WHO/TDR Postgraduate Scholarship in Implementation Science 2022 for Developing Countries

Published: 30 Jun 2021 4,782 views

The University of the Witwatersrand’s School of Public Health invites suitably qualified candidates to apply for a full-time funded Master Degree Programme in the field of Implementation Science. The scholarship is provided by TDR, the UNICEF/UNDP/World Bank/WHO Special Programme for Research and Training in Tropical Diseases – hosted at the World Health Organization in Geneva, Switzerland

The goal of the scheme is to enhance graduate training capacity in implementation research and boost the number of researchers in low- and middle-income countries. The focus is on implementation research on infectious diseases of poverty, including the neglected tropical diseases, malaria, tuberculosis, HIV/TB co-infection and COVID-19. The training isfocused on courses relevant to a career in implementation science. Implementation science 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. Further information on implementation research is available at:

https://tdr.who.int/home/ourwork/strengthening-research-capacity/implementation-research-training-materials and on neglected tropical diseases at https://www.who.int/teams/control-of-neglected-tropical-diseases.

WHO/TDR Masters Scholarship

Benefits of WHO/TDR Masters Scholarship

The scheme will provide full scholarships for Masters in the 2022 academic year and covers the
following:

• Return economy airfare between the candidate’s home country and Johannesburg, South Africa
• Tuition fees
• Basic medical and accident insurance
• Monthly stipend to cover living expenses, including accommodation
• Support for research project expenses

Further, recipients’ careers will be tracked with the new TDR Global alumni and stakeholder platform that will monitor the impact of the programme, as well as provide opportunities for networking and increased visibility opportunities for the Fellows.

Duration of Award: 18 months full-time

Requirements for WHO/TDR Masters Scholarship

Applicants should:

• Be resident in and a national of a low- or middle-income country1 in the WHO African Region
• Be under the age of 35.
• Be interested in developing a career in implementation research on infectious diseases of poverty.
• Be proficient in English.
• Meet the Programme’s requirements: http://www.wits.ac.za/publichealth/academicprogrammes/postgraduate/master-of-science-in-epidemiology/.

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.

Application Documents

The application for the TDR scholarship should be made separately in writing and should include 
the following documents:

• A letter of motivation for applying for the scholarship.
• A certified copy of the bio-data page of the applicant’s passport.
• Evidence of application to study Implementation Science as the field of study in the MSc 

Epidemiology Programme at University of the Witwatersrand’s School of Public Health 
commencing in January 2022.

• A comprehensive curriculum vitae, including a description of relevant research and work 

experience.

• Two confidential referee reports should be sent directly by the referees to:

[email protected] by 31 July 2021. The referee reports label 
MUST include the student’s name and application number.
The TDR Scholarship applications should be sent to: [email protected]

Application Deadline

How to Apply