LONDON SCHOOL OF HYGIENE & TROPICAL
MEDICINE
FACULTY OF EPIDEMIOLOGY & POPULATION
HEALTH
DEPARTMENT OF POPULATION HEALTH
RESEARCH FELLOW (Ethiopia)
FURTHER PARTICULARS
THE SCHOOL
The London School of Hygiene &Tropical Medicine is a world-leading centre for
research and postgraduate education in public and global health. Our mission is to
improve health and health equity in the UK and worldwide; working in partnership to
achieve excellence in public and global health research, education and translation of
knowledge into policy and practice.
Founded in 1899 by Sir Patrick Manson, the School has expanded in recent years at
its two main sites on Keppel Street and Tavistock Place. The School’s
multidisciplinary expertise includes clinicians, epidemiologists, statisticians, social
scientists, molecular biologists and immunologists, and we work with partners
worldwide to support the development of teaching and research capacity.
Research income has grown to over £85 million per year from national and
international funding sources including the UK government, the European
Commission, the Wellcome Trust and philanthropic sources.
Education programmes have grown to more than 1,000 London-based Master’s and
Research students, 2,900 studying Master’s by distance learning and 1,000 on short
courses and continuous professional development. We have also launched a series
of free online courses, and more than 15,000 people registered on the first of these,
Ebola in context. Our staff, students and alumni work in more than 150 countries in
government, academia, international agencies and health services.
The School is highly ranked in various university league tables. It was named the
world’s leading research-focused graduate school in the Times Higher Education
World Rankings in 2013. In 2014, it was ranked in the top 10 universities in the world
for citation rate by the new EU-supported U-Multirank database, fourth in the world
for impact in medical sciences by the Leiden Ranking and third in the world for social
science and public health in the US News Best Global Universities Ranking.
According to the results of the UK government’s Research Excellence Framework,
published in December 2014, the School was ranked second overall (after the
Institute for Cancer Research) on the key measure of impact.
THE FACULTY
The Faculty of Epidemiology & Population Health (EPH) houses a large group of
epidemiologists, demographers, statisticians and nutritionists working on issues of
major public health importance in the UK and globally. EPH has approximately 400
staff members organised into four research departments.
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Department of Infectious Disease Epidemiology
Department of Medical Statistics
Department of Non-communicable Disease Epidemiology
Department of Population Health
The Faculty has a teaching programme consisting of ten MSc courses:
Epidemiology, Demography and Health, Medical Statistics, Public Health in
Developing Countries (run jointly with the Faculties of Infectious & Tropical Diseases
and Public Health & Policy), Nutrition for Global Health, Reproductive & Sexual
Health Research, Veterinary Epidemiology (run jointly with the Royal Veterinary
College), Global Mental Health (run jointly with Kings College London - Institute of
Psychiatry) and the Distance Learning courses in Epidemiology and Clinical Trials.
The Faculty also has approximately 120 research students studying for an MPhil,
PhD or DrPH degree.
The Dean of Faculty is Professor John Edmunds.
THE DEPARTMENT
The Department of Population Health aims to contribute to evidence-based public
health through conducting research that supports the development and evaluation of
public health interventions in the UK and developing countries. It has a focus on
interventions that reduce the excess burden of ill health associated with poverty and
deprivation. In particular, the Department aims to facilitate the development of
appropriate policies and interventions to reduce this burden, based both on the
investigation of new issues and key policies, and on a re-appraisal of existing
knowledge. The Department has strong links with international agencies and a large
network of overseas research collaborators. Current research areas include:
maternal, newborn and child health, nutrition, global mental health, injuries, transport
and health, and mobile phone interventions (such as the text to stop smoking
initiative). The Head of Department is Dr Phil Edwards
THE POST
Background
We are seeking to appoint a Research Fellow to work on a Government of Ethiopia
Ministry of Health project, supported by the Children’s Investment Fund Foundation
(CIFF), on multi-sectoral approaches to improved child feeding in Ethiopia. Good
progress has been made in reduction of stunting prevalence in Ethiopia in recent
years, however poor infant and young child feeding (IYCF) practices and low
household dietary diversity remain widespread. Efforts to link initiatives and policies
in health and agriculture in Ethiopia have begun, with Government commitment to
multi-sectoral coordination established in the National Nutrition Strategy and Plan
(2013-2015).
