HEARD is delighted to announce the opening of a newly refurbished and dedicated workspace to accommodate the rapidly expanding cohort of PhD students enrolled in its PhD scholarship programme. Open to students throughout Africa, with a special focus on support for female candidates, the aim of HEARD’s doctoral programme is to build research capacity on the continent by producing a high calibre of African scholarship in the area of health planning, implementation and research.

The fully funded in-house PhD training programme comprises subjects essential to the doctoral enterprise with the aim of equipping each student to better understand social science research and identify research questions, from which a methodology can be constructed. The compulsory training, which is aimed at ensuring that HEARD’s PhD candidates are adequately supported to complete their thesis within the three-year timeframe, is conducted in three week-long blocks. Based at HEARD’s office at the University of KwaZulu-Natal, Westville campus, PhD candidates’ benefit from exposure to the work of HEARD’s researchers and visiting international research partners, current global and regional health priorities and the methodological and ethical challenges in working in complex country settings, as well as participating in a variety academic workshops and seminars.

Under the supervision of HEARD’s Executive Director, Professor Nana Poku, and with the generous support of The Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency, each year scholarships are offered to eligible candidates whose research interests are aligned with HEARD’s strategic priority areas. These include Sexual and Reproductive Health and Rights, Gender Equality and Health, Health Governance and Finance and Health Systems Strengthening. Each successful candidate is allocated two thesis supervisors- one primary, one secondary- to ensure provision of academic guidance as well as research area expertise. Since the first intake of PhD candidates in 2009, more than 50 candidates have been part of the programme.

Applications for 2019 scholarship opportunities are now open. Click here fore more information.