Best postgraduate student oral presentation, College of Medicine - National Aids Commission of Malawi Research Dissemination Conference!

Herbert Longwe has won the best postgraduate student oral presentation at the joint College of Medicine – National Aids Commission of Malawi Research Dissemination Conference.  Longwe is a CARTA fellow of the University of Malawi, cohort 2.

Herbert Longwe

The event is an annual event hosted by the College of Medicine (CoM) to disseminate research findings by researchers from the College of Medicine, local research institutions and international collaborators.   This year, the event took place from November 22 -23 at Crossroads Hotel, Lilongwe. The theme of the conference was Towards 2015 'Success and Challenges of Health and HIV & AIDS Research in the Context of Millenium Goals'.  Longwe was happy to have won the award saying that the occasion was “Putting CARTA on the Map”

The University of the Witwatersrand graduates two CARTA PhD fellows

https://www.facebook.com/CARTAfrica2013

CARTA visits the African Network for Agriculture, Agroforestry and Natural Resources Education ANAFE

CARTA and ANAFE staff.  Seated on the front, Ms. Machiya (left) and Dr. Yaye 

A team of CARTA staff paid a visit to the African Network for Agriculture, Agroforestry and Natural Resources Education (ANAFE) on October 29, 2013.  ANAFE is a network of 134 member institutions (universities and colleges) in 35 African countries teaching agriculture and natural resource sciences.  ANAFE is supported by the World Agroforestry Centre (ICRAF) and Sida.

The visit was to learn ANAFE’s approach on Result Based Management (RBM) framework and understand ways in which the framework contributes to effective outcome reporting for ANAFE. It aimed at promoting cross learning among Sida supported institutions and also to develop synergies and interrogate possible areas of collaboration given the similarities between CARTA and ANAFE. 

ANAFE was represented by Dr Aissetou Drama Yaye,  the Executive Secretary, James Aucha, the Programme Officer and Alfred Oduor, Communications Officer.  CARTA team included Mercy Machiya, the Program Manager, Makau Ngola, Communications Officer and Thomas Yebei, Monitoring and Evaluation Officer. Dr Yaye gave an historical background of ANAFE and the relationship ANAFE has with different funders among them Sida. The discussions focused on Sida’s engagement with ANAFE in development of the ANAFE RBM framework.

Dr Yaye gave a detailed account of the steps taken in the development of the ANAFE RBM citing the invaluable guidance given by Associates for International Management Services (AIMS).  She noted that AIMS worked hand in hand with ANAFE to finalize the RBM which was approved by Sida. At the end of the meeting, it was agreed that both ANAFE and CARTA should continue collaborating on the RBM towards the finalization for the CARTA RBM

Andrea Johnson, Program Officer, Carnegie Corporation of New York visits CARTA

Andrea Johnson, Program Officer, Carnegie Corporation of New York, Higher Education and Libraries in Africa, paid a courtesy call to the CARTA Program on November 2013.  Ms. Johnson met with the CARTA staff who briefed her on the activities, achievements, challenges and lessons learned in the implementation of the CARTA Program.  She commented the CARTA Program, noting that it was on course in achieving its objectives as seen by the impact the Program had in its institutions.  CARTA has enrolled 91 PhD fellows well within its stated objective, she noted.

Ms. Johnson (Second from Right) in a discussion with CARTA staff, November 2013.

CARTA staff presented the next Phase of the Program which would require donor support in securing the future of CARTA PhD graduates by offering further opportunities such as re-entry grants and postdoctoral fellowships.  Ms. Johnson was impressed by plans CARTA had for its graduates. She shared with CARTA, Carnegie’s focus areas of assistance. CARTA promised to reprogram its future activities to  continue benefiting from Carnegie’s support.

Joint Advanced Seminar 2 (JAS 2), University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg on November 18 - December 12, 2013.

CARTA Cohort 3 started their Joint Advanced Seminar 2 (JAS 2) at the University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg on November 18, 2013.  JAS-2 focuses on data management and analysis. Fellows will learn how to use software packages for qualitative and quantitative data management and analyses.  Practice sessions will be provided where fellows will be introduced use of real research data employing current software packages.

