Position Available: Microbiology Data Management
MORU Tropical Health Network is looking for an enthusiastic person with practical experience of database management and a working knowledge of clinical microbiology, especially for those organisms isolated in blood cultures and their antimicrobial susceptibility testing, who has good attention to detail, to help with the cleaning of a large blood culture database at the Lao-Oxford-Mahosot Hospital-Wellcome Trust Research Unit in Vientiane, Laos for up to 6 months in early 2016. Experience of statistical software such as R or Stata would be an advantage. The responsibilities of the post would be to use manual and software techniques to clean the database, identify and complete missing data where this is possible, identify which identification and susceptibility tests need to be repeated and liaise with data management and microbiology teams. The deliverable will be a clean database.
There would also be opportunities to participate in some of the other activities of this clinical research unit (see http://www.tropmedres.ac/lomwru-laos). The remuneration package includes health insurance, plus reasonable travel costs. Please send your CV and a letter explaining your skills and why you would like to take this position to sengmany@tropmedres.ac.
GH Concentrator Helps Establish Maternal Health Monitoring Program in Haiti
For her public health practicum, student Brittany Tusing worked with a child and maternal health service in Haiti that operates a mobile prenatal clinic that travels to 23 villages each month, serving about 700 women.
The mobile clinic, operating out of a bright pink custom built Jeep, is part of a spectrum of services offered by Midwives for Haiti, a Virginia-based nonprofit that works with Haiti’s Ministry of Health and other organizations to “deliver culturally appropriate, high impact health interventions.”
Tusing helped refine and strengthen the mobile clinic’s monitoring and evaluation capabilities. She was specifically tasked with developing a formal monitoring plan to ensure the quality of care being provided to clients during prenatal visits, postpartum care, and referrals and transfers.
She also helped set up the foundations of a structured evaluation plan so that the organization could assess its impact on maternal mortality in its operating area, the villages of Haiti’s Central Plateau. Working with the clinic’s six midwives, she created a new data collection sheet designed to assist the group’s ongoing collaboration with local and regional officials from the Ministry of Health.
A significant part of her funding came from a public health fellowship sponsored by Santander Universities, a division of one of the world’s largest banking firms. At SPH, the Santander Fellows Program provides about 45 annual stipends in three programs: for low- and moderate-income students, for students pursuing health care research in Latin America, and for a field practice program in Kenya. The practice opportunities are critical for SPH students, who are required to spend at least one semester on an intensive practicum to gain firsthand knowledge. Santander stipends often pay the bulk of airfare, ground transportation, and housing for the semester-long practicum.
article posted at http://www.bu.edu/sph/2015/12/10/student-helps-establish-maternal-health-monitoring-program-in-haiti/
Spring 2016 Payment Deadline: Wednesday, December 16
The payment deadline for spring 2016 is Wednesday, December 16, 2015.
Students are encouraged to finalize their spring schedules at this time.
International students who wish to be part-time during the spring should apply now (forms are available from the SPH Registrar in Talbot 210C).
For questions, please contact Alan Hatton at alhatton@bu.edu or call 617-638-5072.
Over 150 Positions Available with Global Health Corps
The most powerful lever of change in global health is great leadership, and everyone has a role to play. Global Health Corps is recruiting diverse talent for a range of positions on the front lines of the health equity movement in Malawi, Rwanda, Uganda, the U.S., and Zambia, including:
- Project Officer at mothers2mothers in Lilongwe, Malawi
- Business Administration Systems Liaison Officer at The Ihangane Project in Kigali, Rwanda
- e-Health Coordinator at Clinton Health Access Initiative, Uganda
- Advocacy & Policy Associate at Housing Works in New York, United States
- Senior Research Associate at the Ministry of Health in Lusaka, Zambia
- HIV Research Program Officer at Rwanda Zambia HIV Research Group, Zambia
- Monitoring and Evaluation Officer at Christian Health Association of Malawi, Malawi
- Behavior Change Communication Officer at Ministry of Health – Uganda, Uganda
- Population Health Officer - Quality Initiatives at Housing Works, United States
Apply early! Applications will be reviewed starting in late December and will close on February 2, 2016.
SIGN UP FOR GH891 – Global Pharmaceutical Policy: At the Intersection of Process and Politics
STEP UP TO THE PLATE AND SIGN UP FOR GH891 (SPRING 2016)
WHY IS ACCESS TO OPIATES SUCH A DIFFICULT PHARMACEUTICAL POLICY PROBLEM?
WHY SHOULD COUNTRIES IN AFRICA BOTHER MAKING THEIR OWN MEDICINES?
DO YOU THINK THE FDA SHOULD REGULATE E-CIGARETTES?
HAVE YOU EVER TESTIFIED BEFORE A SENATE SUBCOMMITTEE?
A wide range of challenges face policy makers in the pharmaceutical sector, from the role of citizen participation in decision-making to regulation of opioids and pain killers to deciding on the most appropriate way of regulating, if at all, ‘new technologies’ such as electronic cigarettes. Quite often, in the United States and elsewhere, pro-public health policies may meet a certain degree of political and interest group resistance.
