CIH-CISMAC research school

This Research School is focused on global health and is located at the Centre for International Health (CIH).

The Research School is attached to the Department of Global Public Health and Primary Care (IGS).

PhD-candidates involved in the research school are primarily affiliated with CIH/CISMAC/BCEPS/IGS but all PhD candidates interested in global health at UiB are welcome to participate.

The school is also responsible for arranging PhD midway evaluations.

Leaders  of the Research School:

Centre Director Simon Øverland and Professor Sven Gudmund Hinderaker

Administrative contact persons:
Daniel Gundersen (PhD coordinator)
Gunhild Koldal (administration)

Organisation

All employed scientific personnel at CIH participate as teachers/supervisors at the research school. CIH personnel teach courses as well as participate in any research seminars.

CIH cooperates as well with supervisors from other parts of IGS, Haukeland University Hospital and other Departments at the University of Bergen. Also, CIH has several co-supervisors from ourlow- and middle income partner countries. These external supervisors join the activities at the research school when it is possible, but do not have other responsibilities aside from their supervision.

Organisational group

Four professors and one-to-two PhD candidates will have the primary responsibility of organizing the CIH Research School. At least two of the members in the group should be working with projects in the Centre of Excellence anchored at CIH: CISMAC. The members of the organizational group will sit for two years at the time.

Members in the organisation group 

Professors: Sven Gudmund Hinderaker, Bente E. Moen, Ingunn M. S. Engebretsen and Ingvild F. Sandøy 

PhD candidates: (new candidates will be appointed regularly).

Tasks for the organisation group

The scientific organizational group is responsible for

• the fulfillment of the aims of the CIH research school
• the programme of PhD-seminars for each semester, including midway evaluations and master presentations
• chairing the seminars
• evaluation of / organization of elective PhD courses
• appointing new supervisors for the candidates if needed.

The content of the research school

To be a member of the research school means that the candidate can participate in:

• Elective courses at CIH
• Scientific seminars for at CIH
• Mid-way evaluations at CIH

ii) Candidates at the research school - membership

The CIH-CISMAC Research School is open to all PhD candidates at the Faculty of Medicine, University of Bergen, who have an interest in global health.
The research school will also include seminars for master students at CIH, presenting their scientific work. The seminars for the master students will be chaired by a professor and a PhD candidate together.

iii) Administrative support

The CIH-CISMAC Research School has administrative support from three persons in the CIH administration; two responsible for PhD candidates and one for Master’s (Daniel Gundersen and Gunhild Koldal, and Linda Karin Forshaw, respectively). They will participate in organization group meetings and be responsible for information/email invitations to students about courses and seminars (including midway evaluations) and protocols. In addition, Daniel Gundersen is responsible for the organization of doctoral dissertations.

For information about the midway evaluation: guidelines, description of the different elements of the evaluation, and relevant forms, click here: https://www.uib.no/en/med/136089/midway-evaluation

MIDWAY EVALUATION AT CIH (updated August 2021)

0. At the beginning of each semester, Daniel Gundersen provides a list of candidates to the CIH/CISMAC Research School who should have a Midway evaluation. He also contacts/informs the candidates/main supervisor about this.

1. The main PhD supervisor is responsible for each midway evaluation. They should inform any co-supervisors and select 2 evaluators (one at CIH and one external). The PhD candidate must sign up in the Student web – page for this event.

2. The CIH / CISMAC Research School organizes the evaluations. These should preferably be scheduled for Wednesdays (14:00) – certain dates are allocated for this purpose. More than one evaluation can take place on a given date.

3. The Supervisor and student find a date - preferably one of the dates marked for Midway evaluation in the CIH / CISMAC Research School programme , and reports the date and names of two evaluators to Gunhild Koldal.

4. The Supervisor helps the candidate to prepare the Midway report. Published papers should be enclosed. This should all be sent to to Gunhild Koldal at the latest two weeks before the evaluation takes place. 

