March 2018 Newsletter

UCL Global Health

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News & Activities

24 March

UK academics call on government to prioritise fight against tuberculosis

On 24 March, World TB Day, leading academics from UCL and other UK institutions published an open letter to the government urging more action on the fight against tuberculosis. As one of the top ten causes of death globally, TB remains a health burden for low- and middle-income countries in particular, where 95% of TB deaths occur each year. On 23 March experts came together for the annual UCL-LSHTM World TB Day Symposium, which this year became the first ‘super-symposium’ with a live link to the University of California, San Francisco’s own event exploring Research Leaders for a TB-Free World. UCL also joined other organisations worldwide to #LightUpforTB and turned the Wilkins Building red.

Read about UCL's work to fight TB

8 March

GH5050 report holds global health organisations to account

On International Women’s Day, UCL’s Centre for Gender and Global Health launched the inaugural Global Health 50/50 Report in London, led by Prof. Sarah Hawkins and Dr Kent Buse. Examining the gender policies and practices of the most influential global health organisations, the report calls for transparency and accountability to achieve gender equality.
Following lively debate at the launch, discussions and commitments have continued on social media and elsewhere. Writing in The Lancet, Richard Horton said: ‘The publication of Global Health 50/50 is a landmark in the history of global health. If our collective commitment to justice and equity is to mean anything, it's time we changed and changed now.’ Fellow GH5050 speaker Jeremy Farrar concluded ‘Perhaps the most important thing we will all do in our careers … is contribute to and shift GH5050’. Follow the discussion at #GH5050, or watch the video from the GH5050 UK launch.

Read the GH5050 Report

Have you booked your place yet?

Grand Challenges Showcase 2018

On Wednesday 18 April, UCL Grand Challenges will be taking over the South Cloisters of the Wilkins Building to showcase and celebrate the cross-disciplinary activities that have been supported by Grand Challenges to date. Come along to hear from project teams about the impact that their work has had.

Find out more about the Grand Challenges Showcase 2018

UCL populations and lifelong health domain symposium 2018

On Tuesday 8 May, staff from UCL's Populations and Lifelong Health Domain will showcase their work on themes including migration, population mental health and ageing. Writer and broadcaster Vivienne Parry OBE will lead a candid conversation with Professor Sir Malcolm Grant (Chairman of NHS England), Professor Dame Hazel Genn (Director, Centre for Access to Justice) and Professor Dame Anne Johnson (Professor of Infectious Disease Epidemiology and Chair, UCL Populations & Lifelong Health Domain). Also hear from funders about their plans for the future funding of population health research.

Register for Populations and Lifelong health symposium

Spotlight on

The next generation of global health practitioners

Every spring UCL Widening Participation hosts a ‘Do Something Different Day’ to encourage curious students to explore subjects that they may not necessarily hear about at school. On 27 March the UCL Centre for Global Health Economics held taster sessions on health economics, to enable interested school students to learn more about this interdisciplinary approach to global health and priority-setting.

As part of the UCL Summer Challenge 2018, a number of departments are running mini-modules throughout June and July in arts, humanities, social sciences, science and engineering to give year-12 state school students who are considering higher education with the opportunity to participate in seminars, use critical thinking and analytical skills, and engage in debate and discussions with UCL academics and PhD students. UCL’s Department of Epidemiology and Public Health is offering the chance for students interested in sociology, biology, geography, economics and statistics to attend a five-week course on Health and Society: An Introduction to Population Health. Students will learn about the history of population health and epidemiology, how the gap between rich and poor can impact people’s health, and how we can measure and address global issues such as obesity and mental health at a population level. The UCL Summer Challenge is free to attend, but students must meet particular academic criteria.

Find out more and apply now for the UCL Summer Challenge 2018

For anyone already working in public health, those wanting to refresh their knowledge of population health, or those considering a career in related research such as social epidemiology and health policy, why not apply for the UCL Health and Society Summer School? This non-residential course will run from 2 to 6 July, and will provide an in-depth assessment of the social determinants of health from a global research, policy and governance perspective. Early-bird and group discounts are available for applications received by 15 May.

Apply now for the UCL Health and Society Summer School

Research

Burnet Institute and Monash University (Melbourne), Kirby Institute (Sydney), UCL Institute for Global Health and others

Targeting resources in efforts to end AIDS

Published in The Lancet HIV, a global team including co-authors from the UCL Institute for Global Health used the Optima HIV model to estimate how global HIV resources could be targeted for greatest epidemiological effect, and how additional new infections could be averted by 2030.

