The University of the Witwatersrand’s School of Public Health invites suitably qualified candidates to apply for a full-time funded Master Degree Programme in the field of Implementation Science. The scholarship is provided by TDR, the UNICEF/UNDP/World Bank/WHO Special Programme for Research and Training in Tropical Diseases – hosted at the World Health Organization in Geneva, Switzerland
The goal of the scheme is to enhance graduate training capacity in implementation research and boost the number of researchers in low- and middle-income countries. The focus is on implementation research on infectious diseases of poverty, including the neglected tropical diseases, malaria, tuberculosis, HIV/TB co-infection and COVID-19. The training isfocused on courses relevant to a career in implementation science. Implementation science 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 most.
Eligibility Criteria
Applicants should:
- Be resident in and a national of a low- or middle-income country1 in the WHO African Region
- Be under the age of 35.
- 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/academicprogrammes/postgraduate/master-of-science-in-epidemiology/.
TDR is committed to Equality, Diversity and Inclusivity in science. Applicants are encouraged to apply irrespective of gender identity, sexual orientation, ethnicity, religious, cultural and social backgrounds, or (dis)ability status.
Offered Benefits
The scheme will provide full scholarships for Masters in the 2022 academic year and covers the
following:
- Return economy airfare between the candidate’s home country and Johannesburg, South Africa
- Tuition fees
- Basic medical and accident insurance
- Monthly stipend to cover living expenses, including accommodation
- Support for 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 opportunities for networking and increased visibility opportunities for the Fellows.
Duration of Award: 18 months full-time
Application Process
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 applicant’s passport.
- Evidence of application to study Implementation Science as the field of study in the MSc
Epidemiology Programme at University of the Witwatersrand’s School of Public Health
commencing in January 2022.
- 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:
TDRenquiries.publichealth@wits.ac.za by 31 July 2021. The referee reports label
MUST include the student’s name and application number.
The TDR Scholarship applications should be sent to: TDRenquiries.publichealth@wits.ac.za
