Friday, June 27, 2014

Researcher (Qualitative) - Public Health Foundation of India (Apply by: 30 June 2014)


Position Vacant            :       Researcher (Qualitative)

Position Code                :       PHFI/2014/142

Place of Posting           :       PHFI, New Delhi

Organization Name     :       Public Health Foundation of India (PHFI)
Company Profile:
Public Health Foundation of India, a public private initiative to build large scale human resource capacity in public health through its three pronged integrated charter of (a) establishing a network of world class,
India-relevant schools of public health & strengthening some of the existing schools (b) establishing standards for public health education through the formation of an accreditation agency and (c) strengthening research and policy in areas related to public health.
Project Brief:
The public health sector in India is increasingly examining the potential that technology offers to serve the country’s public health needs. This includes harnessing technologies to improve service delivery, strengthen health infrastructure, improve the data capture and management, improve training, support medical technologies to name a few. PHFI, plays a leadership role in supporting and incubating these innovations.
A key indicator of the Foundation’s investment in this field is the Affordable Health Technologies division that develops technologies for health delivery, health education, and builds a climate of health technology innovations. A prime example of its innovative product-making and solutions-building is the Swasthya Slate. Additionally, technology use forms a key component of its research: there is a high level of interest in harnessing existing technologies as well as building new solutions if need be to support PHFI’s implementation research. A key example of this is the development of the Temperature Monitoring System (TMS) and the Electronic Vaccine Intelligence Network (eVIN) built with the support of the Immunization Technical Support Unit (ITSU) within PHFI. ITSU in particular is exploring all possible high- and low-end technologies to address its mandate of support the Government of India’s national goal of improving routine immunization coverage in India.  There are other similar initiatives within PHFI where technological and technical solutions form a key part of PHFI’s mandate to conduct research and policy work in the field of Public Health.

All technical and technological applications and solutions require an in-depth understanding of their context of use and end users. This knowledge is key to successful design, implementation, evaluation, and scale up of these technologies, particularly so in the case of health technologies. Technology studies using qualitative research techniques are particularly well equipped to capture this need. PHFI requires an experienced qualitative researcher to lead, design and conduct scoping, implementation and evaluation exercises for its research projects that include digital and non-digital technological components.
Job Description / Responsibilities:
The Researcher will be responsible for the following activities:
  • Research Activities
  • Designing wholly qualitative research proposals and projects, as well as contributing to the qualitative aspect of mixed methods studies with respect to the programs listed above, and any other PHFI programs as the need arises. This will include a specific focus on existing and potential technological interventions that address public health practice and policy.
  • Conducting literature reviews and mapping exercises of existing public health practices, technical and technological interventions, as well as of innovations in India, and globally.
  • Conducting qualitative field research deploying tools like interviews, focused group discussions, participatory research analysis to name a few, in the programs and projects listed above, and any other projects within PHFI and its partners.
  • Creating a bank of studies to capture the ground realities of what constitutes routine public health work in the field in India, especially in states that PHFI is engaged with. This will be particularly useful in at least two directions: As a foundational document that can aid any program design, implementation or policy support; As infrastructure checklists to support any technological innovation in the field. This will include but are not limited to aspects like human resource capacities, technological ecology, physical infrastructure, nature and practices of data management, to name a few.
  • Integrating qualitative research with quantitative techniques like randomized control trials.
  • Publications in academic fora such as journals and conferences. This includes diverse disciplinary fora like Public Health, Information Technology and Development, Technology Usability, Science and Technology Studies, Qualitative Research to name a few.
  • Implementation and Capacity Building
  • Conducting dissemination workshops with current and potential stakeholders. At the closure of all studies, the researcher will organize or identify fora and mechanisms to share findings and recommendations with all study stakeholders. This activity works as a tool to enroll these stakeholders in the program as also informal capacity building for field staff.
  • Training research analysts and assistants in various PHFI programs in qualitative research techniques and analytical tools.
  • Engage with IIPHs to design and teach courses on qualitative research methods, health technologies, science technology and medicine, and international development.
  • B. Program Activities
  • Reaching out to existing and potential technology partners to ensure that PHFI’s technical implementations, recommendations, and policy formation and policy support roles are competitive, scalable and sustainable.
  • Designing program checklists to support programs that have technological intervention and innovation components in public health: Based on the wide range of current and future qualitative studies planned by PHFI, the researcher will devise comprehensive checklists that will inform technical engagement in this field. This document will identify matrices like preparedness, capacity building domains, infrastructural support, best practices etc.
  • Conducting research and analysis to strengthen the ability of policymakers, and implementers undertaking innovation and design to support public health programming, by creating prioritized lists of sites of research and intervention. This activity will enable state level policy makers in program design and implementation, and also help identify persons and organizations that have the capacity to become partners in these efforts.
  • Grants Writing
  • Identifying and submitting to potential grants opportunities that have health technology aspects.
  • Partnering on grant-raising opportunities within PHFI, and with its partners.
Qualifications / Experience and skills required
  • Masters in Science
  • Internships focused on qualitative research and use of technology in public health research
  • Publications in area of research
  • PhD degree is desirable
  • Previous experience in qualitative research projects focused on public health
  • Previous experience in projects that utilized technology in public health research
  • Knowledge of technology interventions in public health research
  • Effective Communication skills
  • Good Interpersonal skills:
  • Ability to work in cross cultural teams
  • Ability to plan, conceptualize and organize
  • Ability to make logical decisions and ensure transparency
Interested and eligible candidates may send in their CVs to recruit@phfi.org by highlighting the Position Code (PHFI/2014/142) in the subject line.  Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted for the interview.

Last Date for receipt of applications:  30 June 2014


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