At the Faculty of Medicine, Department of Global Public Health and Primary Care, 3 PhD positions (100%) are available for a period of three (3) years, starting April 1, 2022. The positions are located at ”Bergen Centre for Ethics and Priority Setting (BCEPS)” and funded through the NORAD project “Defining and integrating essential NCD interventions in national health systems” (RAF20/0032).

About the project/work tasks:

Bergen Centre for Ethics and Priority Setting (BCEPS), situated at the Department of Global Public Health and Primary Care at the University of Bergen, is an interdisciplinary research center dedicated to studying the ethics and economics of priority setting in health. It provides decision support to countries on the path to Universal Health Coverage (UHC) – in partial fulfilment of the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). BCEPS seeks to build scientific and technical capacity in the field of health care priority setting in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) by using established methods of priority setting and applying these to concrete priority setting challenges (e.g. defining national essential health care packages) in collaboration with local partners.

The objectives for this project are to:

1.    Develop and propose essential NCD UHC packages in Tanzania, Nepal and Ghana.

2.    Train national experts in health economics and priority setting. A number of PhD candidates and Master’s students will be recruited from the selected countries.

3.    Develop recommendations for integrated delivery of priority interventions in the selected countries.

BCEPS is responsible for achieving outcomes 1 & 2, while Harvard Medical School’s Brigham and Women’s Hospital Center for Integration Science in Global Health Delivery is responsible for outcome 3.

The University of Bergen invites highly qualified candidates to apply for a PhD training opportunity through BCEPS at the Department of Global Public Health and Primary Care. This PhD opportunity will focus on revising and evaluating impact of the national essential health care package for NCD services in the three countries (Tanzania, Nepal and Ghana). There will be one PhD hired for each country, but the candidate will be based in Bergen, Norway.  

Qualifications and personal qualities:

Required qualifications. The applicant must:

• hold a master’s degree or equivalent in economics, public health or public policy
• have experience with applied research in the respective country the applicant aims to work in (Tanzania, Nepal or Ghana)
• be able to work independently in a structured manner and to cooperate with others
• be fluent in spoken and written English, and a local language for the country that the candidate applies for

Qualifications considered to be an added advantage:

• have experience with applied work on health priorities in low-income countries
• 2-3 years’ work experience in an academic, public health, or other government institutions
• aptitude and interest in quantitative social science research methods
• experience with basic principles in health economic evaluations
• experience from relevant research projects will be considered as positive
• experience with non-communicable disease policy

Applicant whose education is from another country than Norway, need to also attach a certified translation of the diploma and transcript of grades to English or a Scandinavian language, if the original is not in any of these languages. It is required that the applicant enclose a review from NOKUT whether the education (bachelor and master degree) in question is of a scope and level that corresponds to the level of a Norwegian master’s degree. Please see www.nokut.no/en for more information about NOKUT’s general recognition. The review from NOKUT may take some time and the application should be sent to NOKUT as soon as you have decided to apply for the position. If no answer within the application deadline, you may enclose documentation from NOKUT that they have received your application. Language qualifications: http://www.uib.no/en/med/115526/english-language-requirements-phd-admission

About the PhD position (applies to university PhD positions):

Organised research training (PhD programme):

The candidate must take part in the University of Bergen approved PhD programme leading to a completed doctorate within a time limit of 3 years. You must have admission to the organised research training (PhD programme) at the Faculty in order to qualify for the PhD position. Application for admission to the PhD programme, including a project plan outline, must be submitted no later than three months after the date of commencement.

The PhD position:

PhD positions are fixed-term positions. You cannot be employed in a PhD position for more than one fixed-term period at the same institution or have had similar employment at another institution in the region.

We can offer:

• Exciting development opportunities as part of your role in a strong professional environment
• Salary level 54 (code 1017/pay range 20.10) NOK 491 200 before taxes, in accordance with the state salary scale. Further increases in salary will be based on seniority in the position. For applicants with at least one year of employment in a position as a General Practitioner or Dentist, salary level 56 NKR 507 600. Medical specialist start on wage level 59 NKR 534 400
• Enrolment in the Norwegian Public Service Pension Fund
• Good welfare benefits

Your application must include:

• A brief account of your research interests and motivation for applying for the position (maximum two pages).
• Certified copies of diplomas and transcripts of grades. Applicants whose education is from a country other than Norway, need to attach a certified translation of their diploma and transcript of grades to English or a Scandinavian language if the original is not in any of these languages. It is compulsory for the applicant to enclose a review from NOKUT to document whether the education in question (bachelor’s and master’s degree) is of a scope and level that corresponds to the level of a Norwegian master’s degree. Please see www.nokut.no/en for more information about NOKUT’s general recognition. This may take some time and we recommend that you apply as soon as you have decided to apply for this position. If you have not received an answer before the application deadline, please enclose documentation from NOKUT that they have received your application.
• Documentation of language skills (English) http://www.uib.no/en/med/115526/english-language-requirements-phd-admission
• A complete list of publications and scientific work you want to be evaluated.
• Any publication(s) in your name.
• Two referees (name and contact information).

General information:

For further information, please contact project leaders Professor Ole Frithjof Norheim, BCEPS, E-mail: ole.norheim@uib.no, phone: +47 55586145 or Professor Kjell Arne Johansson, BCEPS, E-mail: kjell.johansson@uib.no, phone: +47 97191828

The state labour force shall reflect the diversity of Norwegian society to the greatest extent possible. People with immigrant backgrounds and people with disabilities are encouraged to apply for the position.

The University of Bergen applies the principle of public access to information when recruiting staff for academic positions.

Information about applicants may be made public even if the applicant has asked not to be named on the list of persons who have applied. The applicant must be notified if the request to be omitted is not met.

The successful applicant must comply with the guidelines that apply to the position at all times.

For further information about the recruitment process, click here.

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