INDEPTH - DSS UNIVERSITIES:
SHORT TERM FELLOWSHIPS
Population
Programme, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand
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1. Name of university / population programme |
Population Programme, Faculty
of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand |
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2.
City/Country: |
Agincourt, South Africa |
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3.
Head: |
Prof Stephen Tollman |
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4.
Description of the population programme: |
The School of Public Health at
the University of the Witwatersrand established the Health and
Population Division in 2002, headed by Professor Stephen Tollman. The
Division has both educational and research components. Although the
Division is new at WITS, the Division's main research arm - the
Agincourt Health and Population Unit (AHPU) has been active in important
health, demographic and health systems research since the early 1990's.
In 2002, the Agincourt Unit was recognised as a Medical Research
Council/ University of the Witwatersrand Unit in Rural Public Health and
Health Transitions Research. This is the first and only recognized unit
in Public Health.
The Health and Population Division at WITS has important collaborations
with other research groups in Southern Africa, as well as
internationally. One notable collaboration is with INDEPTH - a network
of Health and Demographic Surveillance sites. Professor Stephen Tollman
is the Chair of the INDEPTH Board. In addition, the Division leads two
INDEPTH working groups, those on Adult Health and Migration, and is
active in three additional working groups: Health Equity, Mortality, and
Life Table Analysis. |
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5.
Research objectives: |
The research framework of the
MRC/Wits-Agincourt Unit covers three closely linked spheres of work:
measuring and monitoring, investigating, and responding to health,
population and social transitions in rural South Africa. These spheres
of work are based on the methodological, analytic and evaluative
strengths of the health and demographic surveillance system (HDSS), as
well as its high community acceptance. The portfolio of work responds to
priorities, questions and hypotheses generated through the HDSS and the
social context within which it is located. Increasingly, work addresses
and is influenced by HIV/AIDS: mortality and cause-of-death studies,
fertility patterns and sexual behaviours of men and women,
bi-directional relationships between infection and migration, changing
family and household configurations, health and socio-economic impacts
of illness on households, health seeking behaviour and health care
utilisation, influence on evolving patterns of non-communicable disease.
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6.
Priority areas: |
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7. Sample publications in the last 5 years: |
Golooba-Mutebi F. Devolution
and Outsourcing of Municipal Services in Kampala City, Uganda: An Early
Assessment. Public Administration and Development. 2003;23:1-14.
Townsend N, Madhavan S, Tollman S, Garenne M, Kahn K. Children’s
residence patterns and educational attainment in rural South Africa.
Population Studies. 2002;56(2):215-225.
Tollman SM, Pick W. Roots, shoots, but too little fruit: Assessing the
contribution of COPC in South Africa. American Journal of Public Health.
2002;92(11):1725-1728. Wolff B, Collinson MA, Tollman SM. Safer at home?
Male labour migration and HIV risk behaviour in rural South Africa. AHPU
Working Paper Series. University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg:
2002.
Collinson MA, Wittenberg MW, Tollman SM, Kahn K. Household dynamics in
rural South Africa, 1993 to 2000. AHPU Working Paper Series. University
of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg: 2002. |
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8.
List and description of staff, areas of
expertise: |
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9.
Individual interests of staff with respect to
collaborating with a DSS site: |
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10.
Any preferred site: |
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11.
Period of time / length of time staff members
can visit a DSS site: |
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12.
Do you have PhD students you would like to send
to DSS sites to work on DSS data? |
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13.
Any other issues you think are relevant to the
programme / suggestions: |
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For more information, please contact:
Back
Dr. Osman Sankoh
Deputy Executive Director
INDEPTH Network
Accra, Ghana
Email :
osman.sankoh@indepth-network.org
Tel.: +233 21 519394
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