Research Fellow: The Center for Equity in Global Surgery at PIH – Partners In Health: (Deadline Ongoing)

University of Global Health Equity (UGHE) is on a mission to radically change the way health care is delivered around the world. UGHE is a new university based in Rwanda that is building the next generation of global health professionals’ doctors, nurses, researchers, and public health and policy experts into leaders and change-makers who strive to deliver more equitable, quality health services for all.

JOB DESCRIPTION:

Position Title: Research Fellow: The Center for Equity in Global Surgery

Reports to: Deputy Vice Chancellor, Academic and Research Affairs

Location: Kigali, Rwanda, with occasional travel to Butaro, Rwanda

JOB SUMMARY

The post holder will work on the Research Programme on Equitable Access to Quality Health Care for Injured People in four countries in Africa and South Asia (Equi-Injury) project funded by the National Institute of Health Research (NIHR), UK. The wider project will be done with teams in four countries in Africa and South Asia (Low and Middle Income Countries (LMICs)) with strong coordination between these countries. The post holder will focus on work in Rwanda. This programme sits within the newly established Center for Equity in Global Surgery (CEGS) in collaboration with the Institute of Global Health Equity Research (IGHER) at the University of Global Health Equity (UGHE).

As a member of the research programme team which includes other health system researchers, clinicians and epidemiologists, the post holder will use his/her research and epidemiological skills to address a range of research questions relevant for injury and health systems research in Rwanda. The focus of the project is to collect quantitative and qualitative data to inform the development of a policy-relevant health system pathway model for injury with a health economic focus. The aim is that the health system pathway model will inform development of local research and policy in the field of injury care. The work involves extensive stakeholder involvement, including work with lay people, communities, and policy makers to ensure reach and impact of the findings. It additionally may include inputting into the supervision of PhD students.

The post-holder will be an experienced research fellow with strong quantitative and/or qualitative analytical skills, ideally knowledge of health systems, and preferably experience in the field of injuries. Knowledge of health economics is desirable but not essential. The successful applicant will be a key lead in the project to coordinate all aspects of the research from protocol development, ethics submission, coordinate data collection and data analysis. The post holder will be responsible for liaising and coordinating with all team members, as well as with the planning, and delivery of all project-related activities. S/he must have excellent analytic, communication and organization skills.

Strong interpersonal skills and demonstrable experience of working with multiple partners with different backgrounds, in different contexts are essential. In addition to collecting and analyzing data pertinent to the project, the post holder will be expected to lead (with support from colleagues) on the write up of academic publications, supervise junior researchers (including PhD students) and to coordinate the local running of the project and any interface with other country partners. The post holder will also lead on or support the local Institute’s finance team in delivering quarterly budget reports to the funder.

The post holder will gain experience of working in a strong and supportive multidisciplinary, multi-country team and of working in a project with vital importance for health policy. They will benefit from learning from the multiple methodologies that the project will use. They will gain a firm and broad base in applying these methods to comprehensively understand a complex health system issue. The successful candidate will be supported in their career progression needs throughout the project.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

• Act as the primary Rwandan point of contact with donors and research team for data collection and reporting;
• Ensure effective communication about the project among team members and other stakeholders;
• To deliver high quality research & scholarship in the research Programme, publishing peer-reviewed outputs;
• To manage research grants and promote and ensure compliance with good practice in relation to the conduct of research, the country ethics guidelines, and other relevant UGHE and donor’s policies;
• To support the development of patient and health facility data collection tools, ensure accurate data collection and data entry, conduct qualitative interviews;
• To work as part of the Programme team to meet the objectives and deliver the research outputs of the programme, including data collection, data extraction, analysis and reporting writing;
• To become full acquainted and stay up-to-date with developments in access to quality health care for injured and governance context in Rwanda and elsewhere in the region;
• To clean, manage and analyse health facility survey and health system related datasets as appropriate
• To develop and lead creative strategies for ensuring research outputs are actionable and for monitoring policy and stakeholders engagement;
• Supervising junior researchers and PhD students
• Supporting community engagement activities and outreach to non-academic audiences
• To participate and lead patient and stakeholder’s engagement and involvement activities and other events of the Center for Equity in Global Surgery (CEGS) and the Institute of Global Health Equity Research (IGHER) at the University of Global Health Equity (UGHE), as appropriate;
• Work closely with the PIs and Programme manager to ensure teams’ ability to meet contractual requirements, identify gaps and create plans to address them, and provide ongoing support to teams;
• Organizing and participating in investigator meetings and ensure regular project team meetings are held to review progress, issues, risks and consult on decision-making;
• Generate all the necessary reports in time in partnership with the project manager and local PI (including any risk; due diligence and equity, diversity, and inclusion reports)

PERSON SPECIFICATION/QUALIFICATION

ESSENTIAL CRITERIA:

• A PhD in a medical, healthcare, or health economics related subject;
• At least 2 years of experience as a research fellow and in project management
• Research background and practical experience in inequalities in health care and quality of care research;
• Knowledge of health systems, injuries, or health economics (preferably more than one of these subject areas);
• A proven track record in analyzing quantitative and qualitative data (including significant experience in the use of relevant statistical software); experience in mixed methods research preferred;
• A track record of publishing in academic journals;
• Experience of delivering reporting requirements (including budgetary) for externally funded research projects;
• Proven ability to work independently, as well as collaboratively as part of a research team, and to meet research deadlines;
• Evidence of excellent interpersonal skills, including ability to communicate effectively both orally and in writing;
• Evidence of good organizational skills, including effective project management; experience with community engagement preferred;
• Ability to present scientific material clearly to a professional audience in English
• Excellent computer skills in Microsoft Office Suite programs

UGHE is an equal opportunity employer, and all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability status, protected veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law.

Commitment to Safeguarding and Prevention of Sexual Exploitation, Abuse and Sexual Harassment:

At UGHE, we are committed to ensuring that those who benefit from our work- including community members – as well as our students, contractors, staff and visitors to our campus are treated with dignity and respect and protected from sexual exploitation, abuse and harassment and any form of systemic abuse, whilst reducing risk and vulnerabilities. A range of pre-employment checks will be undertaken in conformity with UGHE’s policy. UGHE will request information from applicants’ previous employers about any findings of fraud, harassment, sexual harassment and any form of systemic abuse or incidents under investigation when the applicant left employment. By submitting an application, the job applicant confirms their understanding of these recruitment procedures.

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE AND APPLY