AFRICAN DOCTORAL DISSERTATION
RESEARCH FELLOWSHIPS
The African Population
and Health Research Center (APHRC), in partnership with the International Development
Research Centre (IDRC) and the Ford Foundation are pleased to announce a new fellowship
to support doctoral students at African universities. The African Doctoral Dissertation
Research Fellowship (ADDRF) seeks to facilitate more rigorous engagement of doctoral
students in research, strengthen their research skills, and provide the fellows
an opportunity for timely completion of their doctoral training. The fellowship
targets doctoral students with strong commitment to a career in training and/or
research. This first call focuses on students whose theses address issues relating
to heath systems strengthening in
Dissertation
Awards
The ADDRF will award a maximum of 16 fellowships[1] in the first
year. These fellowships will be awarded to advanced doctoral students who are
within two years of completing their doctoral thesis at an African university.
Dissertation topics addressing health systems-related issues or sexuality from
any disciplinary perspective are eligible for consideration.
Eligibility
The fellowship will primarily
support research (including data collection and or analyses). Funds may not be used to support coursework.
Applicants must:
·
Be citizens or permanent residents of a sub-Saharan African
country,
·
Be undertaking doctoral training at a recognized African university,
·
Have completed all pre-dissertation requirements,
·
Provide a detailed time-frame for completing their dissertation
which should be endorsed by the head of department and the chair of the dissertation
committee,
·
Have a research topic that has been approved by their doctoral
dissertation committee, as well as the official body overseeing ethical review
of the research protocol, and
·
Be able to complete their dissertation within 24 months of the start of the fellowship.
Selection
Criteria
·
The fellowship will target individuals whose dissertation research
has great promise of making substantive contribution to strengthening health systems
in
·
Studies with clear linkages to relevant national or regional
policies will be preferred.
·
The fellowship will support original research that addresses
a clear research question, employs appropriate and rigorous design, and has unambiguous
policy implication(s).
·
Candidates must demonstrate interest in pursuing a research
career and dissertations must be sufficiently linked to future research interests.
·
The dissertation should ideally be related to other work going
on in the department or should have received strong endorsement and support from
the department.
Female
applicants and those from Francophone and Lusophone countries are especially encouraged
to apply.
Eligible
fields of study
The dissertation research
may address any of the following issues: Health Sector
Analysis; Health Management and Organization; Disease Burden; Health Care Financing
(including health insurance); Quality of Care; Human Resources for Health; Program
Evaluation; Health Equity; Costing and Cost-effectiveness;
Policy Process (e.g., Decentralization); Community Participation; Research to
Practice; Accessibility; Information,
Education and Communication; Pharmaceutical Policy; Economic Policy and Health;
Health Information Systems; etc. The fellowship for
sexuality dissertation research may focus on any of the following issues; sexual
orientation, pleasure, sensuality, intimacy, identity, sexual
health and practices, the erotic, etc.
Evaluation
criteria
The applications will be evaluated on the following criteria
(maximum score in parentheses):
·
Candidate’s scientific background and potential for development
of a strong research career (20%),
·
Scientific merit of the proposed research project including
originality of research question(s); clarity and adequacy of the study design;
demonstrated knowledge of relevant/current literature; detailed analysis plan,
ethical considerations, etc. (40%),
·
Research environment including commitment of main supervisors
and department to facilitate timely completion of the dissertation (20%),
·
Well elaborated statement on the policy relevance of the research
(10%), and
·
Budget summary and justification, including clear plan to complete
the dissertation within 24 months (10%).
Cost
Each individual award will be approximately
$15,000. Specific items may include
field research, a monthly stipend for up to 12 months, and other research materials
(e.g., laptop computer, specialized software or books, etc). Applicants may also
include the cost of one local or regional conference where the results of the
dissertation may be disseminated. Successful candidates will attend two one-week
training workshops. During these workshops, grantees will receive training and
mentorship on various aspects of research (design and methods, ethics, data analyses,
scientific writing, proposal development and communication of research results,
etc). The first workshop will focus on research methods and will assist fellows
in finalizing the design of their research. The
second workshop will focus largely on data management and analyses and writing
skills. The students’ home institutions will receive an institutional overhead
to support the department and dissertation committee in ensuring timely review
of dissertation chapters.
Successful applicants will be expected to publish at least
one peer-reviewed article from their dissertation within 36 months of receiving
the award.
How
to apply
All application materials must be received by March 29, 2008 in order to be reviewed.
Each applicant must submit
·
Proof of citizenship or permanent residence in a sub-Sahara
African country;
·
A curriculum vitae that includes names of academic institutions
attended, years of attendance, degrees obtained, employment history, publications
and presentations, as well as awards, honors, and grants received;
·
Two letters of reference (at least one must come from a faculty
member with extensive knowledge of applicant’s academic history and performance
and must document how the candidate’s dissertation research fits into other on-going
research programs in the department). Referees’ contact information must be provided;
·
A 10 page (maximum, double spaced with font size of at least
10) scientific proposal detailing the research question(s), study design, relevance
of the study to national or regional health policy or challenge, and a detailed
plan for completing the dissertation within a period not longer than 24 months
after the award;
·
Evidence that the research protocol has undergone ethical review
and received approval from an approved ethical review board and the dissertation
committee; and
·
A statement of future research interest and career plans.
Applications not meeting these requirements will not be reviewed.
Applications should be sent to: The
ADDRF Manager,
[1] One of these fellowships will be funded
through a grant from Ford Foundation and will focus on the broad field of sexuality
research