PhD Candidate in Global Health Equity

Arbeidsgiver
NTNU - Norges teknisk-naturvitenskapelige universitet
Stillingstittel
PhD Candidate in Global Health Equity
Frist
27.02.2025
Ansettelsesform
Vikariat

Beskrivelse

This is NTNU

NTNU is a broad-based university with a technical-scientific profile and a focus in professional education. The university is located in three cities with headquarters in Trondheim.

At NTNU, 9,000 employees and 43,000 students work to create knowledge for a better world.

You will find more information about working at NTNU and the application process here.

   

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About the position

The Global Surgery Group at the Medical Faculty of NTNU has over a decade of experience in research aimed at improving access to surgical and obstetric services in Sierra Leone, Liberia, and India. In this project, the group will collaborate with The Centre for Global Health Inequalities Research (CHAIN) within the Faculty of Social and Educational Sciences.

As a PhD candidate in global health equity, you will have the opportunity to work alongside an interdisciplinary team of experts in global health and social inequality. By integrating these specialized fields and focusing on a specific intervention, we aim to generate valuable knowledge that contributes to a better world. 

This project exemplifies a collaborative effort between the MH and SU faculties, leveraging the clinical expertise of Dr. Bolkan and Dr. van Duinen, who have extensive experience with real-world implementation in Sierra Leone through the non-profit organization CapaCare. Additionally, the sociological and policy insights provided by Professor Eikemo, the leader of CHAIN, will be crucial in analyzing health inequalities. This collaboration ensures that our work is both theoretically sound and practically relevant, addressing the real challenges faced by health systems.

Furthermore, this project will serve as a foundational pilot initiative for establishing a Centre for Global Health at NTNU, setting the stage for future research and interventions in global health equity.

Are you motivated to take a step towards a doctorate and open up exciting career opportunities? As a PhD Candidate with us, you will work to achieve your doctorate, and at the same time gain valuable experience that qualifies you for a further career in higher education and research, in and outside academia.

Your immediate Line Manager will be the Head of Department.


About the project

Currently, approximately 5 billion people worldwide lack access to safe, affordable, and timely surgical care, particularly in critical areas such as emergency obstetrics, trauma, cancer treatments, and common childhood infectious diseases like appendicitis and intestinal typhoid. This project aims to enhance the global human resources for health strategy through task-sharing, a proven approach for tackling significant health challenges, including maternal and child health issues, scaling antiretroviral therapy for HIV, and implementing cancer screenings and preventive measures for major chronic diseases.

Task-sharing and task-shifting are emerging strategies that can potentially reduce disparities in healthcare access and preventable outcomes. However, the widespread adoption of these strategies has been limited due to insufficient evidence demonstrating their global health impact. Moreover, there is a significant gap in understanding how these interventions address health inequalities and how to ensure their sustainability over time.

Since 2011, Sierra Leone has implemented task-sharing by allowing non-specialist physicians and non-physicians to perform surgical procedures, such as caesarean sections and hernia surgeries. This project has a primary goal: to evaluate the impact of task-sharing on reducing surgical mortality rates through quantitative survey data. We will utilize data from various sources, including the Global Burden of Disease (GBD) Study, the Demographic and Health Surveys (DHS), and Multiple Indicator Cluster Surveys (MICS), employing suitable quantitative methods to analyze the findings.

In addition, this project will investigate the regulatory, legal, administrative, and governance factors essential for the long-term sustainability of surgical task-sharing initiatives.


Duties of the position
  • Complete the doctoral education until obtaining a doctorate
  • Carry out research of good quality within the framework described above
  • Academic publications and popular science dissemination
  • Participate in the global surgery research group and CHAIN 
  • Share findings trough meetings with policy makers

Be prepared for changes to your work duties after employment.


Required selection criteria
  • You must have an academically relevant background within medicine, public health, demography, social epidemiology or any related field 
  • You must have a Master's degree in medicine, public health, demography, social epidemiology or any related field or equivalent. Your course of study must correspond to a five-year Norwegian course, where 120 credits have been obtained at master's level. Master's students can apply, but the master's degree must be obtained and documented before starting the position and no later than 01.07.2025
  • You must have a strong academic background from your previous studies and have an average grade from your Master's degree study, or equivalent education, which is equal to B or better compared to NTNU's grading scale. If you do not have letter grades from previous studies, you must have an equally good academic foundation. If you have a weaker grade background, you may be considered if you can document that you are particularly suitable for a PhD education
  • You must meet the requirements for admission to the Medical Faculty's Doctoral Programme
  • Extensive experience using survey data (such as with the GBD, MICS or DHS) 
  • Extensive statistical knowledge, such as quasi-experimental difference-in-difference methods
  • Good oral and written presentation skills in English

If you cannot document skills in Norwegian, Swedish or Danish at level A2 upon employment, you must complete Norwegian courses corresponding to at least 15 credits before the end of the employment period. NTNU will facilitate this. 

The appointment is to be made in accordance with Regulations for the Universities and Colleges Act (university and colleges regulations) and Regulations for the degrees philosophiae doctor (ph.d.) and philosophiae doctor (ph.d.) in artistic development work at the Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU) for general criteria for the position.


Preferred selection criteria
  • Participated in field work in low or middle-income countries
  • Experience of working in a multi-cultural team

Personal characteristics

To complete a doctoral degree (PhD), it is important that you are able to: 

  • Work independently
  • Work in a structured way, set goals and make plans to achieve them
  • Present and discuss your research with other professionals
  • Get involved and contribute constructively with feedback
  • Work constructively under pressure or in the face of adversity 
  • Analyze data, assess different perspectives and draw well-founded conclusions 
  • Be flexible and open to adjusting the plan for the project as needed

Emphasis will be placed on personal qualities.