This course is intended to introduce the student to the ‘real world’ of pharmaceutical policy making in global health. The course introduces students to global pharmaceutical policies with specific examples as case studies and group exercises . The case studies in the course will be updated year-to-year to introduce current and controversial issues. The intention is to build on the models and methods covered in “Pharmaceuticals in Public Health” (PH 740) and apply these approaches to specific pharmaceutical policy issues.
This course will assist students who later find employment in national administrations, government agencies, and other bodies that deal with pharmaceuticals on a regular or occasional basis and/or as staff members and consultants of global organizations, health sector nongovernmental organizations, and other health projects with a pharmaceutical component. Students who intend to work within the pharmaceutical industry will also benefit, particularly if they aspire to work in Government Affairs or Business Development departments.
New Podcast on December 17th: Data Collection & Refugee Protection
Register here to tune into The Humanitarian Assistance Podcast on December 17th 10:00AM-11:00AM
As the numbers of migrants and refugees entering Europe continue to increase, data collection and analysis, particularly through mobile technology, social media, and crowdsourcing, provide humanitarian actors with key insights into critical protection gaps and emerging trends. Yet the growing use of information technology over the last decade has also introduced new concerns regarding the ethics, security, and utility of data for the humanitarian sector. While expansive data collection has created opportunities for more effective aid delivery to displaced populations, humanitarian agencies must also address the growing need for more sophisticated safeguards to protect the personal information of vulnerable civilians. Furthermore, extensive data collection also requires agencies to find effective means of analyzing large volumes of data to inform programming and humanitarian response in real time.
In conversations with key experts and practitioners, this podcast will assess current information management methodologies and practices applicable to humanitarian response, the continued development of professional standards in this area, and the policy implications of leveraging information technology to address large-scale protection challenges. This podcast will also examine how to create trusted pathways for information gathering by both agencies and displaced populations alike, as well as shared practices for incorporating considerations around data into protection programming.
Through discussions with high-level practitioners and experts in the field, this podcast will address the following questions:
- How can data be better collected, analyzed and leveraged to improve humanitarian response, especially in the current refugee crisis?
- What are the key professional and ethical dilemmas involved in the collection of data from vulnerable populations?
- What protocols or standards should be implemented in order to ensure that information collected by humanitarian agencies is directly integrated into protection programming and strategies?
The ATHA team marks the release of each Humanitarian Assistance Podcast with a live, online launch event. Join us for a first listen in our live, interactive chat or follow along at twitter.com/athasweden.
2016 Pardee Graduate Summer Fellows Program: Information Session Friday December 11th
Due to demand, the Pardee Center invites Boston University graduate students interested in applying for our 2016 Graduate Summer Fellows program to a second information session at the Pardee House, 67 Bay State Road, on Friday, December 11, 2015 from 12:00-1:15pm (lunch will be provided starting at 11:30 am). Seating is limited and advance registration is required. Click here to register.
The Pardee Graduate Summer Fellows program is an interdisciplinary 10-week researchfellowship open to all BU master's and doctoral students. Pardee Center staff and past Graduate Summer Fellows will discuss details of the program and the application process. The application period for the 2016 program will open in late January with a deadline in mid-March.
Multiple Openings with Wits Reproductive Health & HIV Institute in South Africa
Wits Reproductive Health & HIV Institute is expanding their adolescent and HSS programs, so they are hiring many Project Managers! If you are looking for a job in South Africa look to see if your skills match these job profiles:
- Research Assistant (Research Centre 1-year fixed term contract)
- Counselor: Adolescent Innovations Project
- Project Manager II: ECHO Study Communications & GPP
- And more!
Digital Communications Coordinator with the Population Council
The Population Council is looking for a Digital Communications Coordinator to join its Office of Strategic Communications. Primary responsibilities include writing and posting content for the Council’s website and social media channels, and coordinating an annual review and update of the Council’s website content. This is a newly created position and a great opportunity for someone to come in and help shape it.
We’re looking for a social media savvy professional with a track record of implementing successful online communications strategies. Experience in global health communications is a plus.
The job description and process for application can be found at http://www.popcouncil.org/careers.
Data Collection System Developer needed for the Maternity Homes Access in Zambia Project
Researchers in the CGHD are looking for a student to help develop an electronic data collection system using Survey CTO/ODK. This will be used to support the Maternity Homes Access in Zambia Project (the MAHMAZ Project) in administering a ~350 question household survey to approximately 2,500 households during baseline data collection during early 2016.
The data capture system needs to be built and ready for pre-testing by mid-January. We are looking for a student who has experience in SurveyCTO, CommCare, ODK, or similar program who can commit ~15 hours/week beginning ASAP going through early February. Compensation is available.
Please send an email of interest (which describes your relevant experience) and an upto date resume to Lizzy Ragan at ejragan@bu.edu.