Some Cohort 3 Fellows during JAS 1,Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, March 2013

JAS 2 will run for four weeks, ending on December 12, 2013. It is being coordinated by leading facilitators drawn from CARTA partner institutions and coordinated by the University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa.  JAS 2 for cohort 3 is attended by 23 fellows from CARTA partner institutions.

Earlier in the year, cohort 3 fellows had met in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania for JAS 1 where they were taken through learning sessions to build on their critical thinking, enhance technical skills, and other core research competencies.  They were introduced essential concepts and seminal articles in the areas of population and health.

JAS 2 will be followed by JAS 3 in 2015 and JAS 4 IN 2016

Varsity marks International Open Access Week

More PhDs needed in Kenyan universities

http://mobile.nation.co.ke/blogs/More-PhDs-needed-in-Kenyan-universities/-/1949942/2049202/-/format/xhtml/-/h4msk6z/-/index.html

CARTA at the 6th MIM Pan-African Malaria Conference, Durban, South Africa

Victoria (center) discussing issues with
Celine Niwemahoro (left) and Nicole Dewet, at Ibadan,
Nigeria, July, 2013

The 6^th MIM Pan-African Malaria Conference took place from October, 6-11, 2013, at the International Convention Centre, Durban, South Africa.  The theme of the conference was "Moving towards malaria elimination: Investing in research and control". CARTA was fortunate to be represented by Sharon Fonn and two fellows who made a poster presentation at the conference.  Victoria Mwakalinga, cohort 1 and Herbert Longwe, cohort 2, presented a poster each.  For a full report of the 6^th MIM Pan-African Malaria Conference, click here.

CARTA PhD fellowships 2013/14

The admission period has ended for the 2013-2014 CARTA Fellowship Award.  Successful Candidates will be notified by 31 October 2013. For more information contact the Program Manager on carta@aphrc.org.

Moi Varsity VC Wins Top Award - Impact Research and Science in Africa Award

Moi Varsity VC Wins Top Award, Click here for the full story

Prof. Richard Mibey with Dr. Diana Menya, Moi University, during CARTA Vice Chancellors' Meeting, Wits, Johannesburg, South Africa, November 2012.

CARTA gets a Program Manager

Ms. Mercy Machiya

Ms. Mercy Machiya has joined CARTA as the Program Manager.  Before now, Ms. Machiya worked as a Program Director at the Leadership Centre, Namibia. She had also worked with the Mananga Management Centre in Swaziland  as a Manager for Marketing and New Projects.  Ms. Machiya's brings to CARTA, a wealth of  international experience spanning    two decades.    She has recorded impressive achievements in Project Management, Monitoring and Evaluation, Leadership and Institutional Capacity Development. 

Mercy holds an MBA from the College of Management of South Africa, (MANCOSA), a Post Graduate Diploma in Health Services Management of the Ministry of Higher Education Zimbabwe, a Post Graduate Certificate in Management, Nottingham Trent University, UK and a Certificate in Public Relations, College of Communication and Journalism, Zimbabwe.  The CARTA Secretariat is honored to have Mercy on board.

Another PhD for CARTA - Good news for the CARTA PhD fellowship.

Dr. Nicole de Wet

Dr. Nicole De Wet has successfully defended her PhD. She becomes the second CARTA fellow to attain a PhD under the CARTA Program.  Dr. Sulaimon Taiwo Adedokun had made history by being the first fellow under CARTA to  do so.

The news of the results of the defense were been greeted by both staff and students at the University of the Witwatersrand with glee.  “All hail Dr. Nicole de Wet! Our Nicole is now a Doctor…Congrats to Nicole”.. wrote Prof. Clifford Odimegwu.   Nicole is attending the 27th session of the International Union for the Scientific Study of Population (IUSSP) International Population Conference, Busan, Korea.  The CARTA Secretariat, led by the Director Dr. Alex Ezeh,  who is also at the 27th IUSSP Conference congratulated Nicole for the achievement.

African scientists challenged to focus on needs of respective societies

WorldStage Newsonline-- The President of the Nigerian Academy of Science, Prof Oyewale Tomori on Tuesday challenged scientists in Africa to identify and work on the needs of their respective societies to make them relevant and enhance the living standard of the citizenry.

