MHIRST CALL FOR APPLICATIONS: QUALITY IMPROVEMENT SHORT-COURSE

INTRODUCTION
The College of Medicine (CoM) was established in 1991 as a constituent college of the University of Malawi. Its mission is “to be an academic centre of excellence in the training of doctors and other health professionals in clinical service and medical research, responsive to the health needs of
Malawi and its neighbours within the Southern African region”. Since 2015, the National Institutes of Health-Fogarty International Centre in the USA has been funding the CoM and University of NorthCarolina to establish and roll-out the Malawi HIV Implementation Science Research Training (MHIRST) Program which aims at building and strengthening local capacity for designing and conducting research studies to generate evidence that accelerates the scale up of evidence-based HIV interventions. In 2020, the Kamuzu College of Nursing (KCN) joined the M-HIRST program
which will operate until 2025.

The Malawi HIV Implementation Research Scientist Training (M-HIRST) program is seeking applications from postgraduate students, academics, research scientists, program implementers or policy makers from institutions that conduct health-related research or implement HIV programs in Malawi, who have interest in or are currently conducting quality improvement activities. Applicants will complete a virtual quality improvement course in collaboration with University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa and conduct quality improvement projects in their respective fields for one year. Applicants will be fully funded by MHIRST.
The course objectives are:

1. To understand Quality Improvement (QI) methods and measures;
2. To develop skills in using the tools of QI in the context of improvement;
3. To develop generalizable insights about use of QI to facilitate local and global improvements
   in health care and public health;
4. To conduct a quality improvement project under mentorship
   ELIGIBILITY
5. Currently enrolled in or completed a health-related postgraduate training program (Master’s
   degree or PhD);
6. Employed in an academic or research institution, government or non-governmental
   organization implementing HIV-related programs in Malawi or have strong linkages with
   public institutions or non-governmental institutions that have a track history of delivering HIV
   services.
7. Able to conduct quality improvement projects in their respective institutions
8. Have a supervisor or mentor with strong background in HIV research or service delivery;
   Applicants with an identified quality improvement research idea will have an added advantage.
   APPLICATION PROCESS
   Interested applicants are required to:
    Fill out an online application form following this link: QI Short Course Application Form.
    Should submit a motivation letter detailing why they want to do the course and their
   proposed QI research idea.
    Submit their updated Biosketch or CV.
    The applicant’s motivation letter and Biosketch/CV should be saved as a single PDF
   document and sent to the CoM M-HIRST Project Coordinator –
   mhirstcoordinator@medcol.mw
   The deadline for receiving applications is Friday, 12th February 2021 at 23:59 hrs.