PhD and Research Assistant in Health Economics
The Barcelona Institute for Global Health (ISGlobal) is a cutting-edge institute addressing global public health challenges through research, translation into policy and education. ISGlobal has a broad portfolio in communicable and non-communicable diseases including environmental and climate determinants, and applies a multidisciplinary scientific approach ranging from the molecular to the population level. Research is organized in five programs: Climate, Air Pollution, Nature and Urban Health; Environment and Health over the Lifecourse; Global Viral and Bacterial Infections; Malaria and Neglected Parasitic Diseases and Maternal Child and Reproductive Health. ISGlobal is accredited with the Severo Ochoa distinction, a seal of excellence of the Spanish Science Ministry.
In addition to the public health, the epidemiology, and the clinical disciplines, ISGlobal has been accumulating remarkable experience in health economics applied to poverty related diseases in low- and middle-income countries. The work carried out by health economists at ISGlobal is a highly motivating combination of building in-country knowledge alongside a global network of collaborators and Barcelona based desk work, resulting in significant and impactful research outputs tackling healthcare challenges in low resource settings. The chosen candidate for this position will contribute to the further consolidation of the health economics team and to its methodological, geographical and theme expansion.
WHAT WE ARE LOOKING FOR
ISGlobal is seeking an outstanding and highly motivated pre-doctoral fellow in health economics with capacity in health economics and with knowledge of economic evaluation techniques. The candidate will enrol in the Doctoral program of International Health of the faculty of Medicine of the University of Barcelona, a 3 year PhD program. The candidate will have a central role supporting the delivery of the health economics work package of a project, funded by Horizon Europe Research and Innovation Program, called EChiLiBRiST. EChiLiBRiST is an ISGlobal-led consortium aimed at Reducing Child Mortality in Africa. It aims to develop and validate a rapid test for early recognition and improved management of febrile children at risk of severe diseases. As part of the ambition to improve decision making through improved diagnosis, there is a Health Economics workstream led by economists at the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE), who work in close collaboration with Dr Sicuri at ISGlobal. This workstream aims to identify and evaluate the (i) cost-effectiveness of the newly proposed testing approach, and (ii) the influence of socio-economic factors and health system determinants that shape health provider and consumer preferences for diagnostics. The projects will include dealing with large data sets and draw upon primarily quantitative skills. The candidate will be most involved in conducting the cross-country economic evaluations, therefore previous experience of using mixed methods and working on economic evaluations will be highly advantageous. The candidate will work in collaboration with the members of the ISGlobal health economics group, the LSE based health economics group, the projects’ partners based in Ethiopia, Gabon and Mozambique and wider consortium members.
KEY RESPONSABILITIES
- Support the cross-country economic evaluations
- Develop and implement tools for collecting cost and outcome data as part of the economic evaluation to facilitate country specific and cross-country insights.
- Managing and analysing data from different countries
- Ensuring an up to date understanding of the latest methods in economic evaluations of diagnostics.
- Lead and co-author scientific articles. These can be included in the candidate’s PhD thesis
- Collaborate with health economics counterparts and those leading the clinical trials in all implementation countries and help with the achievement of projects deliverables and milestones
- Contribute to the wider health economics activities as required. This may include the collection and analysis of primary and secondary data.
TRAINING AND EXPERIENCE / QUALIFICATIONS
- MSc in economics, health economics or data science.
SPECIFIC REQUIREMENTS
- Good knowledge of statistical/econometrics and modeling software (eg, Stata, R, Excel, or equivalent).
- Experience in working in sub-Saharan Africa, ideally one of the EChiLiBRiST partner countries (Ethiopia, Gabon, Mozambique).
- Experience of collecting and analysing both primary and secondary data in sub-Saharan Africa.
- Working knowledge of a language from an EChiLiBRiST partner country
- Strong analytical skills, with demonstrated skills to undertake an economic evaluation in a low resource setting
- Ability to spend extended time in Barcelona and EChiLiBRiST partner countries
AUXILIAR TASKS
This job description reflects the present requirements of the post but may evolve at any time in the future as duties and responsibilities change and/or develop providing there is appropriate consultation with the post-holder.
This job description is not a definitive or exhaustive list of responsibilities but identifies the key responsibilities and tasks of the post holder. The specific objectives of the post holder will be subject to review as part of the individual professional assessment process.
SKILLS
- Proactive, motivated, and team-oriented.
- Strong problem-solving, critical thinking, and organizational abilities.
- Effective communication, writing, and reporting skills.
- Capacity to work independently and contribute to team objectives.
The post holder will adhere to ISGlobal principles contained in People management policy, including Equity, diversity and health safety. The post holder will respect, and accountable to ensure ISGlobal policies and procedures.
LANGUAGES
- Proficiency in English.
- A local language from Ethiopia, Gabon and/or Mozambique
CONDITIONS
- Duration: 3 years
- Starting date: 1st of March
- Contract Type: Full time
- Salary: According to internal salary scales
HOW TO APPLY
Applicants must fill in the request form and attach the CV and a Cover Letter. Each attached document must be named with the candidate name and surname.
The receipt of applications will be open until 16th of Feb.
Only the applications submitted through the request form will be considered.
The interviews could be placed during the reception of candidatures period.
Diverse candidatures are encouraged, that includes: gender, race, ethnicity, religion, age, sexual orientation, physical abilities, and political views.
SELECTION PROCESS
The selection process is designed in two phases:
1- Interview phase of a technical nature, with the team that requires the incorporation. To assess the person's skills and CV.
2 - Meeting with HR with the finalist(s) to finish assessing the profile and discuss contractual and institutional issues.
If needed, any technical test could be passed. A Psychological Competency Evaluation Test will be required for the structural or transversal positions.
In accordance with the OTM-R principles, a gender-balanced recruitment panel is formed for every vacancy at the beginning of the process. After reviewing the content of the applications, the panel will start the interviews, with at least one technical and one administrative interview. A profile questionnaire as well as a technical exercise may be required during the process.
In ISGlobal, we are committed to maintaining and developing a work environment in which the values and principles of our organization are respected and equal opportunities between women and men are promoted in each of the areas in which we operate, not tolerating discrimination based on criteria such as age, gender, marital status, race, ethnicity, functional diversity, political leanings, religion, sexual orientation, gender identity or gender expression.
ISGlobal supports the initiative #ScienceforUkraine. Therefore, to sustain Ukraine’s presence in the European Research Area and international scholarly community, candidates from Ukraine on all levels of scholarly career are welcome: students, PhD candidates, early career researchers, and senior scholars.
We confirm our commitment towards the value of the diversity of our staff and student population and seek to promote peace, equity, diversity, and inclusion as essential elements in contributing to improving health worldwide.
About Barcelona Institute for Global Health (ISGlobal)
The Barcelona Institute for Global Health (ISGlobal) is a cutting-edge institute addressing global public health challenges through research, translation into policy and education. ISGlobal has a broad portfolio in communicable and non-communicable diseases including environmental and climate determinants, and applies a multidisciplinary scientific approach ranging from the molecular to the population level. Research is organized in five programs: Climate, Air Pollution, Nature and Urban Health; Environment and Health over the Lifecourse; Global Viral and Bacterial Infections; Malaria and Neglected Parasitic Diseases; and Maternal Child and Reproductive Health. ISGlobal is accredited with the Severo Ochoa distinction, a seal of excellence of the Spanish Science Ministry.
PhD and Research Assistant in Health Economics
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