Click here to read more

The Top 3 Public Health Trends Across Africa - Forbes Interviews Alex Ezeh

The Top 3 Public Health Trends Across Africa

Editor’s Note: In advance of the many health-related discussions to take place in September at the Clinton Global Initiative, the Social Good Summit, UN week and other such events, the Skoll World Forum asked some of the world’s leading voices in global health to paint a comprehensive picture of key trends, challenges and opportunities to realizing healthcare access and treatment around the world. A new piece will be posted everyday through Friday, and you can view the entire series here.

Click here to follow Alex's interview with the Forbes

A CARTA Fellow has Finished his PhD Studies

Mr. Adedokun Sulaimon Taiwo  

Cohort 1 (2010) CARTA fellow Dr. Adedokun Sulaimon Taiwo of Obafemi Awolowo University(OAU), Ile Ife, Department of Demography and Social Statistics successfully defended his thesis.  Dr. Sulaimon’s  thesis entitled “Comparative analysis of the factors accounting for under-five mortality differentials in Northeast and Southwest of Nigeria”,  was approved by the Postgraduate College and the University Senate.

The good news reached CARTA in a message from the Head of Department Prof P.O. Ogunjuyigbe who thanked  CARTA for granting Adedokun a fellowship, it read “The Department is grateful for the fellowship and support the candidate received from CARTA which has immensely assisted the candidate in the pursuit of the Ph.D Degree programme.”  CARTA is very delighted with the good news of Dr. Sulaimon’s achievement. 

The Director of CARTA Dr. Alex Ezeh expressed his happiness on receiving the news and thanked Prof. Ogunjuyigbe  and OAU for the support they continue to accord to CARTA fellows and the CARTA program.  He urged Dr. Sulaimon to move into the next level in his career as a researcher who fully embodies all the CARTA aspirations.  CARTA Deputy Director Prof. Sharon Fonn of the University of the Witwatersrand, noted Adedukon’s studiousness and congratulated him on his achievement. Prof. Fonn wrote “He was a very engaged student, so I am pleased ….well done.”

Experiences of a CARTA fellow - Sunday Adedini

My name is Sunday Adedini, a Lecturer in the Department of Demography and Social Statistics, Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Nigeria. I have B.Sc. and M.Sc. degrees in demography from Obafemi Awolowo University, Nigeria. I am currently undergoing doctoral training in Demography and Population Studies at the University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa. My broad research focus is on the area of child health, reproductive health and mortality studies; with particular interest in social and health inequalities as well as the effects of neighborhood contexts on health metrix. Area of expertise includes data collection and analysis with the use of statistical software such as Stata, SPSS, Epi Info, MortPark and Excel.  Although, there are other PhD fellowship programs, I chose to apply for the CARTA PhD Fellowship for a number of reasons. First, when the call for CARTA PhD Fellowship for cohort 1 was announced in 2010, the requirements for the Fellowship really made me felt that the Fellowship is designed particularly for a person like me. These requirements include:
i) a possession of Masters degree in a relevant field,
ii) applicants must be willing to undertake PhD research in the area of population and public health,
iii) eligible applicants must be teaching or research staff in one of the nine participating universities or in one of the four participating research institutes, and
iv) eligible applicant must undergo his/her doctoral training at one of the nine participating universities in Africa.
I saw myself as a candidate for whom the CARTA Fellowship has been designed, particularly because I teach at the Obafemi Awolowo University and, by then my M.Sc. results had just been approved and I was seeking admission into the University of the Witwatersrand to pursue a PhD degree in Demography and Population Studies. This really gave me the impetus to undergo the rigorous pre-JAS competence tasks, which I benefited immensely from. Second, I preferred CARTA Fellowship to other PhD Fellowships because the components of the CARTA program include exposing students to important didactic seminars to build fellows’ conceptual, methodological and analytical skills. Third, the CARTA program encourages and creates atmosphere for collaborations among Fellows. Additionally, the CARTA program provides financial supports for Fellows. For this reason I chose to be a full time student and I managed the resources available to me.
CARTA’s aims include training and retention of well-equipped scholars who could build capacity at African universities. My hope and aspirations include working towards realizing this objective by contributing my own quota towards building capacity at my home institution. Besides, it is my dream to contribute my own small quota towards solving many developmental problems facing sub-Saharan Africa in general and Nigeria in particular, through collaborative policy-relevant and innovative researches in the area of population and public health.

