Gulu University School of Medicine Call for Applicants 2016/2017

Department of Mental Health invites applicants for the course of Masters in Medical Anthropology Programme.

Background

Medical Anthropology is a pioneer Master programme unique in East and Central Africa, hosted by Gulu University’s Faculty of Medicine and the Department of Mental Health. It is a multidisciplinary programme which aims to equip candidates with skills and competencies in Culture, Health and Illness.

This is a fulltime two-year programme. Candidates admitted for Master of Medical Anthropology undergo rigorous and participatory training for the first year, and in the second year, they are required to conduct ethnographic studies in a topic of their choice. Briefly speaking, ethnographic studies are in-depth qualitative studies whereby our master students interact with various communities and hospitals to explore the interplay between culture, health and illness. During the first year of study our master students are guided by a technical team comprised of highly skilled academic staff from Gulu University, the Medical University of Vienna, University of Amsterdam, Leiden University Medical Centre, Free University Berlin, The Catholic University of East Africa, Makerere University, University of Kansas, Martin Luther University of Halle- Wittenberg, Bayreuth University, London School of Economics and London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.

Admission Requirements and Programme Content

Being a multidisciplinary Master Programme, candidates who enrol for this programme come from various undergraduate backgrounds including Health Science, Social Science, Development Studies, Arts, Basic Science and Education. Candidates are admitted in this full-time programme with the understanding that they will participate in all Core Courses offered. Some of the Core Courses include Social and Cultural Anthropology; Medical Anthropology; Anthropology of Infectious Diseases; Cross Cultural Psychiatry; Anthropology of Health, Disease and Illness; Children, Health and Healthcare; Medicine, Human Rights and Culture; Research Methods; Health and Health Care in Africa. In addition, Master students are offered Elective Courses to enrich their skills.

These include Epidemiology and Biostatistics; Gender and Reproductive Health; Chronic diseases in Africa; and Current Debates in Medical Anthropology.

Partnerships

Master of Medical Anthropology Programme is financially supported by the Austrian Development Agency (ADA) and the Austrian Partnership Programme for the Advancement of Higher Education, Research and Development (APPEAR). In the past, excellent students have been awarded scholarships, they are given digital textbooks and journals to facilitate their learning. In addition, The Justice, Security, and Reconciliation Programme – UK, offers research fees to students with excellent research proposals. For the academic year 2016/2017, the German research fund will support some of our master students.

Career Prospects

Medical Anthropology is offered only at a Master Level with an understanding that candidates bring with them vast experiences from their backgrounds and training. During students’ training, they acquire various skills and competencies which will enable them to work effectively with multi-disciplinary teams as ethnographers; qualitative researchers; activists; communicators of community perspectives; managers; teachers; cross-cultural psychiatrists; specialists in social- economic and social cultural aspects of infectious diseases; and medical anthropologists. Importantly, excellent students in our Master Programme are enabled to pursue further training through enrolling for doctoral studies in Gulu University and other participating universities listed above including The Medical University of Vienna in Austria, The Catholic University of East Africa, University of Amsterdam, Leiden University among others.

Enrolment

In line with Gulu University’s guidelines, intake for this programme is done annually by the Office of the Academic Registrar. According to the University Calendar, the Office of the Academic Registrar sends out announcements in the Months of June and July every year.

Nevertheless, students interested in pursuing Master of Medical Anthropology are invited anytime of the year to send a digital message to the Academic Registrar’s email address (G.Lamto@gu.ac.ug) and to the Programme Coordinator at akellograce@hotmail.com – with the subject, ‘expression of interest’.

For more information, please visit our offices at IPSS building in Gulu University from Monday to Friday or Click here to download the file.