Application Requirements
Degree Program Training
The South Africa-Pitt Public Health Genomic Epidemiology Training Program (SAPPHGenE) aims to provide South African investigators with multidisciplinary tools needed to conduct cutting-edge research in public health genomics. The program will provide a combination of non-degree and post-graduate degree training by a multidisciplinary group of experienced mentors at University of Pittsburgh, US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the National Institute for Communicable Diseases (NICD.) Trainees will have access to research training opportunities and resources available at the training sites.
As of September 2021, we are not currently accepting new applications for this training program. We will remove this notice when applications re-open.
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, in-person international training opportunities are currently paused until safe travel is possible and restrictions are lifted.
Opportunities for degrees sponsored by SAPPHGenE include MSc and PhD (full time or part time), registered at the University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, with supervisors/mentors located in Centre for Respiratory Diseases and Meningitis (CRDM) or Centre for Healthcare-Associated infections, Antimicrobial Resistance and Mycoses (CHARM.) The program is funded by the United States’ National Institutes of Health (NIH) Fogarty International Center.
Degree Program
Requirements
- Exceptional academic performance
- Candidate’s statement letter
- Strong letters of recommendation and support (e.g., from previous tutors, supervisors or managers)
- Stated commitment to pursue SAPPHGenE research
- Identification of US mentor
- Presence of in-country mentor committed to provide support after training
- Highlight likely contributions to research in South Africa
The program will offer funds for:
- Stipend
- Tuition fees and university registration
- Books and other educational expenses
- Laptop computer with relevant software
For international training opportunities:
- All travel expenses (e.g., airfare, visa, incidentals)
- Stipend for living expenses and insurance
- Administrative support for visas
Proposals should be sent to Program Co-Director Dr. Anne von Gottberg at NICD, at annev@nicd.ac.za.
Degree Program
Proposal Requirements
Proposals should contain the following:
- Name, title, and institution of the proposed trainee
- Degree type (e.g., MSc, PhD)
- Name of department/institution that will be granting the degree
- Copy of current CV
- Proposed enrollment date in the degree program
- Anticipated duration of time to complete degree requirements
- Date of last Good Clinical and Laboratory Practice (GCLP) training
- If permanent staff at NICD or other institution
- how will out-of-office training time be handled/planned as not to detrimentally influence ongoing operational or research activities
- letter of support from line manager
- letter of support from institution
Details of proposed training:
- Institution and location of training
- Proposed dates of training
- Nature of training/skills to be learned
- Mentor(s) in the United States/training site
- Mentor(s) in South Africa
- Relevance to research/control of public health genomics/metagenomics in South Africa
- Relevance of training to the mission of trainee’s home institution
- Number of planned manuscripts (with proposed titles) that may come from this training
- Proposed timelines for submission of these manuscripts
- How will this training benefit students and staff at the home institution (mentoring, collaboration etc.)
Project details:
- Title of the project
- Background
- Specific aims
- Methods section, including study design, subject recruitment, sample size, analysis
- Human subjects (including to which institutional review board(s) the project will be or has been submitted)
- Relevance to proposed public health research to needs of South Africa
Deadlines for proposals will be noted here when applications re-open.