We offer
  • An exciting job with an important mission in society
  • Being part of an international, professional and multi-cultural environment
  • Career guidance and follow-up during the PhD period
  • Open and inclusive working environment with committed colleagues
  • working capital that can be used to implement the project
  • The project will include travel to Sierra Leone and possibly other LMIC countries where task-sharing has been introduced
  • As a public employee, you have favourable benefits as a member of the Norwegian Public Service Pension Fund (SPK)  

You will be employed as a PhD Candidate at NTNU and will have access to employee benefits and discounts. 


Diversity

Diversity is a strength, and at NTNU we aim to be an employer that reflects the diversity in society and that makes use of the potential of the population's collective skills. Our vision is Knowledge for a better world and our values are creative, critical, constructive and respectful. We believe that an organization that is equal, diverse and gender-balanced is essential for us to achieve our goals. 

We strive to attract employees with different skills, life experiences and perspectives to contribute to even better problem solving of our societal mission in research and education. 

If you think this position is relevant and interesting, we encourage you to apply, regardless of gender, functional ability and cultural background, or whether you have been out of work for a period of time.


Salary and conditions

In the position of PhD Candidate, code 1017, your gross salary will normally be NOK 536 200 per annum depending on qualifications and seniority. A 2% statutory contribution to the State Pension Fund is deducted from the salary. 

The employment period is 3 years. If learning Norwegian (level A2 corresponding to at least 15 credits) is to be completed before the end of the employment period, the employment period can be extended by 10 weeks. 

For employment as a PhD Candidate, it is a prerequisite that you gain admission to the PhD programme in Medicine and Health Sciences within three months of your employment contract start date, and that you participate in an organized doctoral programme throughout the period of employment.

The position is conditional on external funding.

As an employee at NTNU, it is important that you keep yourself up to date with academic and organizational changes and adapt to them.

For the necessary academic and social interaction, it is a prerequisite that you are physically present and available to the institution on a daily basis.


About the application

The attachments (including a description of your scientific work) must accompany the application as these documents form the basis of the application assessment. The documents must be in Norwegian/a Scandinavian language or English. 

Please note: the application will only be assessed on the basis of the information we have received by the application deadline. Therefore, make sure that your application clearly shows how your skills and experience meet the criteria described above. The application and all attachments must be sent electronically via Jobbnorge.no. If you are invited to an interview, you must bring certified copies of certificates 

The application must include: 

  • Transcripts and diplomas for Bachelor's and Master's degrees
  • CV 
  • Copy of Master's thesis. If you have recently submitted your Master's thesis, you can attach a draft of the thesis. Documentation of a completed Master's degree must be presented before taking up the position.
  • Project outline containing proposals for an overall description of research questions, theoretical perspectives, methodological design for the project and progress plan (maximum 1500 words/4 pages) ) using the information provided about the project earlier in this call as a starting point.
  • Short letter of motivation (400 words/1 page)
  • Possibly publications etc. other relevant research work
  • Names and contact information of three relevant referees

If all, or parts, of your education has been taken abroad, we also ask you to attach documentation of the scope and quality of your entire education, both Bachelor's and Master's education, in addition to other higher education. If your institution uses “diploma supplement” (normal for most European institutions), you must attach this. A description of the documentation required can also be found here. If you already have a statement from Norwegian Directorate for Higher Education and Skills (HK-dir), please attach this as well. 

Joint works will be considered. If it is difficult to identify your contribution to joint work, you must attach a brief description of your participation.

When assessing the best qualified, we emphasize necessary qualifications such as education, experience and personal suitability. Motivation for the position, ambitions and potential for research will also count when assessing the candidates.
NTNU recognizes a wide range of academic contributions and has committed itself to The San Francisco Declaration on Research Assessment and CoARA (responsible assessment of research and recognition of a greater breadth of academic contributions in accordance with NTNU's social mission).

The appointment is carried out in accordance with the principles of the State Employees Act, and Export control (legislation that regulates the export of knowledge, technology and services). Candidates who, after assessment of the application and attachments, are considered to be in conflict with the criteria in the latter act, will not be able to be employed.


General information

A public list of applicants with name, age, job title and municipality of residence is prepared after the application deadline. If you wish to be exempt from entry on the public applicant list, this must be justified. Assessment will be made in accordance with current legislation. You will be notified if the exemption is not granted.

If you think this position looks interesting and in line with your qualifications, you are welcome to apply.

If you have any questions about the position, please contact post-doctoral researcher Alex J. van Duinen, e-mail aalke.j.v.duinen@ntnu.no. If you have any questions about the recruitment process, please contact Anita F. Bretun e-mail: anita.f.bretun@ntnu.no 

Application deadline: 27.02.2025

For practical information about working at NTNU, please visit this webpage. 

The city of Trondheim is a modern European city with a rich cultural scene. Trondheim is the tech capital of Norway with a population of 200,000. The Norwegian welfare state, including healthcare, schools, kindergartens and overall equality, is probably the best of its kind in the world. Professional subsidized day-care for children is easily available. Furthermore, Trondheim offers great opportunities for education (including international schools) and possibilities to enjoy nature, culture and family life and has low crime rates and clean air quality. 


Sektor
Offentlig
Sted
Håkon Jarls gt.11, 7491 Trondheim
Stillingsfunksjon
Forskning/Stipendiat/Postdoktor, Annet, Helsepersonell
FINN-kode
391478991
Sist endret
31. jan. 2025 07:53