Lembani Martina, Teddy Gina, Molosiwa Dintle, Hwabamungu Boroto
School of Public Health, University of the Western Cape, Robert Sobukwe Road, Private Bag X17, Bellville, 7535, Cape Town, South Africa.
Health Policy and Systems Division, School of Public Health and Family Medicine, University of Cape Town, Anzio Road, Observatory, 7925, Cape Town, South Africa.
Health Res Policy Syst. 2016 Dec 20;14(1):89. doi: 10.1186/s12961-016-0159-3.
Building capacity in health policy and systems research (HPSR), especially in low- and middle-income countries, remains a challenge. Various approaches have been suggested and implemented by scholars and institutions using various forms of capacity building to address challenges regarding HPSR development. The Collaboration for Health Systems Analysis and Innovation (CHESAI) - a collaborative effort between the Universities of Cape Town and the Western Cape Schools of Public Health - has employed a non-research based post-doctoral research fellowship (PDRF) as a way of building African capacity in the field of HPSR by recruiting four post-docs. In this paper, we (the four post-docs) explore whether a PDRF is a useful approach for capacity building for the field of HPSR using our CHESAI PDRF experiences.
We used personal reflections of our written narratives providing detailed information regarding our engagement with CHESAI. The narratives were based on a question guide around our experiences through various activities and their impacts on our professional development. The data analysis process was highly iterative in nature, involving repeated meetings among the four post-docs to reflect, discuss and create themes that evolved from the discussions.
The CHESAI PDRF provided multiple spaces for our engagement and capacity development in the field of HPSR. These spaces provided us with a wide range of learning experiences, including teaching and research, policy networking, skills for academic writing, engaging practitioners, co-production and community dialogue. Our reflections suggest that institutions providing PDRF such as this are valuable if they provide environments endowed with adequate resources, good leadership and spaces for innovation. Further, the PDRFs need to be grounded in a community of HPSR practice, and provide opportunities for the post-docs to gain an in-depth understanding of the broader theoretical and methodological underpinnings of the field.
The study concludes that PDRF is a useful approach to capacity building in HPSR, but it needs be embedded in a community of practice for fellows to benefit. More academic institutions in Africa need to adopt innovative and flexible support for emerging leaders, researchers and practitioners to strengthen our health systems.
卫生政策与系统研究（HPSR）领域的能力建设，尤其是在低收入和中等收入国家，仍然是一项挑战。学者和机构提出并实施了各种方法，通过各种形式的能力建设来应对HPSR发展方面的挑战。卫生系统分析与创新协作组织（CHESAI）——开普敦大学和西开普公共卫生学院的合作项目——通过招募四名博士后，采用了一种非研究型博士后研究奖学金（PDRF）作为在HPSR领域培养非洲能力的一种方式。在本文中，我们（四名博士后）利用我们在CHESAI的PDRF经历，探讨PDRF是否是HPSR领域能力建设的一种有用方法。
我们运用了对书面叙述的个人反思，这些叙述提供了关于我们参与CHESAI的详细信息。这些叙述基于围绕我们通过各种活动的经历及其对我们职业发展的影响的问题指南。数据分析过程本质上是高度迭代的，包括四名博士后之间反复开会以反思、讨论并创建从讨论中演变而来的主题。
CHESAI的PDRF为我们在HPSR领域的参与和能力发展提供了多个空间。这些空间为我们提供了广泛的学习经历，包括教学与研究、政策网络建设、学术写作技能、与从业者互动、共同生产和社区对话。我们的反思表明，提供此类PDRF的机构如果能提供资源充足、领导力良好且有创新空间的环境，将很有价值。此外，PDRF需要扎根于HPSR实践社区，并为博士后提供机会，使其深入了解该领域更广泛的理论和方法基础。
该研究得出结论，PDRF是HPSR领域能力建设的一种有用方法，但需要融入实践社区，博士后才能从中受益。非洲更多的学术机构需要对新兴领导者、研究人员和从业者采取创新和灵活的支持措施，以加强我们的卫生系统。
