Technical Advisor Positions, The Carter Center support to the Southern Sudan Guinea Worm Eradication Program
Technical Advisors (TAS) provide technical and managerial support (on behalf of The Carter Center) to the Ministry of Health, Government of Southern Sudan, Guinea Worm Eradication Program (SSGWEP) within a specific coverage area (county or district). Technical advisors are responsible for the implementation and oversight of all interventions to stop guinea worm transmission within their given program coverage area.
Primary responsibilities are:
1.) Manage 3-10 field-level staff to implement interventions to stop guinea worm transmission. Field staff management includes training, planning, and direct field-level supervision. 80% of technical advisors’ time is spent with field staff in villages working in a supportive / supervisory capacity.
2.) Oversight of transportation resources (motorcycles and vehicle) and stock (intervention materials, compound supplies) including vehicle maintenance sheets and stock inventories.
3.) Oversight of all technical aspects of GWD eradication, including surveillance, implementation of interventions used to interrupt transmission of GWD, and staff compliance with the SSGWEP operational guidelines.
4.) Development an effective relationship with residents of endemic communities to engage their active participation in the eradication of GWD, including their participation in: 1) keep residents/visitors with the disease from contaminating sources of drinking water, 2) ensure all residents always filter all drinking water, and 3) promptly report any cases of GWD in their community.
5.) Effective communication and coordination with local, county, state, and national authorities regarding the status and needs of the GWEP, particularly advocacy for the provision and or rehabilitation of safe sources of drinking water.
6.) Full time in rural remote field settings, eighty percent of time spent working within villages. Must be willing and able to walk long distances, perform effectively in a rural remote environment with limited access to resources / infrastructure, and to spend a minimum of eighty percent of time outdoors in a hot climate.
7.) Ability to work and make responsible, effective decisions in a challenging environment
TAS are offered six month-long contracts. Candidates should be prepared to commit serving the SSGWEP for two years.
Other requirements are:
• A Masters Degree in Public Health or related field, or equivalent work experience.
• Three years of progressive managerial experience with community -based programs, preferably in Africa.
• Demonstrated experience with the preparation of technical reports, budgets, plans of action, and management of inventories.
• Demonstrated ability to build team work.
• Ability to make sound work judgments under difficult conditions, and become technically sound to be effective with minimal level of attention from supervisors.
• Sound personal and professional conduct, and respect for the work of The Carter Center and the Ministry of Health of Southern Sudan.
• TAs are posted to remote rural areas where disease transmission is endemic, and must be prepared to work and live in such areas, operating out of sub-offices of the SSGWEP.
To apply, please send CV and cover letter to guineaworm@emory.edu.
Subject line must include: Application Technical Advisor Position. All documents must be in Microsoft word (.doc) or PDF format. Materials in other formats or applications without required materials will not be considered. In the body of the e-mail, please indicate where you saw the job posting.
Only finalists will be contacted.
HealthMap Project at Children’s Hospital Informatics Program (Children’s Hospital Boston) Disease Informatics Intern – Spanish Speaker
Agency description/mission statement:
HealthMap brings together disparate data sources to achieve a unified and comprehensive view of the current global state of infectious diseases and their effect on human and animal health. This freely available Web site integrates outbreak data of varying reliability, ranging from news sources (such as Google News) to curated personal accounts (such as ProMED) to validated official alerts (such as World Health Organization). Through an automated text processing system, the data is aggregated by disease and displayed by location for user-friendly access to the original alert. HealthMap provides a jumping-off point for real-time information on emerging infectious diseases and has particular interest for public health officials and international travelers.
For recent press and publications go to http://healthmap.org/press.php and http://healthmap.org/publications/
Practicum description:
HealthMap aggregates many sources of information using an automated system. To improve the automated system, we also review the alerts to make confirm disease and location. We then communicate the current status of infectious disease in the world to subscribers, including local public health agencies, the CDC, and WHO.
