Public Engagement Coordinator

Tenure

Initially for 01 year, including a 02 month probation period, with possibility of extension based on annual performance appraisal and research approval

The Oxford University Clinical Research Unit (OUCRU) is a large-scale clinical and public health research unit based in Viet Nam. We are hosted by the Hospital of Tropical Diseases (HTD) in Ho Chi Minh City, and the National Hospital for Tropical Diseases (NHTD) in Hanoi. We also have sister units in Kathmandu, and Jakarta.  As a Wellcome Trust Major Overseas Programme, we have received considerable support from the Wellcome Trust since our establishment in 1991.

Our ten-year vision is to have local, regional and global impact on health by leading a locally driven research programme on infectious diseases in Southeast Asia. This is being achieved via an integrated long-term research programme, contributions to training, the scientific literature, national and international meetings and membership of national and international committees. Priority is given to health issues important to the hospitals, and to Viet Nam as a whole. All work is intended not only to benefit the patients seen daily at our host hospitals but also to help improve patient care throughout Viet Nam and the region.

Dedicated to research excellence, OUCRU has a commitment to promote its research findings internationally and locally in Vietnam.  OUCRU has a dedicated Public Engagement team responsible for promoting the image and science of OUCRU in Vietnam, and designing and implementing training and public engagement activities. These range from workshops in rural farming communities, theatre shows with a health message in local primary schools to running training projectss and promoting collaborations with universities and research institutes in Vietnam.

The Public Engagement Coordinator will be responsible for delivering engagement projects and activities linked to OUCRU research and health sciences, in particular the RESHAPE project and projects involving youth. He/she will take on two main areas of engagement as the following:

1.       Engagement within the RESHAPE research project

Dengue is a mosquito-borne viral infection of major global significance. The public health and economic burden of symptomatic infections is very high in Vietnam, especially in the southern provinces. Many types of dengue research are currently being undertaken at OUCRU including observational studies, cohort studies, therapeutic intervention trials and human-to-mosquito transmission studies, some of which involve vulnerable populations such as children and/or very sick patients in intensive care units. In addition, novel research approaches such as use of human challenge models are under consideration. All such research must be performed in accordance with internationally recognized standards for ethical and scientific quality, but it is also crucially important that due attention is paid to the views and principles of Vietnamese stakeholders and research collaborators.

The RESHAPE project is a programme of work designed to explore attitudes to clinical dengue research at different levels in Vietnamese society, in order to facilitate open discussion of complex issues and to ensure a truly equitable and balanced approach as the breadth and range of potential dengue studies expands. One sub-project (the LEAF project) involves engagement with senior stakeholders, including senior representatives from public health organisations and academic institutions, while a second sub-project (the SEED project) aims to recruit a cohort of medical and public health students undertaking their university studies in Ho Chi Minh City, to explore their perceptions and views of clinical and public health orientated research focused on dengue.

We are looking for a Public Engagement Coordinator with experience in working with youth and public engagement in Vietnam.

The Public Engagement Coordinator will develop a formal engagement strategy for the LEAF and SEED projects, in particular looking to maximize involvement of the medical and public health students (around 600 students) in the SEED cohort activities.  The individual will coordinate implementation of this strategy which includes activities such as science cafes, science debates, peer-to-peer interviews, poster presentations and community-led film making. 

2.       Youth engagement with science

The Public Engagement Coordinator will work closely with other members of the OUCRU youth engagement team to design and deliver a wide range of activities with Vietnamese young people in HCMC and provinces. The aims of the youth engagement programme are to promote participation and voices of young people in  promoting good health sciences for peer as well as to build their capacity to become ambassadors to enable wider engagement in their communities.

1.       Leading all engagement activities related to the RESHAPE research project. Main tasks include:

• Designing the engagement strategy in accordance with the research protocol and other SOPs and guidelines.
• Working closely with other team members of the RESHAPE project i.e., study doctors, research coordinators, social science researchers, communication officer to implement the designed engagement activities including science cafe, science debate, participatory films of youth voices, youth advisory board for SEED research and online engagement activities with the students in the cohort.
• Supporting the organization of other SEED activities, for example introductory meetings, science lecture series, student enrollment.  
• Working closely with other research team members in monitoring the progress of the participatory action research.
• Supporting the SEED’s social science team to conduct in-depth interviews, focus group discussions when neccessary.
• Supporting the LEAF project activities as necessary, including helping to develop appropriate informational material for dissemination to senior stakeholders and/or targeted groups within the wider community.
• Supporting the drafting of reports, research papers and presentations.
• Contributing to wider project discussions and planning with the SEED team.

• Organizing training, workshops for young people to learn about public engagement with science.
• Providing technical support to the PE Ambassadors when they run science debates for young people.
• Supporting the youth engagement team to disseminate OUCRU science debate and other successful youth-led engagement models to universities in HCMC and other provinces.
• Contributing to the development and implementation of media and communication material reated to OUCRU youth engagement scheme
• Providing input to the development of OUCRU youth engagement strategy.
• Where the applicant is unfamiliar with the job they may be required to spend time learning the fundamental aspects of this discipline.

• BSc or higher degree;
• Excellent spoken and written Vietnamese and English;
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills in cross-cultural settings essential;
• Experience in facilitating group activities;
• Experience in working with young people;
• Highly organized
• Ability to work with a high degree of autonomy, and yet be a team player
• Willingness to perform other tasks requested by Head of PE. Also be expected to contribute to wider PE events.

• Experience in concept development
• Experience in participatory and visual methods

• Contracted salary:  Negotiable (depending on actual experience and education).
• Optional insurance: In-patient and out-patient medical coverage; Personal accident insurance coverage
• Two months’ salary for annual bonus and clothes 
• Annual leave 18 days each year for the first year
• Other responsibilities and benefits are based on Viet Nam Labour Law.

Interested qualified candidates are invited to send their detailed resume and cover letter in English, including copies of relevant degrees, certificates, either by email or by post to the following address:

Oxford University Clinical Research Unit Laboratory of Clinical Science Hospital for Tropical Diseases 764 Vo Van Kiet, Ward 1, District 5, HCMC Tel: 39237954    Email: hr@oucru.org

The cover letter should detail:

What do you think ‘community engagement’ involves?

What part of your education, training or employment history has best equipped you for this position?

*** We thank all candidates for their interest but only short-listed applicants will be notified for interview.

31 December 2020