WHO/TDR International Postgraduate Scholarship 2022/2023

Applications are open for international students for the 2022/2023 TDR International Postgraduate Scholarship to study at the University of Ghana (UG) Legon.

TDR Postgraduate Scholarship

The Department of Social and Behavioral Sciences, School of Public Health at the University of Ghana, invites suitably qualified candidates to apply for a place in a full-time postgraduate programme with a focus on Implementation Research for the 2022–2023 academic year. Funding for these full scholarships is from TDR, the UNICEF/UNDP/World

Bank/WHO Special Programme for Research and Training in Tropical Diseases (https://tdr.who.int/). Only applicants from low and middle-income countries of the WHO African Region are eligible to apply.

The training will be focused on courses relevant to a career in implementation research on
infectious diseases of poverty, including neglected tropical diseases
(https://www.who.int/neglected_diseases/diseases/en/), malaria, TB/HIV and COVID-19.
Implementation research is a growing field that supports the identification of health system bottlenecks and approaches to address them, and is particularly useful in low- and middleincome countries where many health interventions do not reach those who need them the most.

The goal of this scheme is to enhance postgraduate training capacity and boost the number of researchers in low- and middle-income countries.

Further information on implementation research is available at https://tdr.who.int/home/ourwork/strengthening-research-capacity/implementation-research-training-materials

COVERAGE

The scheme provides scholarships for fulltime studies and is focused on courses relevant to a career in implementation research. Implementation research 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.  The goal of this scheme is to enhance graduate training capacity and boost the number of researchers in low and middle-income countries. The scholarship recipients will conduct their thesis projects on implementation research on infectious diseases of poverty, including neglected tropical diseases (NTDs), malaria and tuberculosis, in Ghana. Recipients will be enrolled as postgraduate students.

Further information on implementation research is available on the WHO TDR website at the following link: www.who.int/tdr/publications/topics/ir-toolkit/en/

STUDY AREAS

Scholarships will be offered for academic session 2022–2023, for a one-year Programme in Public Health, leading to an MPH degree or MSc. in Applied Health Social Science. The programmes are taught in English.

Master’s Degree Scholarships (12 months full-time)

i. Master’s in Public Health run by the Department of Social and Behavioral Sciences)
(12 months full-time)
ii. MSc. Applied Health Social Science (12 months full-time) run by the Department of
Social and Behavioral Sciences

For more information about the above-stated programmes, visit:
http://publichealth.ug.edu.gh/programmes/graduate-programmes

Recipients will be enrolled as postgraduate students and their careers will be tracked through the TDR Global which monitors the impact of the programme and provides networking and opportunities to increase visibility for students and alumni. The programme provides on-campus teaching, however, depending on regulations related to the COVID-19 pandemic, the course may be delivered through an online platform.

TDR Postgraduate Scholarship Eligibility

Applicants should:

• be resident in and nationals of a low- or middle-income country (as defined by the World
  Bank) in the WHO African Region;
• be under 35 years old at the time of application;
• meet the standard University of Ghana admission requirements for international or local graduate students (for postgraduate admission requirements at University of Ghana, visit the how to apply to postgraduate programmes page);
• be interested in developing a career in implementation research on infectious diseases of poverty;
• be proficient in English;
• provide evidence of ability to obtain study leave from employment (if applicable)
  before the commencement of the programme; and
• consent to meet health requirements in line with regulations of the Government
  of Ghana and the University of Ghana.

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.

The final selection of candidates would be done in conjunction with TDR, considering gender and geographic representation of candidates from the WHO African Region.

SCHOLARSHIP PACKAGE

The scholarship covers:

• one round-trip economy airfare between the student’s home country and Accra, Ghana;
• tuition and academic fees;
• basic medical and accident insurance;
• a monthly stipend to cover living expenses, including accommodation equivalent to local living costs; and
• support for research project/thesis expenses during data collection.

How to Apply for TDR Postgraduate Scholarship

To apply for the University of Ghana (Master of Public Health Programme or Master of Science Applied Health Social Science) TDR Postgraduate Scholarship in Implementation Research:

1. Step One (1): Click on the link and read more about the application requirement
processes, then click on “APPLY NOW” when you are ready to begin the process.
https://admission.ug.edu.gh/applying/postgraduate/how-apply-graduate-programmes

2. Step Two (2): Select the appropriate option (either “GHANAIAN APPLICANT” or
“INTERNATIONAL APPLICANT”, create an account, login and begin the application
process. Be sure to select either Master of Public Health or Msc. Applied Health Social
Science.

3. Step Three (3): Once the first two steps have been completed, click on the link
(https://apply.ug.edu.gh/admissions/tdr). Create an account and apply for the TDR
Postgraduate Scholarship in Implementation Research (2022 academic year). Be sure to
select either Master of Public Health (Social and Behavioral Science) or Msc. Applied
Health Social Science. Complete all fields and upload the required documents before
submitting.

Only applicants who have completed all three steps will be processed further.

Please note that an application for admission to the University of Ghana is a
requirement in order to be considered for the TDR Postgraduate Scholarship in
Implementation Research.

CALENDAR FOR APPLICATION

• Call for applications – 4 August 2022
• Admission portal opens – 5 August 2022
• Deadline for application for TDR Postgraduate scholarship – 9 September 2022
• Deadline for applications to University of Ghana – 9 September 2022
• Announcement of selection result – 8 October 2022

University of Ghana applications also close on 9 September 2022.

SELECTION

ONLY Shortlisted applications will be contacted for further assessment through interview.
Selected candidates will receive a letter of offer from the University of Ghana and will have seven (7) calendar days to confirm acceptance following notification of the offer. After this date it will be assumed that the student is unable to take up the scholarship.

The University of Ghana reserves the right to refuse or end attribution of the scholarship if any information provided in support of the application is false.

For more information on the scheme at the University of Ghana, please contact:

Pre- and Post-Award Services: [email protected]

Mr Joseph Aidoo, School Administrator, School of Public Health: [email protected]