With respect to progress made in my on-going PhD studies, my proposal was approved by the Faculty’s Graduate Studies Committee during the first year of my studies. The second year of my program was devoted to data managements and analyses. Some preliminary findings from my studies have been presented in a number of conferences. These include African Population Conference of the Union for Africa Population Studies (UAPS), annual meeting of the Population Association of America (PAA) and Asian Population Conference of the Asian Population Association (APA). In addition, three abstracts based on my PhD studies have been accepted for presentations (two for oral and the other one for postal) at the forthcoming International Population Conference of the International Union for the Scientific Study of Population. Also, three manuscripts based on my PhD thesis are currently under review in three different ISI listed journals.
This PhD program has not been without its sacrifices and hitches. The first sacrifice involves being away from my family for so long. This of course afforded me the opportunity of having full concentration on my studies. I have been a triangular student, commuting in-between three places – room, classroom and church. I did not create time for much social activities. This is deliberate because I know once I finish my PhD studies; there will always be time for social activities. The second hitch I encountered concerns my health. This is because I overworked myself and my average sleeping time per day reduced drastically. This affected me a bit during the first year of my studies. I remember that sometimes around August 2011, I could not close my eyes in sleep for good four days. When I consulted with my doctor, I was told that I had been denying myself enough sleep, so the body was getting used to sleeplessness. The doctor was afraid that I must have developed high blood pressure (BP) considering that I did not sleep at all for complete four days. After medical examination, the doctor eventually found that my BP was normal. After this episode I had to increase my average sleeping time to around 5 hours per day.

Additional useful information is that, in the course of my studies, I discovered that developing excellent working relationship with supervisors is crucial to successful completion of PhD studies. Having understanding early enough that supervisors’ criticisms are not meant to mar but to make one successful is  key to success of a PhD program. From time to time I receive constructive criticisms, appropriate and prompt feedback from my supervisor. I also have the opportunity of promptly attending to supervisor’s comments.

Finally, with the help of God, I know that as I continue to do my parts with enthusiasm and all seriousness, my supervisor will do his parts, and it will be a matter of little more time when I will be done with my PhD studies.

Sulaimon A. AfolabI shares his experience as a CARTA fellow

Human Interest Story of Afolabi S.A. for CARTA

1.      Introduce yourself, your institution, your research area etc.

I am Sulaimon A. Afolabi, a doctoral candidate in the department of Demography and Population Studies, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg. I am a staff member of the Medical Research Council/Wits Rural Public Health & Health Transitions Research Unit also known as the Agincourt Health and Demographic Surveillance System Site. My research interest is mainly on the components of population change namely migration, mortality and fertility and their impact on the health and well-being of the populace.

2.      There are other PhD fellowships, what made you prefer to apply to the CARTA PhD fellowships?

It inculcates research capacity development especially in my field of interest i.e. population and health. Also, it promotes collaboration and networking among the fellows. It exposes the fellow to the crème de la crème in the field of population and health research.

3.      What are your hopes and dreams in the CARTA PhD program?

I hope to garner the necessary expertise to finish my doctoral program and afterwards apply the acquired skill to proffer solution to the population and health challenges being faced in sub-Saharan Africa. In future, I envisage mentoring and nurturing upcoming researchers. This may entail the replication of the CARTA program. More importantly, I dream of becoming an outstanding researcher in my field of endeavour.

4.      What is so endearing to you in CARTA?

It avails me the opportunity to network and collaborate with scholars from other institutions in Africa and beyond. It provides array of knowledge, scholarship and other opportunities being disseminated from the secretariat. Being a CARTA fellow gives an identity that can boost one’s credibility, recognition most especially when it comes to seeking for research grants.

5.      Do you have some personal experiences with CARTA that you would want to share to encourage others to also become CARTA fellows

Whenever I present my challenges and concerns to the CARTA management, they try as much as possible to address them.

6.      What progress have you made so far in your PhD studies? Have you defended your proposal, have you done publications from your PhD work etc

My proposal has been approved by my institution. Hence, I can continue with my research. Currently, I am at the thesis writing stage. Meanwhile, I have presented my work at the 2012 edition of the Population Association America (PAA) conference in San Francisco, USA and I will be doing the same in Busan, South Korean at the 2013 edition of the International Union for the Scientific Study of Population (IUSSP) conference

7.      It is common knowledge that not everything is without hitches/sacrifices, kindly share these with me so that I can bring them out for people to be prepared to also face the same as they take up the CARTA program.