The global Optima HIV allocative efficiency model

UCL Centre for Global Health Economics and Makerere University School of Public Health

Early child development in Uganda

Jolene Skordis-Worrall, Hassan Haghparast-Bidgoli, Neha Batura and Daniel Strachan from UCL’s Centre for Global Health Economics participated in a workshop on 19 and 20 March for the British Academy’s Global Challenges Research Fund/Department for International Development Early Child Development (ECD) Research Programme. Alongside project partner Prof. Peter Waiswa from Uganda’s Makerere University School of Public Health, the team presented their latest work on an ECD intervention development project in Uganda. The workshop was an important opportunity to learn about other current ECD projects globally, share challenges, discuss research priorities and engage with the funding agenda of the British Academy and DFID. Contact Daniel Strachan to find out more about the ECD project

Burnet Institute, Monash University, Optima Consortium for Decision Science and UCL Institute for Global Health

Optima nutrition: An allocative efficiency tool to better target nutrition-related interventions

Published in BMJ Public Health, UCL's Jolene Skordis-Worrall and co-authors used the Optima framework to conduct allocative efficiency analyses in Bangladesh in order to estimate how to target resources to improve nutrition outcomes.

Optima nutrition: An allocative efficiency tool to reduce childhood stunting

UCL Institute for Global Health, Mother Infant Research Activities (Nepal) and World Health Organization

Do participatory learning action women's groups (PLA) and food and cash transfers empower women?

Reporting on the first quantitative randomised controlled evaluation of a PLA women’s group intervention, with and without unconditional food and cash transfers using data from Nepal, this article in the Journal of Development Studies advises caution before assuming that such interventions necessarily empower women.

Do PLA women's groups with and without cash or food transfers expand women's agency in rural Nepal?

Study at UCL

Research methods: HIV, sexual health and infectious diseases

10-13 September, UCL Institute for Global Health

This intensive course is designed for doctors, nurses, researchers and anyone else with an interest in sexual Health, HIV, infectious diseases and other medical specialties wishing to develop their research skills. Prior experience in research and statistics is an advantage but not essential.

The course aims to teach:

The principles of formulating a research question and designing a project
Qualitative, quantitative, bio-statistical and epidemiological research methods
A practical guide to research governance, ethical approval and good practice in research
How to critically appraise scientific literature
Presenting at conferences and getting scientific papers published

The standard price for this course is £400, but concessions are available for individuals from middle-/low-income countries, full-time students and unwaged individuals.

To register your interest please email Lydia Clinton or visit our website for updates, information and course materials.

Institute for Global Health Open Evening

24 April, 17.00-20.00, UCL Institute of Child Health, 30 Guildford Street

UCL's Institute for Global Health is hosting an open evening for prospective applicants interested in our postgraduate programmes: MSc Global Health and Development, MSc Global Health and Development: tropEd and MSc Health Economics and Decision Science. Join us for programme talks, Q&As, tours and networking opportunities.

Register for the IGH open evening

African applicants to our MSc Global Health and Development programme should apply to our African Graduate Scholarship by 27 April 2018. Applicants must be African nationals currently residing in an African nation and have an unconditional offer on the Global Health and Development programme. The scholarship covers fees, accommodation and some maintenance costs. We are pleased to be able to offer four African Graduate Scholarships for the 2018-19 academic year.

American applicants to our MSc Global Health and Development programme should apply to the UCLFAA Scholarship by 27 April 2018. Applicants must also hold an offer to study on the programme. The UCLFAA Scholarship awards $25,000 towards the tuition fees for one American student.

Visit our IGH funding page to find out more about these scholarships and how to apply

Funding calls

Grand Challenges Small Grants 2018-19

UCL Grand Challenges is looking to support collaborations across UCL faculties or between a researcher and a member of UCL Professional Services to use academic insights to address current social issues. Grants of £4,000 will be awarded to fund activities between 1 August 2018 and 31 July 2019.

Proposals are encouraged that address the Grand Challenges ‘Priority Themes’, as well as those demonstrating innovative ‘grass-roots’ cross-disciplinary responses to other issues of major contemporary concern (even if not readily bracketed within a priority theme). Applications must be led by UCL academic staff members (honorary researchers included) at postdoctoral level (or equivalent) or above.

Applications close at 09.00 on 28 May 2018.

Find out more and apply for the Grand Challenges Small Grants 2018-19

UCL Global Engagement Fund

The Global Engagement Fund is intended to support UCL academics collaborating with colleagues based in other countries, driving forward the objectives of the Global Engagement Strategy.

Between £500 and £2,000 is available for activity in any faculty (£4,000 in the Social & Historical Sciences or Arts & Humanities faculties).

Applications are open to UCL staff at postdoctoral level or equivalent and above. Applications for the 2018/19 academic year close at 09.00 on 17 May 2018.

Apply now to the Global Engagement Fund

Wellcome Trust Research Career Re-entry Fellowships

Offering postdoctoral researchers the opportunity to re-establish their scientific career after a continuous break from research for at least two years, this award includes a basic salary (determined by UCL), a supplement of £7,500 for personal support, research expenses and retraining.

Find out more about the Wellcome Career Re-entry Fellowship

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