Call for Applications: Postdoctoral Fellowship 2022

The School of Public Health, University of the Western Cape seeks to recruit three (3) full-time Postdoctoral Fellows beginning from January 2022.

The Postdoctoral Fellows will be required to register at the University of the Western Cape and work on a new project titled: “Assessment of Integrated School Health Programmes in eThekwini (Marian Hill), uMzinyathi (Dundee) and Ugu (Port Shepstone) Health Districts in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa”. The project focuses on a component of the primary health care re-engineering initiative in semi-rural and marginalised communities in South Africa. The project aims at assessing the implementation of two models of the new integrated school health programme in KwaZulu-Natal.

The fellowship will provide opportunities for engagement in the following content and methodological areas:

• Power and community empowerment in health promotion theory and practice
• Health promotion interventions and evaluation of health promotion programmes
• Quantitative primary research (including surveys, epidemiological approaches, and retrospective chart reviews)
• Qualitative primary research (including interviews, focus group discussions, participant observations and participatory action research)
• Evidence synthesis (including qualitative and quantitative systematic review, narrative review, scoping review), and
• Implementation science or knowledge translation (including community engagement and participation)

The Postdoctoral Fellows will contribute to both research and teaching activities linked to these areas. SOPH encourages the participation of full time post-doctoral fellows in teaching and supervision as a way to build their academic profiles. Any teaching and supervision workload will be in accordance with relevant policies, including funder guidelines.

Eligible applicants are required to have:

• Completed a PhD in Public Health, preferably with concentration in Health Promotion, in the last five years and may not have held a prior permanent academic post. For applicants who did not obtain their qualification in South Africa, a valid SAQA certificate should be in hand at the time of
• Master’s degree in Health Promotion or Public Health with specialisation in Health Promotion
• Knowledge of, and experience with the use of theories and tools for interventions and practice in the health promotion field, in particular intervention mapping, tree of life and related interventions, diffusion of innovations, and empowerment theories
• Experience and expertise in qualitative primary research (including use of Nvivo)
• Experience and expertise in quantitative research (including using SPSS)
• Experience of having worked within the study areas
• A strong academic record with evidence of research experience and peer- reviewed
• Evidence of expertise in writing grant applications and managing health promotion projects including ability to liaise with a range of stakeholders
• Experience in monitoring and evaluation of health promotion programmes
• Experience in implementation science or knowledge translation (including scoping, narrative and systematic reviews, and media analysis/health journalism)
• Expertise in community engagement in public health research
• Expertise in grant management and in preparing drafts of documentation for funders and policy briefs
• Expertise/experience in teaching health promotion/public health and research methods (face-to-face and online), and supervision at the postgraduate level
• All candidates will be considered, but preference will be given to suitably qualified South African citizens or permanent

Advantageous skills:

• ability to work independently and as a member of a team
• ability to work under pressure and to adapt to dynamic work circumstances/environments
• ability to develop manuscripts for publication in high impact public health journals
• ability and willingness to drive a vehicle and to embark on frequent local and national travels
• experience organising and facilitating online and face-to-face workshops and forums

The fellowship is initially available for one year, starting from January 2022, and is valued, tax-free, at a maximum of R 220 000 per annum. Renewal for a second year will be considered depending on satisfactory academic progress and continued funding.

Application Procedure:

Eligible candidates should provide the following:

• A cover letter by the candidate motivating suitability to the position available
• A one-page summary outlining their research interest and how this opportunity may advance their future professional trajectory
• A full CV including all conference attendance, publications and other scholarly research output
• A copy of ID or passport
• Evidence of publication record and writing skills (which can be copies of, or a link to, relevant peer-reviewed publications)
• An academic transcript
• Names and contact details of at least three referees who have supervised or worked with the candidate and can speak about their experience and skills

Enquiries and completed applications should be forwarded to Carnita Ernest, cernest@uwc.ac.za.

Please use subject heading: Application for Postdoctoral Fellowship: School Health Project

Completed applications need to be submitted by no later than 5pm on Tuesday, 7 December 2021.

The University of the Western Cape reserves the right to change the conditions of award, or to make no award at all.