Applications for the CRVS Fellowship are now open.
Applications must be submitted online by Sunday 28 February, using the link provided below.
The University of Melbourne, as part of the Bloomberg Data for Health (D4H) Initiative, conducts a Civil Registration and Vital Statistics (CRVS) Fellowship Program to build technical capacity in both individuals and institutions to enhance the quality and sustainability of CRVS systems.
The Program provides eligible applicants the opportunity to work on a CRVS project and receive intensive, one-on-one mentoring by University of Melbourne technical experts, to learn more broadly about CRVS systems and to establish networks within the international CRVS community.
Who are we looking for?
Applicants should be from low-to-middle income countries and have established working relationships with one or more of the institutions responsible for the operation and development of their country’s CRVS system. This can include, for example, staff working in a government institution that is part (or potentially part) of the CRVS system, or people from a university or research institution (e.g. school of public health, medical college) who collaborate closely with stakeholders responsible for the CRVS system.
Fellowship activities and outputs
Due to the current closure of Australia's international borders, Fellowships will be undertaken remotely. Interested applicants will need to undertake the Fellowship between 1 April and 30 June 2021.
Fellows will:
- Work on their chosen project supervised remotely by University of Melbourne CRVS technical experts
- Receive more generalised training in CRVS systems via a CRVS Bootcamp
- Interact with and learn from global experts at University of Melbourne and benefit from the establishment of networks with other Fellows and CRVS specialists.
The Fellowship project must have direct application to CRVS activities in the Fellow’s country. The supervisor oversees the project design (including regular contact in preparation for the Fellowship), activities and outputs, and provides post-Fellowship mentoring. Fellows will discuss the timetable of Fellowship activities with their supervisor, and are expected to work independently.
Prior to the commencement of their Fellowship, Fellows must have an agreed outline of their project, as well as all relevant data available to be used for their project. Each Fellow is expected to complete a Fellowship report or draft research paper prior to the conclusion of their Fellowship, which will be included on the University of Melbourne CRVS Gateway or potentially published in an academic journal. Example of reports written by previous Fellows can be found on the CRVS Fellowship reports and profiles page. A number of Fellows have also produced papers for peer-reviewed journals, and these can be browsed here alongside other CRVS papers published by the University of Melbourne.
Fellows are presented with a certificate at the successful conclusion of their Fellowship.
Project topics
In this Fellowship round, the priority topics are:
- Evaluation of death notification systems, including proposal of interventions to improve the notification of community and facility deaths, and estimation of national and subnational completeness.
- Evaluation of the quality of medical certification of causes of death (MCCOD).
- Proposal for the integration of routine verbal autopsy into your country's CRVS system.
- Assessment of the quality and plausibility of verbal autopsy data using VIPER methods.
- Assessment of the quality of mortality data using ANACONDA.
- Analysis of mortality data using ANACONDA Plus methods.
Following the completion of the Fellowship, Fellows are expected to apply their learnings to support CRVS activities in their country. To facilitate this, the Fellow and their supervisor develop a detailed plan for post-Fellowship activities. Fellows are expected to respond to requests for information on the impact of the training received.
Funding
The University of Melbourne will arrange funding for the Fellowship where possible.
Application process
If you have previously applied but were unsuccessful, you are welcome to re-apply for this Fellowship round with a project addressing one of the two project topics outlined above.
Fellows are selected through a competitive selection process and, after receiving application instructions from University of Melbourne, are required to submit a Fellowship project proposal. Preference will be given to applicants from countries that are part of the D4H Initiative, however applicants from other low-to-middle income countries will also be considered. Fellows are required to meet academic and English pre-requisites.
All applicants for the CRVS Fellowship Program should submit an application online with the following information:
- An application covering letter addressed to Dr Tim Adair, Principal Research Fellow, The University of Melbourne that details:
- Your current employer, roles, responsibilities, qualifications and English language proficiency (length: 1/2 page)
- The topic (measuring excess mortality during the COVID-19 pandemic or evaluation of death notification systems)
- A statement outlining how you anticipate the Fellowship to contribute to strengthening CRVS systems in your country (length: 1 page)
- A letter of recommendation from a CRVS stakeholder (length: 1/2 page) that explains how the Fellowship would contribute to CRVS development in your country. A CRVS stakeholder is an institution responsible for the operation and development of a country’s CRVS system.
- A curriculum vitae (CV) (length: 2 pages)
Applications are due by Sunday 28 February 2021, and must be submitted online via the below link.