5. The report and information about time/place and any other information relating to the evaluation will be sent to the evaluators by to Gunhild Koldal.

6. Midway evaluation takes place:

• The candidate presents his/her work and plans
• Evaluators comment
• Audience may comment
• Evaluator and candidate withdraw for finalization of conclusion/signatures.
• Sometimes the supervisor will participate in extra discussions with the evaluators.

7. The signed midway evaluation form is delivered to IGS administrator (Daniel Gundersen), who forwards it to the Faculty.

The CIH / CISMAC Research School hosts seminars and midway evaluations each month.

Overview of activities are posted on Teams.

The CIH-CISMAC Research School holds monthly webinars for researchers where junior and senior scientists discuss topics of their interest.

CIH and partner institutions offer a variety of courses in global health, both core and elective training courses.

The CIH / CISMAC Research School for International Health aims to promote quality and efficiency in the doctoral training programme.

On completion of a PhD study, the candidate should be able to:

Research skills and techniques- to be able to demonstrate:

• The ability to recognize and validate problems
• Original, independent and critical thinking, and the ability to develop theoretical concepts
• A knowledge of recent advances within one’s field and in related areas
• An understanding of relevant research methodologies and techniques and their appropriate application within one’s research field
• The ability to critically analyse and evaluate one’s findings and those of others
• An ability to summarise, document, report and reflect on progress

Research Environment- to be able to:

• Show a broad understanding of the context, at the national and international level, in which research takes place
• Demonstrate awareness of issues about the rights of other researchers, of research subjects, and of others who may be affected by the research, for example confidentiality, ethical issues, attribution, copyright, malpractice, ownership of data and the requirements of the Data Protection Act
• Demonstrate appreciation of standards of good research practice in their institution and/or discipline
• Understand relevant health and safety issues and demonstrate responsible working practices
• Understand the process for funding and evaluation of research
• Justify the principles and experimental techniques used in one’s own research
• Understand the process of academic or commercial exploitation of research results

Research management- to be able to:

• Apply effective project management through the setting of research goals, intermediate milestones and prioritisation of activities
• Design and execute systems for the acquisition and collation of information through the effective use of appropriate resources and equipment
• Identify and access appropriate bibliographical resources, archives, and other sources of relevant information
• Use information technology appropriately for database management, recording and presenting information

Personal effectiveness- to be able to:

• Demonstrate a willingness and ability to learn and acquire knowledge
• Be creative, innovative and original in one’s approach to research
• Demonstrate flexibility and open-mindedness
• Demonstrate self-awareness and the ability to identify own training needs
• Demonstrate self-discipline, motivation and thoroughness
• Recognise boundaries and draw upon/use sources of support as appropriate
• Show initiative, work independently and be self-reliant

Communication skills –to be able to:

• Write clearly and in a style appropriate to purpose, for example progress reports, published documents, thesis
• Construct coherent arguments and articulate ideas clearly to a range of audiences, formally and informally through a variety of techniques.
• Constructively defend research outcomes at seminars and viva examination
• Contribute to promoting the public understanding of one’s research field
• Effectively support the learning of others when involved in teaching, mentoring or demonstrating activities

Networking and Team working –to be able to:

• Develop and maintain co-operative networks and working relationships with supervisors, colleagues and peers, within the institution and the wider research community
• Understand one’s behaviours and impact on others when working in and contributing to the success of formal and informal teams
• Listen, give and receive feedback and respond perceptively to others

Career management –to be able to:

• Appreciate the need for and show commitment to continued professional development
• Take ownership for and manage one’s career progression, set realistic and achievable career goals, and identify and develop ways to improve employability
• Demonstrate an insight into the transferable nature of research skills to other work environments and the range of career opportunities within and outside academia
• Present one’s skills, personal attributes and experiences through effective CVs, applications and interviews

Example of structure of an abstract