Harvard Medical School & Aga Khan University 2023 Global Mental Health Postdoctoral Fellowship

The aim of this Fellowship Program is to build capacity in South and Central Asia and/or East Africa for global mental health implementation science. The Fellowship Program is a collaboration between the Brain and Mind Institute at Aga Khan University and the GlobalMentalHealth@Harvard Initiative. The Program provides funding for postdoctoral research fellows to perform implementation science research aimed at translating preventive, assessment, and treatment interventions to specific contexts and vulnerable populations in low- and middle-income countries.

Year 1: Harvard Medical School

A year-long Fellowship at Harvard Medical School’s Department of Global Health and Social Medicine is a basic activity for this program. During this year, the Post-Doctoral Fellows will collaborate with a Harvard faculty member to develop an implementation science research project, obtain IRB approval, develop research skills for its execution, and plan for its implementation in Year 2.

The Post-Doctoral Fellows will create an Individual Development Plan (IDP) in accordance with the NIH and the Harvard Medical School Office for Postdoctoral Fellows (harvard.edu) (see, for example, Tools & Resources | HMS/HSDM Office for Postdoctoral Fellows). During the first two months of the fellowship, the Fellow will collaborate with Harvard and AKU academic mentors to create and complete the IDPs. The IDP will also form a research committee comprised of other AKU or Harvard faculty members who will contribute additional techniques or subject expertise for the Fellow’s research topic.

The Harvard Research and Training Environment, including courses, lecture series, and conferences, will be available to the Fellows. The Fellows will take part in activities that will help them integrate into the implementation science and GlobalMentalHealth@Harvard communities, such as presenting research proposals and attending symposiums, as well as becoming members of other networks of thematic interest, such as the Department’s early child development or implementation science groups.

Year 2: Aga Khan University 

This year, the Fellow will carry out the project that was designed in the context of the home AKU campus in East Africa/South and Central Asia. The Fellows will continue to hold visiting positions at Harvard, where they will have full access to all academic and networking activities. In collaboration with the AKU mentor, the Harvard mentors will continue to provide supervision and guidance with two key goals in mind: the successful completion of the study, which will result in at least one peer-reviewed publication, and the planning of at least one grant application for a new research project.

Brief Description

• Type: Fellowship
• Organisation: Aga Khan University (AKU)
• Country to study: Pakistan, United Kingdom, United States
• School to study: Aga Khan University, Harvard Medical School
• Course to study: Not specified
• Gender: Men and Women
• Application Deadline: February 15, 2023

See Also: Keele University 2023-2024 GREAT Scholarship for Masters Students (UK)

About the Aga Khan University (AKU)

The Aga Khan University’s (AKU) aim is to improve the quality of life in the developing world and beyond by providing world-class education, research, and health-care services. The University trains students for local and global leadership, creates new knowledge to address issues affecting millions of people, and elevates standards and ambitions in the nations where it operates.

We empower women and the underprivileged, increase support for pluralism, and work with local partners and world-renowned organizations to achieve common goals.

AKU, Pakistan’s first private university, was founded in 1983 as a non-profit organization and an entity of the Aga Khan Development Network. Beginning in 2000, the University expanded its operations to Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Afghanistan, and the United Kingdom.

Scholarship Benefit

For the duration of the fellowship, the Fellows will have frequent (at least monthly) research and progress evaluation sessions with their Harvard faculty mentor.

This mentor will be either a senior member of the Harvard Medical School or the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, or a more context-appropriate nominated mentor from the larger GlobalMentalHealth@Harvard network chosen by them.

Each Fellow will also be assigned an AKU mentor, who will be chosen by the AKU program leadership, laying the path for a collaborative engagement between senior professors at both institutions.

Also Check: PhD Scholarships for Candidates from Developing Countries at Ghent University,2023

Eligibility Criteria

The Fellowship Program is available to individuals who have achieved their PhD or finished their MD with a research thesis degree at the time of appointment. Applicants should also have a track record of academic excellence (for example, past peer-reviewed publications) and a desire to continuing a career in global mental health research, particularly in the geographies covered by Aga Khan University and the Aga Khan Development Network. Any qualified individual may apply for the Fellowship Program.

Documents Required for Application

For consideration, interested applicants should submit the following documents in one PDF to Dr. Zul Merali, Director, Brain and Mind Institute, brain&mind@aku.edu:

• CV
• Cover letter expressing your interest in the fellowship 
• Personal statement of no more than 1,000 words addressing the following topics: 
  • The candidate’s desire to work in influential research on mental health in LMICs; or 
  • How the candidate exhibits dedication to the topics and nations in which they intend to serve in the future 
• Examples of writing or publications (no more than three total), and 
• Three references’ names and contact information.

How to apply

Items must be submitted as a single PDF file titled “[your last name, first initial] GMH2023” by February 15, 2023.

APPLY HERE

Application Deadline

February 15, 2023

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