups, including key populations.
It is anticipated that the fellowship will help build capacity, foster clinical research and develop long-term sustainable partnerships. The Mark Wainberg Fellowship Programme will recruit the “high-flying” healthcare professionals to spend time in HIV-specialized centres and be given the opportunity to develop their clinical and research skills and take a postgraduate diploma in HIV.
Requirements
To be eligible for the Mark Wainberg Fellowship Programme, candidates should meet the following requirements:
- Terminal research degree as a medical doctor (or equivalent)
- Minimum of two years’ clinical experience
- Currently working in sub-Saharan Africa
- Commitment to become a specialist in HIV
- English, French or Portuguese speaking.
The fellows will be selected with a view to their potential of functioning as a multiplier and disseminate the knowledge learned (for example, towards other physicians, nurses, community healthcare providers) to further broaden the impact of the programme. At the end of their fellowship, the fellows should have skills that enable them to mentor and train other fellows.
Please note that fellows will receive a living allowance for the duration of the Mark Wainberg Fellowship Programme; applicants should ensure they are financially able to enrol in the 2-year programme before accepting the fellowship.
Key dates
8 February 2021: Call for applications
7 March 2021: Fellowship application deadline
April 2021: Interviews for shortlisted candidates
Late April 2021: Fellowship notifications
July 2021: nitiation workshop and capacity development for fellow at the 11th IAS Conference on HIV Science (IAS 2021)
Q3 2021: Fellows move to their host institution
Application Deadline: 7 March at 23.59 CET.