Scope of work:
Primary Responsibility: We cover news in 9 languages. We currently need assistance reviewing online news articles in Spanish. The student will review news on infectious disease outbreaks and correct disease or location mistakes made by the automated system.
Additional responsibilities: The student will report to the rest of the team on breaking news in the Spanish-speaking world. (S)he will also be asked to write very brief outbreak summaries for inclusion in our weekly blog when important outbreaks occur.
Individual research projects are welcome/encouraged but not required.
Minimum skills required: (List preferred or required skills, e.g., language, research, knowledge of statistics or computers, familiarity with particular population, etc.)
Required:
Ability to read and understand news articles on disease outbreaks in Spanish.
Cultural literacy for Spanish-speaking countries in Western Hemisphere (when reading an article online from a newspaper in San Francisco, you must be able to quickly identify the correct San Francisco of the dozens in Central and South America.)
Excellent Internet search skills
Familiarity with infectious diseases and associated terms (Please list infectious disease coursework or work experience)
Strong writing skills
You must have lived, worked, or studied in a Spanish-speaking country in the Western hemisphere. We will also consider applicants who frequently travel to a Spanish-speaking country in the Western hemisphere to visit family. The purpose of this requirement is to identify applicants who have substantial cultural knowledge in addition to the required language skills.
Start in September/ End in December. Potential to continue into next semester.
10 hours/week at $9.00/hour. Flexible schedule. Some hours may be performed at home, but student must be in the office at least once a week.
For more information and to apply:
Please e-mail Dr. Sumiko Mekaru.
Please tell us why you are interested in this practicum, your infectious disease work/class experience, and Spanish language proficiency.
Seeking a qualified individual to contribute to a research project evaluating the Bomi Social Cash Transfer Pilot in Liberia
Practicum Position Description
Dr. Candace Miller at the Boston University Center for Global Health & Development (CGHD) is seeking a qualified individual to contribute to a research project evaluating the Bomi Social Cash Transfer Pilot in Liberia. The position is for a current MPH or Doctoral student who would contribute to data analysis.
Background
The Bomi Social Cash Transfer Pilot is a social protection policy of the Government of Liberia designed to alleviate poverty, reduce hunger and malnutrition, and improve school enrolment among the poorest 10% of households in Bomi County. The Cash Transfer scheme was designed to deliver regular and reliable grants to "ultra poor" households, which are defined as those households that have minimal assets and income, high dependency ratios, and are labor constrained (i.e. there is no person aged 19-65 able to work).
The Evaluation of the Cash Transfer Pilot research activities to assess the following:
• The scheme’s impact on households & recipients (e.g. Poverty reduction, health, human development) and the local community and
• The Scheme’s Targeting approach to quantify inclusion and exclusion errors (Ineligible recipients and Eligible non-recipients)
These findings will inform future policymaking and the scaling up of the poverty reduction intervention. The Government of Liberia is particularly interested in robust and unbiased information on the impact of the scheme as it works to develop effective responses to poverty in a post-conflict society. In addition, governments throughout sub-Saharan Africa are interested in the results of the evaluation given the growing momentum around social protection policies.
Scope of Work
This position is Boston-based and requires quantitative, qualitative or both sets of skills and some prior experience in international health and development. The student must dedicate at least 20-25 hours per week on this study. This practicum offers student(s) international experience, practice in qualitative and/or quantitative data analysis, mentoring, and the opportunity to network with international development professionals in Boston and abroad. Additionally, there are opportunities for co-authorship on manuscripts. There may be several positions available depending upon experience. A paid position requires prior statistical experience.
TO APPLY:
Please submit a letter of interest, describing relevant experience and coursework, the names and contact info for three references and current CV to Candace Miller. Please include any prior experience in conducting statistical analyses. Application deadline: October 1 or until position is filled. Application process is competitive; interviews will be offered to the most promising candidates.
Global Health & Engineering Cocktail Hour on September 30, 2011
Help us plan for the event - RSVP HERE!
