Grant proposals are still being invited by the Bill & Melinda Gates foundation for the following Grand Challenges initiatives:

Grand Challenges: Voices for Economic Opportunity seeks to elevate new and diverse voices that can help broaden the conversation about the issues underlying economic mobility in the United States and generate deeper awareness and actionable understanding. Application is open to U.S.-based investigators. Initial grants of USD $100,000 will be awarded, and applications are only two pages, with no preliminary data required. Applicants can be at any experience level; in any discipline; and from any type of organization, including colleges and universities, government laboratories, research institutions, non-profit organizations and for-profit companies. Application deadline is Wednesday, November 13, 2019 11:30 am PST.

• The Grand Challenges initiative has awarded grants to 180 investigators in 30 countries, targeting 30 key challenges in global health and development to date.

Grand Challenges Explorations: Innovations for Improving the Impact of Health Campaigns seeks innovative solutions that accelerate the improvement of coverage, reach, efficiency, and effectiveness of campaign-based delivery of health interventions. Initial grants of USD $100,000 will be awarded, and applications are only two pages, with no preliminary data required. Applicants can be at any experience level; in any discipline; and from any type of organization, including colleges and universities, government laboratories, research institutions, non-profit organizations and for-profit companies. Application deadline is Wednesday, November 13, 2019 11:30 am PST.

• The Grand Challenges Explorations (GCE) initiative has awarded grants to 1485 investigators in 71 countries, targeting a diverse set of global health and development challenges.

In addition, we invite you to watch videos from the 2019 Grand Challenges Annual Meeting in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. This annual meeting aims to catalyze collaboration among researchers, funders, and other partners to accelerate innovation for impact in solving the world’s most urgent global health and development problems. Meetings have been held in 11 countries since 2005: United States, South Africa, Thailand, Tanzania, India, Canada, Brazil, China, United Kingdom, Germany, and most recently Ethiopia.

Bill & Melinda Gates foundation also invites you to read summaries of the grants funded to date across the Grand Challenges family of initiatives and to explore an interactive world map of projects across the global Grand Challenges funding partner network. Bill & Melinda Gates foundation look forward to receiving innovative ideas from around the world. If you have a great idea, please apply!

This Notice informs the research community that the National Institute on Aging (NIA) intends to reissue Funding Opportunity Announcements (FOAs) PAR-18-644 “Advanced-Stage Development and Utilization of Research Infrastructure for Interdisciplinary Aging Studies (R33 – Clinical Trial Optional)” and PAR-18-645 “Research Infrastructure Development for Interdisciplinary Aging Studies (R21/R33 – Clinical Trial Optional).” When reissued, the FOAs will continue to use the R33 and R21/R33 grant mechanisms, respectively, to support network and infrastructure development activities. Scientific scope of the reissued FOAs will be broadened to encompass the interests of all four NIA extramural funding divisions.

This Notice is being provided to inform potential applicants of the availability of continued opportunities to submit applications beyond expiration of the currently active FOAs.

The FOA is expected to be published in December 2019 with an expected initial application due date of February 16, 2020.

The Social Science, Humanities & Health Division at the Portland Community College, Rock Creek campus has an open full-time Economics position scheduled to begin fall 2020 to teach a variety of ECON courses in person, online, and through the hybrid modalities. This position will include assessing student learning, student advising, and participation in Subject Area Committee (SAC) duties. This position is responsible for working collaboratively with faculty and administrators across the PCC district to further develop the college-wide Economics Program. Dependent on the instructor’s qualifications, the teaching workload may include teaching a variety of courses from disciplines including but not limited to; Microeconomics, Macroeconomics, and Introduction to Economics.

Consideration Date: 12/1/2019

The Department of Sociology at the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley is looking for a dynamic candidate to fill a tenure track position. The appointment at the level of Assistant Professor will begin Fall 2020. Areas of specialization are open, but preference will be given to individuals with backgrounds in demography and survey design. The position will involve teaching undergraduate- and graduate-level courses for the Department of Sociology’s BA and MS programs. The successful candidate will also be expected to maintain an active research agenda while holding a strong commitment to student mentorship and success. Incomplete applications will not be considered. Selected candidates will be required to provide official transcripts from all degree-granting universities. Applications must be submitted through the UTRGV employment portal.

