PATH’s work in tuberculosis (TB) control supports the Stop TB Partnership goal of eliminating TB as a public health threat by 2050 through expanding Directly Observed Treatment, Short-course, addressing the threat of multi-drug resistant tuberculosis (MDR-TB), improving care for people with tuberculosis and HIV, involving the private sector in TB control, and strengthening advocacy, communication, and social mobilization (ACSM) capacity at international and national levels.
Collaborating closely with the key national and local stakeholders in TB control in Vietnam, PATH has piloted a public-private mix (PPM) model in Hai Phong City to strengthen linkages between private and public providers of TB and HIV related services in order to improve access to and quality of TB and HIV services since 2008.
With support from the US Government and PEPFAR, PATH will launch an expanded TB program in Vietnam in 2010. Overall objectives are to reduce diagnostic delays, increase case detection, and improve adherence to TB treatment by increasing stakeholder involvement in TB control activities at all levels in Vietnam. Specific objectives are to:
- Identify patterns and reasons of inaccessibility to and under use of public TB control services in Vietnam in order to provide more comprehensive evidence for formulating appropriate TB control strategies and interventions
- Increase involvement of the private health care sector and other public stakeholders outside National TB Program in the detection and treatment of TB
- Strengthen capacity of the NTP, provincial authorities, local communities, and other stakeholders to plan, develop, implement, and monitor ACSM activities, including patient support
PATH seeks a Project Researcher to implement day-to-day activities in conducting the research on patterns and reasons of inaccessibility to and under use of public TB control services in Vietnam. The incumbent will work closely with PATH staff and country collaborators (NTP and other related national and local partners) in Vietnam. Under the overall guidance and direction of the Program Team Leader and the direct supervision of the Project Manager, the incumbent will perform the following duties:
- Develop a detailed plan of action for conducting the research in collaboration with responsible staff/consultants of PATH and national partners
- Draft criteria, process and bidding documents to select appropriate technical counterparts for conducting the research
- Conduct primary and secondary research to identify key TB-related messages and behavior change approaches and develop appropriate materials and strategies for use in the community
- Conduct formative research to identify appropriate treatment support strategies for TB patients and their families
- Arrange technical, administrative and logistic assistance necessary for implementing research activities
- Monitor the process and evaluate the outputs of research design, data collection, data processing, data analysis, and report writing
- Facilitate collaboration between the technical counterparts and national/local partners for conducting the research
- Promote the development of information products and organize events to disseminate research results to the relevant stakeholders in TB control
- Participate in documenting and reporting on research activities
- Provide guidance, direction, and mentorship to project assistant(s)
- Provide inputs in developing new proposals to expand the TB/HIV projects based on research results
Required Skills:
- Excellent written and spoken Vietnamese and English.
- Good skills in designing and conducting research, especially qualitative research
- Ability to work independently and deliver quality work on time.
- Good interpersonal skills and ability to work effectively in a team.
- Proven presentation skills and ability to write reports.
- Ability to use a computer and utilize software programs such as Microsoft Office Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook and statistical software.
- Willingness and ability to travel up to 30% annually within Vietnam.
Required Experience:
- Medical degree or Master's in public health or related field plus a minimum of five years' progressive work experience designing and conducting health research including at least 3 years of experience in qualitative research. Experience managing collaborative research preferable; experience in TB/communicable disease control or health system is highly desirable. Experience working with government counterparts and projects supported by international donors a plus.
- Monthly gross salary range: USD 1,104 – USD1,379 (depending on experience) plus competitive benefits (paid in VND).
- For information on the application process for this position, please visit the jobs section of the PATH website (www.path.org [1])