The Vallabhbhai Patel Chest Institute (VPCI) is a unique postgraduate medical institution devoted to the study of chest diseases. It is a University of Delhi maintained institution and is funded entirely by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India. The institute is ideally located in the heart of the main campus of the University of Delhi, providing the requisite academic environment. The Institute fulfills the national need for providing relief to large number of patients in the community suffering from chest diseases. It has eminently discharged its role and has earned a unique place in the field of Chest Medicine.

Applications are invited for Junior Research Fellow (JRF) for DBT project, “Smart regulation of antibiotic use in India: understanding, innovating and improving compliance” under India-UK initiative on ‘Antimicrobial Resistance’. The position is with the Principal Investigator of the project, Dr. Anita Kotwani, Professor & Head, Department of Pharmacology, Vallabhbhai Patel Chest Institute, Delhi University, Delhi 110007. Appointments shall be initially for a period of one year renewable for another one year.

Position: Junior Research Fellow

Project title: Smart regulation of Antibiotic use in India: Understanding, Innovating and Improving Compliance.

This is an innovative collaborative project between Department of Biotechnology, Government of India and Research Councils UK.

Indian team - PI, Prof. Anita Kotwani, Department of Pharmacology, V.P. Chest Institute, University of Delhi, Delhi. Co-PI, Dr. Jyoti Joshi, Center for Disease Dynamics, Economics & Policy (CDDEP) and Amity University, Co-Is, Dr Nagendre Hegde (National Institute of Animal Biotechnology, Hyderabad), and Dr Anjana Sankhil Lamkang (CDDEP), New Delhi.

UK Team - Dr. Gerard Porter, University of Edinburgh, UK, (PI)

Project Summary: The containment of AMR is a multi-faceted task that needs a one-health approach as suggested in the World Health Organization’s (WHO) 2015 Global Action Plan (GAP) on AMR. Countries including India have aligned their National Action Plans (NAPs) on AMR with this international guidance. One of the important links for various activities for AMR containment is the appropriate use of antibiotics to reduce selection pressure on microbes. According to the GAP, effective regulation will be a key tool for ensuring that national standards aimed at optimising the use of antimicrobial medicines in human and animal health are followed in practice.

The core idea of this project is to apply the ideas and methods of 'smart regulation' to better understand the underlying problems and co-produce innovative regulations with regulators and regulatory subjects that will likely lead to mutually acceptable regulations and improved compliance. Three central design principles of smart regulation include: a) the use of a range of 'softer' regulatory options to shape behaviour in conjunction with 'traditional' regulatory measures of fines and legal penalties; b) effective stakeholder engagement and input into regulation; and c) an emphasis on identifying win-win outcomes in regulation. We will implement the 'smart regulation' approach through, inter alia, interactive workshops that bring regulators and other stakeholders in AMR-related sectors together to share perspectives and discuss viable regulatory options. We will focus on four particularly important sectors for AMR containment. We will also offer regulators a range of ‘softer’ approaches

Key sectors and Location: Taking a one health approach, we have chosen four key sectors particularly affected by AMR that will be studied in detail in three geographical contexts i.e. within two Indian states of Haryana and Telangana and at the national level. The four sectors are:

OTC antibiotic sales at pharmacies without valid prescription
Poultry farmers using antibiotics (including as a growth factor)
Hospital AMR containment
Pharma industry effluents and AMR

Responsibilities:
The successful candidate will :

Consolidate project knowledge base by assist in drafting project reports and scientific publications
Conduct structured literature search on antimicrobial resistance and antibiotic use in health care, food animals’ esp. poultry farms and environmental pollution from pharmaceutical industry
Mapping of stakeholders in two case study areas of poultry and AMR as well as Hospital containment and AMR based on the methodology used earlier
Assist the team by undertaking interdisciplinary collaboration with research collaborators.
Conduct in-depth interviews with the key academics, government officials, industry, researchers, civil society members, community at national, state and district level for four case studies.
Assist in collating and analysis of data collected and prepare timely reports for research publications and projects.
Ensure systematic data collection, cleaning, storage and analysis within the project timelines.
Writing scientific papers, research outputs including project reports, workshop related background documents, project summaries and other documents related with the project.
Assist in organizing workshops with key stakeholders, project reports and updates to the donor and other partners and coordination among other research partners within and outside the institution.
Support in any other research and work needed with day to day functioning of the organization as specified by the study investigator.

Essential Qualifications:
Post graduate degree in Pharmacology/Public Health/basic sciences /social sciences/ mass communication/biotechnology/Veterinary Sciences; Graduate/postgraduate in medical profession courses, selected through a process described through any of the following:
Selected through National Eligibility Tests - CSIR-UGC NET including lecturership and GATE

The selection process through National level examinations conducted by central government departments and their agencies and institutes such as ICMR, DST, DBT etc

Skills: excellent scientific writing, good communication skills, proficient in using Microsoft Office and data analysis software.

The ideal candidate is desired to have:

Have prior experience (1-3 years) with data extraction, systematic reviews and research writing and some previous publications. Preferably in antimicrobial resistance and use
Experience in antimicrobial resistance/antibiotic use/health care delivery &research and some experience of working in multi stakeholder project.
Be proficient with MS office (word & excel).
Experience of conducting and analysis of qualitative research including in depth interviews, focus group discussions and thematic analysis.
Experience of working in multidisciplinary team or multi centre studies

Compensation:
Compensation will be as per DBT/ICMR project norms: INR 31,000/pm+HRA. The project is of total 3 years (2018-2021) and has completed the first year in Sep 2019. An initial contract period will be of 1 year subject to renewal.

Location of posting:
The position is based in New Delhi, but candidates should be prepared to travel to Haryana and Telangana for short period for project work.

Application:
A CV and a 1 page cover letter may be sent to smartantibiotics@gmail.com with the acronym (JRF) in the subject line. The letter should outline how the candidate's background fulfils entry requirements. Only shortlisted candidates will be contacted for the interview.

Last date of application submission is November 22, 2019.

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