CAPGAN Visiting Fellowship Programme

WCAPGAN would like to invite applications for this new programme which is open to all CAPGAN members. The overall aim is to build capacity in research and clinical practice by supporting secondments to institutions within the CAPGAN network. The Fellowships will be competitive with priority given to applications from early career clinicians and researchers that are likely to result in significant improvements in clinical care or the development of research in paediatric gastroenterology, hepatology and nutrition in low and middle-income Commonwealth countries.

We envisage secondments of between 6 weeks to 3 months to institutions within the CAPGAN network. Details of some institutions willing to host Fellows are shown in appendix 1 but we encourage you to identify a supervisor and institution that best meets your training and development needs. Preference will be given to applicants who have identified an appropriate institution and include a supporting letter from the proposed supervisor. We can also help you in identifying appropriate institutions.

CAPGAN has allocated some funds to launch the programme and we will be looking for matching funding from appropriate sources to increase the number of Fellowships that we can support. To date, additional funds are available to support a Visiting Fellowship at Alder Hey Children’s Hospital, Liverpool, UK. For further details, please contact:

Applications will be judged primarily on how the activities undertaken during the Fellowship will provide professional and personal development for the candidate and improve clinical care or research in their home institution or within the wider CAPGAN network. Activities could include gaining clinical or research experience and skills, developing a joint research proposal for submission for funding and developing education resources.

Any costs that are required to complete Fellowships are eligible. However, we encourage applicants to seek other financial support and specify the costs being requested from this programme; this will allow us to support more Fellows from the available funds.

Applications should be submitted using the form in appendix 2 to

COVID 19: Please go ahead and submit your application – but plan well ahead. Although it is very uncertain how the epidemic will progress, it may be possible for Fellowships to begin later in 2020. We will continue to monitor the situation and announce a closing date for applications in due course.

Applications will be assessed by the CAPGAN Visiting Fellowship Task Group.
Please contact and/or the host of your chosen institution if you would like to discuss any aspect of your proposal.

The CAPGAN Visiting Fellowship Task Group

Appendix 1: CAPGAN members keen to host Visiting Fellows

Department of Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Liver Transplantation, Medanta, The Medicity Hospital – Gurgaon, Haryana, India We can provide panoramic experience in clinical aspects of gastroenterology, hepatology, gut motility and endoscopy. Our centre undertakes between 30-35 liver transplants in children each year with excellent outcomes. We have a very busy in-patient service and manage 20-25 paediatric gastroenterology outpatients daily. Contact: Dr. Neelam Mohan, drneelammohan@yahoo.com

Oxford University Hospitals NHS FT, Oxford, UK We will support a CAPGAN Clinical Fellowship focussed on gastrointestinal mucosal immunology. The Fellow will benefit from significant exposure to all aspects of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) management including diagnostic and therapeutic approaches to very early-onset IBD, and IBD occurring in the context of monogenic disorders affecting the immune system. There will be opportunities to engage with clinician scientists and fundamental biologists working in relevant areas, with attendance at laboratory meetings, seminars, and time spent observing laboratory work. We would hope to be able to tailor exposure to meet the Fellow's specific interests and requirements. Contact: Dr Kelsey Jones;

Washington University School of Medicine, USA Expertise in clinical field trials in sub-Saharan Africa including conducting evidence-based nutrition intervention trials, gut health tests, neurocognitive performance testing and microbiome characterization. Operates large field stations and food production facilities in Ghana, Ivory Coast, Malawi and Sierra Leone. The fellowships would likely occur at a field site. Contact: Prof Mark Manary; manary@kids.wustl.edu;

Alder Hey Children’s Hospital, Liverpool, UKWe can support clinical observerships in all aspects of paediatric gastroenterology including inflammatory bowel disease, coeliac disease, gut motility disorders, eosinophilic oesophagitis, familial polyposis, short bowel syndrome and intestinal failure requiring home parenteral nutrition. We have regular endoscopy lists including PEG insertion and support from paediatric dieticians, GI physiology (oesophageal pH and impedance; ano-rectal manometry, breath testing, video capsule endoscopy) and also child psychology support for our complex GI cohort. We manage hepatology disorders in joint clinics with other specialist centres. We have an active programme of clinical research and can support Fellows in developing their own research proposals. We support undergraduate education and post graduate training to completion of certificate of training in paediatric gastroenterology, hepatology and nutrition.
Contact: Prof Steve Allen; Stephen.allen@lstmed.ac.uk

Caribbean Institute for Health Research (CAIHR), Kingston, Jamaica CAIHR (and subsidiary Units: Tropical Metabolism Research Unit, Sickle Cell Unit, Epidemiology Research Unit) is located on The Mona Campus of the University of the West Indies. Visiting Fellows will be able to observe on-going research in nutrition, growth, metabolism and sickle cell disease. Fellows will benefit from exposure to recruitment in the field and all activities of clinical research and laboratory analysis. There will be opportunities to engage with clinician scientists, basic scientists and epidemiologists who can contribute to the development of research ideas. Fellows will also benefit from attending the weekly academic seminars and journal club activities.
Contact: Dr Debbie Thompson: debbie.thompson@uwimona.edu.jm

Mulago National Referral Hospital, Makerere University, Uganda We accept Visiting Fellows for training and research on our large Mwanamugimu Nutrition Unit and use WHO guidelines for the management of severe malnutrition. Our unit has been a center of excellence for since 1960 with current bed capacity of about 100 for children with severe acute malnutrition. We also have large inpatient and outpatient load for children of over 250 and 120 per day, respectively. We receive under- and post-graduate trainees/or fellows from several international Universities and we have an International Office that supports these operational activities.
Contact: Dr. Ezekiel Mupere: mupez@yahoo.com

Appendix 2: Application form
CAPGAN Visiting Fellowship Application Form

Fellowship title:
Your details
Name:
Current position:
Employer:
Address:
Email
Phone number:
Have you secured approval form your Head of Department?	yes No not required
Please attach a 2 page CV
Have you secured approval form your Head of Department?	yes No
Host institution:

Please include a supporting letter from your host if available.

Details of the Fellowship

Please describe the Fellowship in sufficient detail to allow us to evaluate its importance and potential impact (1-2 pages; single spaced Ariel standard 11 font).
Please adapt the following headings as needed to suit your application:

1. Justification: Why is this topic important?
2. Aim(s): What are the main aim(s) of the Fellowship?
3. Activities: What activities will you undertake?
4. Professional and personal development: How will this Fellowship provide you with professional and personal development?
5. Impact: How will this Fellowship improve clinical care or build research capacity in your home institution or the wider CAPGAN network? What will happen after the Fellowship?

Timeline:
Start date:
End date:
Funding
Have you identified a host institution and supervisor(s)?	yes No
If yes, please state the source(s):
Funding requested from the Visiting Fellowship programme Please list the costs that you are requesting from the programme (in £ sterling):
Total funding requested from the Visiting Fellowship programme:
Please provide details of any conflicts of interest
Applicant signature:
Date