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Suicide Prevention and Intervention, Scientist - Term appointment (3 years renewable)
Entity
Brain and Mind Institute
Location
Pakistan or Kenya
Introduction
Chartered in 1983, Aga Khan University (AKU, www.aku.edu) is a private, autonomous and self-governing international university, with 13 teaching sites in 6 countries over three continents. An integral part of the Aga Khan Development Network (www.akdn.org), AKU provides higher education in multiple health science and social science disciplines, carries out research pertinent primarily to low- and middle-income countries and operates 7 hospitals (soon 8) and over 325 outreach clinics, all at international standards. It has almost 2,500 students and 14,000 staff. The University is both a model of academic excellence and an agent of social change. As a leading international institution dedicated to excellence and change, AKU operates on the core principles of quality, relevance, impact and access.
The Brain & mind Institute seeks to build capacity in the domains of mental health and neuroscience. In collaboration with partners, the Institute will advance leadership capacity and support service delivery across East Africa and other regions served by AKU. The Institute supports: (i) a hub for scholarship, exchange, and action on mental health issues, and (ii) educational, clinical, and community-based programs. Research focuses on the context of today’s youth in Africa and South Asia and programmatic offerings address mental health related issues, such as stigma and resiliency. The Institute develops new curricula integrating behavioral sciences and mental health for AKU’s medical colleges and nursing education. A significant area of interest is the implementation of science-based programing in hospital and community clinics that translate new discoveries into prevention and treatment programs.
Do you want to improve mental health in the developing world? Have you ever wondered what it would be like to help guide a world-changing organization just as they started growing rapidly? We are looking for a bold, entrepreneurial, and boundary-pushing leader who is enthralled by the challenge and excited by the opportunity to drive transformations in mental health and help improve the quality of life for millions - on a national and international scale, on an accelerated timeline.
This is an interdisciplinary research position, focused on suicide prevention and intervention, in Kenya and/or Pakistan and addressing, through research, academic programming, and policy influence, the mounting burden of mental illness among vulnerable populations, with particular focus on regions lacking sufficient numbers of professionals with expertise in suicide prevention.
Responsibilities
- Conducting research
- Planning, coordinating, supervising and carrying out research activities
- Exploring funding opportunities, preparing and submitting grant applications
- Building capacity through teaching and mentorship
- Networking with local and international experts in related fields
- Communicating research findings through scientific journals, conferences, social media and lay press and other outputs
- Development and delivery of suicide prevention interventions
- Applying implementation science, to test and scale evidence-based interventions
- Developing academic programs on suicide prevention for professional and lay stakeholder communities
- Preparing briefing documents and informing policy makers
- Assisting in government or community-based suicide prevention activities and proposals
- Collaborating with existing suicide prevention agencies and experts
Requirements
- A PhD and/or MD degree(s) in a relevant discipline
- Information Technology (IT) literacy, including excellent technical skills (e.g., in MS office, data analytics, etc.)
- Experience in scientific research, analysis, evaluations, reviews, and publications
- Good understanding of epidemiological and qualitative analysis
- Excellent verbal and written communication skills in English (additional linguistic capacities in Urdu and/or Swahili would be an asset)
- Ability to work relatively independently as well as collaboratively with interdisciplinary and international teams
- A strong publication record
- Sensitivity to and respect for diversity
- Global and national suicide prevention strategies
- Surveillance systems for the detection/monitoring of suicide ideation or mental illness
- Mental health organizations and related NGOs in the sector
- Predictive analytics methods
To Apply
Interested candidates should submit a Cover letter, detailed Curriculum Vitae, names and email contacts of three professional referees, telephone contact, e-mail address and copies of relevant academic certificates as well as transcripts to, the Manager, Human Resources, Aga Khan University’s Campus Nairobi, Kenya. P. O. Box 30270-00100 or by email to hr.universityke@aku.edu .
Your email application should bear the reference number SCIENTIST/BMI.
Only short-listed candidates will be contacted. More information about the Aga Khan University is available at www.aku.edu
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