My arduous challenge is in attempting to carve out time out of no time for my research. Nevertheless, I have taken a clue from one of the sayings of the late Martin Luther King, which goes thus, "If you cannot fly then run, if you cannot run then walk, if you cannot walk then crawl, but whatever you do you have to keep moving forward."

Simbarashe Takuva appointed to the Editorial Board of the Pan African Medical Journal (PAMJ).

Simbarashe Takuva

Simbarasha Takuva, a cohort 2 (2012) fellow has been appointed a member of the editorial board of the Pan African Medical Journal (PAMJ). http://www.panafrican-med-journal.com/eboard.php  Simba, as he is popularly known, will join other distinguished and reknowned researchers and scientists from all over the world to oversee PAMJ publication activities. 

Simba is registered at the University of the Witwatersrand as a PhD student and does research at the Centre for HIV and STIs, National Institute for Communicable Diseases, South Africa.  Simba’s editorial skills and grasp of issues and ideas in his specialization have seen him land an Invitation to be a reviewer of submitted abstracts for the upcoming International Conference of AIDS and STIs in Africa (ICASA) to be held in Cape Town, South Africa, 07-11 December 2013.

Melvin Ojo Agunbiade at the 63rd Annual Meeting of the Society for the Study of Social Problems(SSSP).

Melvin Ojo Agunbiade 

Melvin Ojo Agunbiade of the Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU) and a cohort 3 (2012) fellow will  be presenting an oral paper entitled “Sexual exploitations, Concealment and Adolescent mothers’ Agency in a Semi-Urban Community in Southwest Nigeria” at the 63rd Annual Meeting of the Society for the Study of Social Problems (SSSP). The conference is scheduled for August 9-11, 2013 in New York, United States.  Melvin received a a partial funding from the Lee Scholar Support Fund.  to support his travel arrangements.

9 CARTA Universities among top 100 Africa best universities.

All the 9 CARTA universities have made it to the Africa’s top 100 Universities according to the World University Web Ranking 2013.  The ranking gives an indication of the web presence, visibility and web access of the featured universities and aims at promoting open access publication of scientific results.  In 2013, all 9 CARTA universities featured among 100 Africa best universities led by Wits and the University of Dar es Salaam, Tanzania.  Here is the full list of the universities, their position and the overall position in Africa.

Position	Position in Africa	University	Country
1	5	University of the Witwatersrand	South Africa
2	6	University of Dar es Salaam	Tanzania
3	10	Makerere University	Uganda
4	17	University of Nairobi	Kenya
5	23	University of Ibadan	Nigeria
6	31	Obafemi Awolowo University	Nigeria
7	40	National University of Rwanda (Université Nationale du Rwanda)	Rwanda
8	65	University of Malawi	Malawi
9	85	Moi University	Kenya

Scientific Symposium for Emerging Scholars in Health, July 15 -17, Nairobi, Kenya.

Five CARTA fellows have been selected to make presentations at the Scientific Symposium for Emerging Scholars in Health, from July 15 -17,in Nairobi, Kenya. The symposium is organized by the  African Population and Health Research Center (APHRC)  It will bring together past and current African Doctoral Dissertation Research Fellowship (ADDRF) Program awardees, administered by APHRC,  and other researchers in the region to share research findings, network, and learn collaboratively. There will be both oral and poster presentations in health systems research as well as public and population health research.

Dieudonne Uwizeye, a cohort 1 fellow will make two poster presentations entitled  “Neighbourhood conditions determine diarrhoeal risks in Huye urban informal settlements in Rwanda” and ”Primary healthcare at home for diarrhoea patients: Experience of Huye urban informal settlements in Rwanda’.

Joel Olayiwola Faronbi who is in cohort 3 will make a poster presentation entitled “‘Perceived health and social need and access to health care among elderly in a rural community in South West, Nigeria”.  He will also do an oral presentation entitled “Perception, occurrence and prevention of elderly abuse among residents of Owo, Ondo State Nigeria”.

