The Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare has unveiled plans to launch a postdoctoral fellowship program at the Nigerian Institute of Medical Research (NIMR) and the Nigerian Institute of Pharmaceutical Research and Development (NIPRD).
Dr. Tunji Alausa, the Minister for Health and Social Welfare, shared this development during the inauguration of the National Health Research Committee in Lagos on Thursday.
According to Alausa, the two prominent research institutes have been tasked with admitting 100 postdoctoral fellows each.
A postdoctoral fellow is an individual engaged in professional research after completing their doctoral studies.
Alausa emphasized the strategic importance of this initiative, stating,
- “We have put plans in place and also discussed with the two Director-Generals on our plans to start a postdoctoral fellowship program.”
The postdoctoral fellowship program
- The minister added, “We have mandated the two institutes to admit 100 students each, and in the next four years, we will have almost 1000 postdoctoral fellows.”
- Alausa highlighted that the program aims to ensure the sustainability of the National Health Research Committee (NHRC) into the future.
- “We are doing this because our plan for the NHRC is sustainability into the future, and through this, we will produce a lot of fellows that will be actively involved in research,” he explained.
What you should know
- The NHRC, chaired by Prof. Funmilayo Olopade, a distinguished Hematology Oncologist, and Service Professor in Medicine and Human Genetics at the University of Chicago, U.S., plays a crucial role in advancing health research initiatives in Nigeria.
- In a bid to elevate health research in Nigeria and foster collaboration across diverse health disciplines, the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare inaugurated the National Health Research Committee (NHRC) on Thursday.
- The pillars of the government’s vision for health research include innovation and technology, disease surveillance, early warning systems, equity and access, translational research, implementation science, community-centric research, capacity building, and collaboration.
- This move is anticipated to enhance research capabilities, foster innovation, and contribute to the overall progress of the health sector in the country.