Join us for an hour of short presentations by students and staff from engineering and public health, followed by a cocktail hour for networking and discussions!
For this event, we are excited to have:
- Dr. Christopher Gill on electronic data capture using cellular phones (BU School of Public Health, International Health and BU Center for Global Health & Development)
- Dr. Irving Bigio (BU, Dept of Biomedical Engineering)
- Dr. Utkan Demirci (Harvard-MIT Health Sciences & Technology)
Where: BU Photonics Center, Room 901 When: Friday, September 30, 4:30pm to 6:30pm
Who: Anyone who is interested in learning about global health projects from engineering and public health standpoints!
If you have any questions or comments, please direct them to Margo or Grace.
SQHC Speaker Event at Estragon: Dr. Brian Jack, Vice Chair of Academic Affairs BMC
Tuesday September 27th
5:00-6:00 PM
Estragon 700 Harrison Ave (between Harrison Archway & Brookline St) Boston, MA 02118
As principal investigator of project red, Dr. Jack's work on re-engineering discharge has garnered national attention, been discussed by the wall street journal(and is now being rolled out in at over 225 sites. This news system has decreased re-admission rates by 30% when implemented at BMC. Come here him speak about this new method of improving the quality of healthcare delivery!
Do have a passion for cutting-edge developments in sustainability, public health, micro-finance, social media, or social enterprise?
If so, check out the HTC's Council for Global Citizenship (CGC), an incubator for students with unique, sustainable and replicable ideas that address social ills. We'll help you target your skills, interests and passions to develop and support social justice projects around the world.
Sound good? Then you should definitely check out the first CGC meeting of the fall, this Wednesday, September 21 at 6:30 PM in the Howard Thurman Center. If you'd like to learn more, check out www.bu.edu/thurman/programs/cgc or reach out to Student Ambassador Aditya Rudra. Hope to see you here tomorrow!
Call for Volunteers: Student Ambassador Program
Are you looking to get involved on campus? Are you interested in talking with potential new BUSPH students? The Office of Admissions is seeking a diverse group of students to take part in our Student Ambassador Program. The purpose of the Student Ambassador Program is to connect prospective students with current students, like you, to share your insight, experiences, and perspective on life as a BUSPH student. Your opinion matters!
Student Ambassadors will volunteer roughly 8-10 hours per month.
Come learn more about the program at our information session! RSVP encouraged but not required.
• Wednesday September 21, 2011 at 5:00pm
• Talbot Building, Founder’s Room
Any questions should be directed to:
Jonathan Cote or Jeffery Dubinski-Neessen
617-638-4640
Best wishes!
IH Journal Club focusing on infectious and non-communicable diseases and pharmaceuticals
Thursday, Sept. 22, 9:30-10:30 AM
Location: 801 Massachusetts Ave., Crosstown Building, 3rd Flr. Room 305
This month, the International Health Journal Club will feature a current article associated with the Infectious and Non-Communicable Diseases emphasis area. Come prepared to discuss the article and share ideas with NEW faculty member Dr. Chris Gill, other IH faculty and your peers. All are welcome!
Article Link: http://jama.ama-assn.org.ezproxy.bu.edu/content/302/9/962.long
IH student looking for housing ASAP
A new international IH student is in need of housing. If you are in need of a roommate, know someone who is, or have a suggestion for housing options, please contact Emily Jump at jump@bu.edu
Global Health & Innovation Conference 2012 Presented by Unite For Sight, 9th Annual Conference
Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut, USA
Saturday, April 21 - Sunday, April 22, 2012
http://www.uniteforsight.org/conference
"A Meeting of Minds"--CNN
The Global Health & Innovation Conference is the world's largest global health conference and social entrepreneurship conference. This must-attend, thought-leading conference annually convenes 2,200 leaders, changemakers, students, and professionals from all fields of global health, international development, and social entrepreneurship.
Register during September to secure the lowest registration rate.
Interested in presenting at the conference? Submit an abstract for consideration.