Mphatso Kamndaya, a cohort 1 fellow will make an oral presentation entitled “Material deprivation and youth sexual behavior in urban informal settlements, Malawi: Preliminary findings”.
Peter Mamtobe is in cohort 2 and will do an oral presentation entitled “ Impact of multi-intervention campaigns on the malaria epidemics in Malawi”.

Taofeek Awotidebe, a cohort 1 fellow, will make an oral presentation  entitled “Effect of cardiac rehabilitation exercise of physical function in patients with chronic heart failure” and present a poster entitled “ Assessment of health-related quality of life, socio-economic status and physical activity in apparently healthy adults”.

The symposium features pre conference workshops where participants will learn effective presentation and public speaking, research leadership and management, academic supervision and mentorship, media engagement and research communication tools development, grant proposal development, and be introduced to  health systems research.

Two CARTA Fellows Invited to the Graduate Program in Development (GPD) of the Brown University, USA

Evaline Mcharo

Two CARTA fellows have been invited to the Graduate Program in Development (GDP) of the Brown University, United States of America.  Evaline Mcharo, a CARTA fellow cohort 2 was the first to hear of her invitation, followed by Sulaimon Taiwo Adedokun, cohort 1 fellow from the Obafemi Awolowo University, Nigeria.  Evaline is from the University of Dar es Salaam, Tanzania and is a registered PhD student of the University of Nairobi.

Sulaimon Taiwo Adedokun

Brown University Resources.
For four months while at the Brown University, both CARTA fellows will participate in all GPD activities, will take classes offered by GDP along with other classes that may be of interest to them, however, they will be required to take a course entitled – Theory and Research in Development. In addition, They will have full access to Brown's libraries and electronic resources.

Attendance.
Evaline and Sulaimon will attend Brown University at different semesters.  Evaline will be at Brown University during the Fall Semester which begins September 4 and ends December 12, 2013, while Sulaimon will take his call during the Spring Semester from January 22 to May 16, 2014.

Evaline and Sulaimon were chosen from a large group of CARTA fellows who had submitted their applications for placement.  Evaline wrote to CARTA to break the good news saying that “Thank you very much for you efforts to help CARTA FELLOWS”.  Sulaimon thanked CARTA for the opportunity terming it rare and wonderful and promised to make maximum use of it. CARTA is pleased by Brown University’s call to both Evaline and Sulaimon.  

9th PHASA conference and the inaugural conference of the AFPHA

The 9th Public Health Association of South Africa (PHASA) conference and the inaugural conference of the African Federation of Public Health Associations (AFPHA) will be held jointly in Cape Town, South Africa, from 24 -27 September 2013.

Conference venue
Cape Town International Convention Centre, Cape Town, South Africa

Theme
Africa’s Public Health Legacy - Beyond the MDGs

Target audience
The target audience is policy makers, public health academics and students, health professionals, health service managers and individuals from non-governmental and community-based health organisations.

Click here for more details

Sub-Regional Methodology Workshops for Social Research in Africa 2013 Session for East and Southern Africa

CODESRIA

Sub-Regional Methodology Workshops for Social Research in Africa

2013 Session for East and Southern Africa

Theme: Fields and Theories of Qualitative Research

Date:  23 – 27 September 2013

Venue: Nairobi, Kenya

Call for Applications

Introduction

One of the major weaknesses of contemporary social research in and about Africa is its lack of careful attention to epistemological and methodological issues. This weakness has made itself manifest at a time when the increasing complexities of the social dynamics that shape livelihood on the continent and the wider global context call for a greater investment of effort in the refinement of the procedures and instruments of investigation and analyses, with a view to achieving a more accurate and holistic assessment of rapidly changing realities. But instead of such an investment of effort, we are increasingly witnessing an astonishing neglect or misapplication of theory and method on such a scale and with such a frequency that calls for intervention.

     At one level, the neglect that has taken place has comprised a serious trivialisation of basic research protocols and their reduction to a fetishistic evocation of superficial recommendations, thinly disguised with ritualistic appeals to rigour that are not reflected in the analyses undertaken. At another level, methodological issues have simply been instrumentalised in ways that ensure that narrow ideological considerations and pre-determined outcomes take precedence over science. Furthermore, it is not uncommon nowadays to come across studies in which methodological questions are outrightly ignored in the name of an alleged specificity or immediacy that amounts to the exclusion of African social realities from universal debates on the validity of scientific frames of analyses. The result is that in those debates, studies produced on Africa come across as a mix of purely literary discourses without an empirical anchorage, or anecdotes hidden under a “scholarly” discourse that is not only pretentious but also vacuous. Consequently, the knowledge produced is bereft of heuristic value and simply becomes an element that, wittingly or unwittingly, justifies a predetermined set of economic, political and social policies.

