Doctoral scholarship holder Primary Care

Updated: over 1 year ago
Job Type: FullTime
Deadline: 06 Nov 2022

Let’s shape the future – University of Antwerp

The Department of Family Medicine and Population Health of the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences of the Universiteit Antwerpen is looking for a full-time (100%) doctoral scholarship holder in the field of Primary Care.

We are looking for a PhD student in the field of Primary Care. You will be part of a larger FWO-SBO project (comprising two other PhD positions: one in Sociology (UAntwerpen) and one in Health Economics (UGent)) which aims to test a community health worker intervention to improve access to primary health care for socio-economically vulnerable groups. This project has both a strong research and valorisation focus – aiming to ensure that our research is optimally aligned with societal needs and that the produced knowledge and output will be maximally utilised in the field.

Despite the fact that Belgium has put various reforms in place to make Primary Health Care (PHC) more affordable and accessible, inequalities in access to care are not decreasing but even getting bigger. This results in a need for innovative measures to link people who have difficulties accessing PHC, such as people living in socio-economically vulnerable circumstances, to the existing PHC system. To design a new model, the project will tap into the potential of innovations from low and middle- income countries (LMICs). Inspired by community health worker (CHW) interventions in LMICs (e.g. South Africa), this study will design and test an outreaching PHC model with a CHW intervention to address the access-to-care challenges in Flanders, Belgium. The intervention will be implemented and tested in Antwerp, with close collaboration with primary care practices in the areas.

Position

  • You are part of a scientific research team. In this team you will carry out the following research tasks, among others:
    • You will prepare and conduct qualitative fieldwork in the primary care and community setting in Flanders, as well as analyse the qualitative data collected;
    • You will connect with the primary care practices that will be connected to the interventions to facilitate design and implementation of the community health worker intervention;
    • You will prepare and conduct qualitative fieldwork in Belgium, alongside the execution of a Randomised Controlled Trial testing a community health workers intervention, as well as analyse the collected qualitative data
  • You will publish scientific articles and present your work at scientific conferences related to the research project
  • You will work actively on the preparation and defence of a PhD thesis.
  • You will collaborate with societal stakeholders to optimise fit of the research results to practice and societal impact. As such, you will contribute to the valorisation objectives of the research project.

Profile

  • You hold a master degree in medicine, public health, or a related relevant discipline.
  • Being a General Practitioner is an added value
  • You have affinity with the health care sector in Belgium.
  • You can submit outstanding academic results.
  • You speak and write fluently in Dutch and English; Knowledge of additional languages is a bonus;
  • You are familiar with qualitative and quantitative research methods in health services research, or you are willing to invest in developing these competences.
  • Students in the final year of their degree can also apply.
  • Your academic qualities comply with the requirements stipulated in the university’s policy .
  • You are quality-oriented, conscientious, creative and cooperative.
  • You enjoy working in a team

What we offer

  • We offer a doctoral scholarship for a period of one year. Following a positive evaluation, the scholarship can be renewed for a maximum of four years in total.
  • The planned start date is the 1st  of January 2023 or earlier in agreement with the research team.
  • Your monthly scholarship amount is calculated according to the scholarship amounts  for doctoral scholarship holders on the pay scales for Contract Research Staff (Dutch: Bijzonder Academisch Personeel, BAP).
  • You will receive ecocheques and a bicycle allowance or a full reimbursement of public transport costs for commuting.
  • You will do most of your work at the Campus Drie Eiken but you will also work on the city campus on a weekly basis in a dynamic and stimulating working environment.
  • Find out more about working at the University of Antwerp here .

Want to apply?

  • You can apply for this vacancy through the University of Antwerp’s online job application platform up to and including on the 6th  of November 2022 (by midnight Brussels time). Click on the 'Apply' button, complete the online application form and be sure to include the following attachments: a motivation letter, your CV, a text that represents you work (preferably in English).
  • The selection committee will review all of the applications as soon as possible after the application deadline. We plan job interviews on 22 November.
  • If you have any questions about the online application form, please check the frequently asked questions  or send an email to [email protected] . If you have any questions about the job itself, please contact [email protected]  or  [email protected]  .

The University of Antwerp received the European Commission’s HR Excellence in Research Award  for its HR policy. We are a sustainable, family-friendly organisation which invests in its employees’ growth. We encourage diversity  and attach great importance to an inclusive working environment and equal opportunities, regardless of gender identity, disability, race, ethnicity, religion or belief, sexual orientation or age. We encourage people from diverse backgrounds and with diverse characteristics to apply.



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