The African and African Diaspora Studies (AADS) Department is searching to hire a tenured social science faculty position in African Diaspora Studies in the United States at the Associate or Full rank. This position will have an affiliation with the Institute for Urban Policy Research and Analysis (IUPRA), a partner unit in The University of Texas at Austin’s Black Studies suite. We seek candidates with a strong research agenda whose work focuses on key issues for reducing racial inequality in the United States. The start date for this position is September 1, 2020. 

A candidate’s research should utilize a combination of strong conceptual foundations and rigorous empirical methods, including but not limited to quantitative and structural or critical race theories. A demonstrated ability to write and secure grants is required; the ability to write policy briefs is a plus. Candidates should also be able to demonstrate interest in and effectiveness at teaching one of the department’s introductory graduate courses, “Black Studies Theory” and “Black Studies Methods.” We welcome candidates with doctorates in any relevant field – including, among others, black studies, critical race studies, ethnic studies, economics, education, political science, psychology, anthropology, philosophy, sociology, and geography – with research interests in public health, medical disparities, mass incarceration, the racial wealth gap, demography, urban development, urban studies, environmental justice, and/or geospatial analysis, among others. Demonstrated excellence in scholarship, teaching and a commitment to diversity and inclusion are essential.

Applicants should submit the following materials: 

• Cover Letter
• Curriculum Vitae
• Two Writing Samples
• Contact Information for Three References

Inquiries and other communications may be directed to Jackson Brown at  jacksonbrown@austin.utexas.edu . 

Applications received by December 1, 2019, will receive full consideration . The search will remain open until the position is filled or closed.

Please join us next Wednesday when The Medical Anthropology and Global Health Seminar Series presents:

 Dr. Cody McDonald, Rehabilitation Medicine, University of Washington

“Access to Prosthetics and Orthotics in Low and Middle-Income Countries”

Date:  Wednesday November 6

Time:  3:30-4:50

Location:  Johnson 102

Abstract

People around the world experience disability due to unaccommodated physical impairments. Prosthetic and orthotic devices serve to accommodate many physical disabilities, thereby restoring mobility, function and participation in society. Successful prosthetic and orthotic service provision relies upon a well-trained and accessible workforce of prosthetists/orthotists. Successful education of prosthetic and orthotic professionals requires a thorough understanding of the current personnel need and state of prosthetist/orthotist education. To date, the global need for and education of prosthetists/orthotists is largely undocumented. This body of work addresses three aims (1) estimate region specific prosthetist personnel need to serve the population of people with amputation based on estimates of global amputation prevalence due to trauma and diabetes, (2) examine the prosthetic and orthotic education, curriculum and teaching methods described in prosthetic and orthotic literature and (3) explore how prosthetic and orthotic faculty in Ghana and the U.S. access information.

Global Burden of Disease (GBD) amputation estimates were used in a secondary data analysis to provide descriptive interpretation for prosthetic and orthotic service provision and calculate estimates of prosthetist need globally. A systematic review of current prosthetic and orthotic education research was used to aggregate the body of literature and identify areas for development. Lastly, a social network analysis was conducted to explore information access and exchange among faculty at two prosthetic and orthotic professional preparation programs. Together this body of work explores the global prosthetic and orthotic workforce at three different levels.

Biography

Dr. McDonald is a certified and licensed prosthetist/orthotist with an MPH in Global Health and PhD in Rehabilitation Science. She graduated from the University of Washington prosthetics and orthotics program in 2006, completed both residencies at the University of California San Francisco and continued to work at UCSF in clinical practice until 2011. She then worked as an orthotist mentor at the Cooperative Orthotic and Prosthetic Enterprise (COPE) in Vientiane, Laos. She has continued her international work with ongoing collaborations in Peru and Ghana. Dr. McDonald’s research explores amputation prevalence, prosthetist/orthotist education, prosthesis and orthosis user outcomes and building global workforce capacity. She currently serves on the executive board of the U.S. Chapter of the International Society of Prosthetics and Orthotics and conducts research and teaches at the University of Washington. Dr. McDonald will move into an Acting Assistant Professor role in the Department of Rehabilitation Medicine in January 2020.

For information about upcoming MAGH Seminar talks, see https://anthropology.washington.edu/news/2019/09/25/current-issues-medical-anthropology-and-global-health-seminar-series

For information on courses in the Medical Anthropology and Global Health Option see https://anthropology.washington.edu/major-option-medical-anthropology-global-health-ba