Call for applications

TDR Postgraduate Scholarship in Implementation Research

Academic year 2023–2024
Deadline for applications: 2 January 2023

DESCRIPTION
The Department of Education and Research in Public Health (DERSP) of the Faculty of Medicine and
Odontostomatology (FMOS) at the University of Sciences, Techniques and Technology of Bamako
(USTTB), Mali, is offering scholarships for Master’s in Public Health starting in April 2023. The
Master’s Programme is taught in French. The objective of the scholarship programme is to strengthen
capacity to conduct implementation research on neglected tropical diseases, malaria, tuberculosis
and HIV co-infection, COVID-19 and One Health.
Applicants must be French-speaking nationals and resident in one of the following countries: Benin,
Burkina Faso, Burundi, Central African Republic, Cameroon, Chad, Congo, Côte d’Ivoire, Democratic
Republic of the Congo, Djibouti, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Guinea, Madagascar, Mali, Mauretania,
Niger, Rwanda, Senegal and Togo.
Funding for these scholarships is from the UNICEF/UNDP/World Bank/WHO Special Programme for
Research and Training in Tropical Diseases (TDR), based at the World Health Organization in Geneva,
as part of the TDR Postgraduate Training Scheme. The focus of this training scheme is on
implementation research on infectious diseases of poverty, including the neglected tropical diseases
(http://www.who.int/neglected_diseases/diseases/en/), malaria, tuberculosis, tuberculosis and HIV
co-infection, COVID-19 and One Health. The scheme provides training relevant to a career in
implementation research. Implementation research is a growing field that supports the identification
of health system bottlenecks and approaches to address them and is particularly useful in low- and
middle-income countries where many health interventions do not reach those who need them the
most. Further information on implementation research is available on our Implementation research
training materials web page and in the TDR implementation research toolkit. The goal of this training
scheme is to enhance graduate training capacity and boost the number of researchers in low- and
middle–income countries.
Scholarships will be offered for the 2023–2024 academic year for a two-year Master’s Programme in
Public Health. Following the selection process, scholarship recipients are expected to enrol in the
Programme in February 2023. The programme provides on-campus and online teaching, with the
recipients undertaking a thesis project in their home countries. However, depending on the travel
and safety situations, the course may be adjusted, for example with entirely online delivery.
Scholarship recipients will be enrolled as postgraduate students and their careers will be tracked
through TDR Global, which monitors the impact of the programme and provides networking and
opportunities to increase visibility for students and alumni.
For further information on this international scholarship scheme see: Postgraduate training scheme
ELIGIBILITY
Applicants should:
• be a national of, and resident in, Benin, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Central African Republic,
Cameroon, Chad, Congo, Côte d’Ivoire, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Djibouti, Equatorial
Guinea, Gabon, Guinea, Madagascar, Mali, Mauretania, Niger, Rwanda, Senegal or Togo;
• speak French;
• be 35 years old or younger;
• meet the standard USTTB requirements for graduate students;
• be interested in developing a career in implementation research on infectious diseases of poverty;
and
• agree to complete TDR’s Massive Open Online Course (MOOC) on implementation research
between enrolment (February 2023) and the start of the course (April 2023).

TDR is committed to Equality, Diversity and Inclusivity in science. Researchers are encouraged to
apply irrespective of gender identity, sexual orientation, ethnicity, religious, cultural and social
backgrounds, or (dis)ability status.

THE SCHOLARSHIP COVERS

• Round-trip economy airfare between the home country of the student and Bamako, Mali.
• Tuition fees and basic medical and accident insurance.
• Food and accommodation for one person during their stay in Bamako.
• Support for research project/thesis expenses, including travel during data collection in the home
country.

HOW TO APPLY
Complete the online application form for Masters in Public Health at
https://fmos.usttb.edu.ml/santepublique/

If you experience any technical difficulties, please send an email expressing your interest in the call
to the email addresses below and you will receive instructions on how to proceed with your
application.

SCHEDULE FOR APPLICATIONS

Deadline for submission of applications 2 January 2023
Notification of admission acceptance 20 January 2023
Deadline for confirmation of acceptance by candidate 1 February 2023
Students enrol at DERSP/FMOS/USTTB 3rd April 2023

FOR MORE INFORMATION

Contact Dr Lancina Doumbia, Program Coordinator, Department of Education and Research in
Public Health and Specialties (DERSP), University of Sciences, Techniques and Technologies of
Bamako (USTTB). WhatsApp: (+223) 66 96 22 76,

Email: santepublique@fmos.usttb.edu.ml; Ldoumbia007@gmail.com

Or Mr Salif Diallo, DERSP/FMOS, Tel. (+223)70 08 24 07, (+223) 61 05 96 33