A new initiative of IDRC’s Governance for Equity in Health Systems (GEHS) and Fellowships & Awards (F&A) programs, this initiative will help improve the critical capacities of countries to generate, adapt and use locally relevant evidence at national and regional levels to strengthen health systems and improve health equity and governance.
The initiative aims to increase the number of highly trained health systems scientists working in research institutions, and to facilitate the uptake of research results into policy in low- and lower-middle-income Asian countries. Limited academic funding for doctoral trainees and weak institutional environments often discourages potential students from pursuing a career in the health systems field. In addition, brain drain means that many who are trained in health systems research at a doctoral level do not pursue their careers in institutions in their home country.
Through this initiative, individual and institutional capacities will be strengthened by increasing the pool of doctoral-level researchers through direct support for PhD students. In addition, the initiative will provide fellowships for recent graduates to facilitate their entry into health systems research institutions in Asia. The initiative also aims to leverage and support the capacities of local institutions to better participate in and contribute to comparative health systems research, training, knowledge translation, and policy influence. Given the initiative’s connection with researchers and policymakers in Asia, there is great potential for regional research-to-policy linkages.
Selected through a competitive call, the Institute for Health Policy (IHP) in Sri Lanka, in collaboration with BRAC (Bangladesh) and the Public Health Foundation of India, will manage this regional initiative.
For further information contact:
IDRC – Marie-Gloriose Ingabire (GEHS), [email protected];
Rita Bowry (F&A), [email protected]
IHP Project Leader – Dr Ravindra P. Rannan-Eliya, [email protected]