     This is clearly not an acceptable state of affairs, even if only because it impoverishes African social research. It is, therefore, high time that the social research community revisited and discussed the methodological foundations of current knowledge about Africa in order to, first, put an end to scientific impunity as it manifests itself within and outside Africa, and then, give a new impulse to the African social sciences through support programmes targeted at younger researchers.

The future of young social researchers begins with an excellent mastery of core research processes and their patient application to concrete situations as demanded by their work in the field, the archives and the library. Unfortunately, the combination of the prolonged crises in African higher education systems and the poor example set in the writings of an increasing number of Africanists, who have succumbed to the temptation to take liberties with methodological rigour, mean that younger African researchers are poorly served in matters of training for independent social research. It is for this reason that CODESRIA has decided to take young African researchers through workshops on epistemological and methodological issues in social research, designed to fill the gaps in their formal and informal training. The workshops are meant to serve as a critical space that would offer experience-sharing in the basic epistemological and empirical prerequisites for rigorous scientific imagination. The workshops will not only offer insights into the current state of the art but also provide an occasion for a critical review of contemporary research procedures, tools and theories as seen from an African perspective. The major question which the workshops will address can be summarised as follows:

How can the researcher productively establish a link between dominant theoretical approaches and concrete situations in the field whilst simultaneously taking into account the state of knowledge, the techniques to be mobilised, and the evolution of African societies?

In answering this question, the workshops will privilege qualitative research methods and tools on the basic premise that the popular tendency to oppose quantitative and qualitative methods is due to a wrong assumption that the former offers an exactness and “hardness” which the latter is supposedly too “soft” and “fickle” to match. Without diminishing the importance of quantitative research and methods, participants in the workshops will be encouraged to explore qualitative methods of capturing African social dynamics which do not always or often find expression, fully or partially, in figures and which are, therefore, lost to those who are wedded to rigid and exclusively quantitative approaches.

Organisation

The 2013 session of the CODESRIA sub-regional methodological workshops will explore the conditions for the employment and validation of qualitative perspectives in African contexts. To this end, the workshops will be open to all the social research disciplines. These disciplines are uniformly confronted with broadly similar difficulties of understanding social reality and the challenges posed by techniques of data collection and analysis, which, on account of their “qualitative” nature, are suspected by some to be seriously lacking in scientific rigour. Each workshop will have the following concerns at its core:

1.  A critical assessment of the distinction between “quantitative” and “qualitative” research with particular attention to the question of measurement in the social sciences. Participants will be taken through presentations and exercises aimed at showing that the mode of processing data that is collected depends both on the field constraints encountered and the paradigmatic options of data interpretation that are available. The procedures for the “quantification” of “qualitative” approaches will also be reviewed through discussions on the distinction between the non-metrical and “comprehensive” presentation of data and the more mathematical renditions favoured by the quantitativists.

2.  A presentation of the methodological principles of “object construction” which enables the researcher to transcend the illusions of immediate knowledge and undertake a hypothetical reconstruction of social reality. This demands that the status of the researcher, as well as the systematic role of theories and tools be subjected to intense epistemological control.

3. An assessment of various techniques of data collection and “fact-finding” instruments    available to the researcher. The usual tools of qualitative research such as interviews, observation, archival studies, and the less usual ones such as photography, will be reviewed, so as to locate their potentiality for construction of successful research projects.

Eligibility

The East and Southern Africa edition of the methodology workshops is designed for doctoral and masters students and young, mid-career African researchers resident in East and Southern Africa.

Working Language

The language to be employed during the workshop is English.