Project
Sustainable Undernutrition Reduction in Ethiopia (SURE)
The SURE project aims to support the development of multi-sectoral approaches to
improve child feeding practices by embedding social and behaviour change
communication (SBCC) for nutrition into training and service delivery provided by the
health and agriculture sectors in Ethiopia, and to integrate approaches between the
sectors for increased and sustained impact.
The project is implemented by the Government of Ethiopia. LSHTM is supporting
the Ethiopian Public Health Institute (EPHI) to conduct feasibility research on a new
package of integrated SBCC and delivery approaches for health and agriculture
extension workers, and to design the SURE programme evaluation.
The appointed Research Fellow will be based full-time in EPHI in Addis Ababa,
Ethiopia and will support EPHI staff working on the SURE programme. The
Research Fellow will be supervised on a day-to-day basis by the Director of the Food
Science and Nutrition Research Directorate in EPHI, and will be in regular contact
with LSHTM staff. The Research Fellow will make major contributions to the review
and development of SBCC approaches and materials, the design and conduct of
feasibility research, and the design and planning of the SURE programme
evaluation.
JOB DESCRIPTION
Post:
Research Fellow (Ethiopia)
Responsible to:
Alan Dangour
Grade:
Grade 6 – Academic pathway
The main duties of the post will include:
 Work closely with staff in EPHI and relevant Government of Ethiopia Ministries to
ensure the smooth delivery of SURE programme deliverables including
development of training materials and feasibility research;
 Coordinate between EPHI and LSHTM staff, as required, to design and develop
programme deliverables;
 Work to transfer knowledge and capacity to EPHI staff including training and
support for analysis and report writing;
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Work to ensure that all project milestones are met;
Maintain excellent communications with all EPHI, LSHTM, Ministry and CIFF staff
involved in project;
Build internal and external contacts and participate in networks for the exchange
of information;
Contribute to the general activities of LSHTM that help promote the objectives of
LSHTM.
PERSON SPECIFICATION
As a Research Fellow it is expected that the successful applicant will serve as a fulltime member of LSHTM staff while liaising with EPHI staff on a daily basis to
facilitate close collaboration between LSHTM and EPHI.
Essential qualifications and skills
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MSc qualification in public health nutrition, public health or relevant subject
Experience of capacity building in public health
Attention to detail and highly organised
Evidence of in-depth knowledge of Ethiopia
Evidence of experience in quantitative research including survey design and
coordination
Ability to work independently and as a member of a multi-disciplinary team
Excellent written and verbal communication skills in Amharic and English
Desirable qualifications and skills
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Experience in formative or feasibility research; or other qualitative research
Experience of interaction with decision-makers and/or other research users in
Ethiopia
SALARY AND CONDITIONS OF APPOINTMENT
The appointment is available from 1st August 2015 and is currently funded until 31st
January 2016. The appointment will be made on LSHTM’s academic scale (£37,106
to £42,139) depending on qualifications and experience. The post will be subject to
the LSHTM terms and conditions of service. Membership of the USS Pension
Scheme is available.
APPLICATIONS
Applications should be made on-line at our website at jobs.lshtm.ac.uk. The
reference for this post is DPH3. Online applications will be accepted by the
automated system until midnight on of the closing date. Any queries regarding the
application process may be addressed to jobs@lshtm.ac.uk or telephone 0207 927
2201.
The supporting statement section should set out how your qualifications, experience
and training meet each of the selection criteria. Please provide one or more
paragraphs addressing each criterion. The supporting statement is an essential part
of the selection process and thus a failure to provide this information will mean that
the application will not be considered. An answer to any of the criteria such as
"Please see attached CV" will not be considered acceptable.
An academic CV, list of publications and the names of three referees, who may be
approached immediately, should also be included with the on-line application.
Please note that if you are shortlisted and are unable to attend on the interview date
it may not be possible to offer you an alternative date.
Potential applicants for the Research Fellow position may discuss the post before
applying with Cami Allen (Cami.Allen@lshtm.ac.uk)
The London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine is committed to being an equal
opportunities employer.