Program Description
Phase 1. Core Curriculum: The Core Curriculum is taught at the African partner institutions and brings together each new cohort of African and U.S. trainees. The Core Curriculum consists of eight one-week didactic modules shown in the table below. In addition, four “distance learning” modules are completed by Fellows during their time at their Attachment Sites. These are: (ix) Program Management; (x) Responsible Conduct of Research; (xi) Research (Essentials of Epidemiology and Biostatistics); and (xii) HIV/AIDS as a Global Health Challenge.
Phase 2. Attachment Site Rotations: Attachment Sites are organizations that serve as the basis for experiential learning internships for fellows in our African partner countries. Working very closely with the consortium, these organizations include both governmental (Ministries of Health) and non-governmental organizations (NGOs), and other international health organizations such as CDC, USAID and WHO,and Universities.
Two four-and-a-half-month Attachment Site Rotations take place after the first and second Didactic Blocks. During these rotations, Fellows conduct independent projects at the same organization or (in some instances) at two different organizations. A matching system is used to pair fellows to sites that best reflect their interests and skills. Potential areas of focus include: Clinical research; Public health and disease prevention; Health policy formulation; Health systems research; Implementation science; and Program management and evaluation.
Phase 3. Post-fellowship networking: Alumni of the program are encouraged to network with other alumni and members of the Working Group, to provide assistance, advice, and support in their ongong career activities.
MODULES
This section contains materials for the 12 teaching modules that will be presented during the fellowship. Some of these teaching materials are mainly “self-contained” but most are supplemented by live teaching sessions some of which are presented via the internet. Some modules have references that are in separate files. Instructions about each module will be provided as they are presented. The 12 modules are listed below: those that are distance learning are marked “DL”. Click on title for materials.
- Leadership- Leadership Skills Program, Managers Who Lead
- Communications - Communications
- Monitoring and Evaluation - Monitoring and Evaluation
- Responsible Conduct of Research (Distance Learning) - RCR Description, RCR Reference Manual, RCR References
- HIV/AIDS (Distance Learning) - HIV/AIDS as a Global Health Challenge
- Grant Writing - Effective Grant Writing
- Implementation Science - Implementation Science and Health Systems Research Module
- Health Informatics - Health Informatics
- Research Methods (Distance Learning) - Research Methods
- Project Management (Distance Learning) - Project Management
- Human Resources and Budget Management - Human Resources and Budget Management
- Health Policy - Global Health Policy and Governance
MENTORING
Effective mentoring is critical to the success of the Afya Bora fellowship. Each Fellow will be assigned a primary mentor, who is a member of the Working Group that operates the fellowship. In addition, each Fellow will have a Site Mentor, a senior supervisor at her/his Attachment Site. Also, additional technical experts may be included in the mentoring team. The role and responsibilities of both mentors and mentees are set forth in several documents below. Also, there will be orientation sessions for both Fellows and mentors at the outset of each fellowship year.
FINAL REPORTS
At the completion of their training, Fellows are required to write two Final Reports: a Program Report that provides a summary of the Fellow’s project and a Personal Reflections report where the Fellow comments about what she/he learned from the Fellowship.
MONITORING AND EVALUATION
The Afya Bora Consortium Fellowship program includes a robust monitoring and evaluation component that serves to provide real-time feedback for quality improvement. The Afya Bora monitoring and evaluation is led by I TECH (International Training and Education Center for Health). During the recruitment and selection process, data are collected using an applicant tracking system, recruitment progress notes, and interviews with key program staff. Once the fellowship has begun, Fellows provide feedback on all training modules and embedded evaluators supplement these data with objective observations.
At the Attachment Sites, fellows complete bi-weekly journal entries describing their experiences and interactions with mentors. At the completion of Attachment Site rotations, both mentors and mentees complete evaluations. Finally, at the end of the fellowship Fellows submit a final evaluation of the program as a whole. These methods, in addition to interviews with working group members and curriculum analyses, guide the working group decision-making process. Bi-annual surveys will conducted with fellowship alumni to document their career trajectories and to assess longer term impacts of the program.
Prospective Trainees
There are 20 positions available for health professionals interested in a 12-month fellowship (starting July 2017) in one of our African partner countries (Botswana, Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda and Cameroon).
The Afya Bora Fellowship will provide trainees with a set of practical skills that will prepare them for leadership positions in government, non-government, and academic health institutions in developing countries.
The 12 month training program has 2 components:
A eight-week core curriculum, plus four distance learning modules
Two 4.5 month assignments to sites, such as Ministries of Health, NGOs, etc. in partner African countries.
ELIGIBILITY
- In order to be eligible to apply all applicants MUST meet the following criteria:
- Be a citizen or permanent resident of Botswana, Cameroon, Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda or the US
AND
- Meet ONE of the following education requirements
- Medical applicants need to have a M.D. or MBChB with a MMed or Masters degree in related field.
- Nursing applicants need to have a Masters degree in nursing, public health or a related field (PhD preferred), or substantial work experience.
- Other public health professionals (those without a clinical degree) must have a Doctoral degree in public health or a related field.
What is the timeline for the application process?
- December - Application Due
Applications received prior to the deadline will be reviewed and applicants may be accepted on a rolling basis. Therefore, applicants are encouraged to submit their applications as early as possible. - March - Notification of Acceptance
Accepted applicants will be notified. - Late June – New Trainee Orientation in Africa
New trainee participants will be brought together for a 2-day orientation. Immediately following orientation are three 1-week course modules that will also be held in the same country.
To APPLY ONLINE click "Further official information" below and fill the application form.