Co-ordination

The workshop will be directed by a senior scholar who will work as the scientific coordinator, assisted by a team of two lecturers, all with an acknowledged expertise in the application of social science research methods. Senior researchers who would like to be considered for a role as resource persons are hereby invited to send their applications, indicating their interest, with their current CVs and outlines of issues they would like to cover in three lectures. The outlines submitted should be detailed enough to enable the scientific coordinator of the workshop to compile a syllabus for the guidance of the resource persons and laureates. Apart from the actual preparation of lectures and field visits, the resource persons will also be expected to submit a bibliographic list of texts relevant to the theme of the workshop and which can be made available to the laureates.

Application Procedures

Scholars and younger, mid-career researchers who wish to be considered for participation in the workshop, are hereby required to each submit an application that should comprise the following:

1. A letter of motivation which should also clearly indicate the area of research or topic on which they are working;

2. A statement of their research project (maximum of three to five pages) stating clearly the problematic that is being addressed, the kinds of field research to be undertaken, the theoretical and methodological

framework being used, as well as the methodological and epistemological problems encountered;

3. A detailed and up-to-date curriculum vitae;

4. Two reference letters, one of which must be from the thesis supervisor and the other from the head of the department in which the applicant is registered. The reference letter from the supervisor is expected to address the relevance of the research project, the state of progress of the research and the theoretical and methodological approaches used, as well as the results expected. The reference letter from the head of the department is expected to attest to the qualities and academic potential of the candidate; and

5. A letter confirming the institutional affiliation of the applicant.

6. A copy of the passport

Oral Presentation

All selected applicants will be expected to give a presentation on their proposals to resource persons and other laureates during the methodology workshop.

Applications will be selected on basis of the innovative nature of the research question being addressed, a commitment to gender balance that is central to CODESRIA’s institutional strategy, and the desire for a geographical diversity that will, in itself, constitute an important aspect of the learning experience at the workshops. All applications, accompanied by all required documents must reach the address below, latest by 28 June, 2013: 

CODESRIA Sub-Regional Methodology Workshops

(2013 Session for East and Southern Africa)

CODESRIA

P.O. Box: 3304, Dakar, CP 18524 – Senegal.

Tél.: +221-33 825.98.22/23 — Fax: +221-33 824.12.89

E-mail: methodological.workshop@codesria.sn

Web site: http://www.codesria.org/

Facebook :http://www.facebook.com/pages/CODESRIA/181817969495

Twitter :http://twitter.com/codesria

Call for Applications for 2013-14 CIHR Fellows in Public Health Policy and Collaborative Program in Public Health Policy Students

Call for Applications for 2013-14 CIHR Fellows in Public Health Policy and Collaborative Program in Public Health Policy Students

 Application Deadline: Friday, March 22^nd, 2013

The CIHR Strategic Training Program in Public Health Policy and the Collaborative Program in Public Health Policy provides an exciting opportunity for students and postdoctoral fellows to learn about the complex tasks demanded by public health policymaking.  The primary objectives of the programs are:

1.   To build capacity in public health policy research and practice;

2.   To provide students and postdoctoral fellows with an environment that support learning across disciplines and substantive areas;

3.   To foster collaborative research in public health policy; and

4.   To contribute to more effective public health policy through collaborations with government and voluntary-sector public health policy leaders.

Students and postdoctoral fellows will acquire the necessary knowledge, skills and experience related to public health policy through the following program components:  

·       Required courses in public health policy

·       Monthly public health policy rounds

In addition, students involved in the Fellowship program will also participate in:

·       Annual training institutes

·       Training and Research Pods

·       Executive exchanges and interchanges

·       Public forums and/or other knowledge exchange activities with the community

Eligibility criteria:

·         Acceptance in a graduate-level program in a Department, School or Faculty at the University of Toronto, or post doctoral position at the University of Toronto or affiliated research unit/hospital

·         An existing or proposed training and research focus in public health policy

Funding available for the CIHR Strategic Training Program in Public Health Policy:

·         Masters level Fellows: up to $17,850, renewable for up to one additional year

·         Doctoral level Fellows: up to $17,850, renewable for up to three additional years

·         Post doctoral Fellows: up to $36,750, renewable for up to one additional year

·         Fellows already receiving funding from other sources may qualify for STIHR funding up to $2000.  

For additional information about the CIHR Fellowship in Public Health Policy and the Collaborative Program in Public Health Policy please visit our website at:  www.publichealthpolicy.utoronto.ca  OR contact us by email at: publichealthpolicy@utoronto.ca