Language:

English. However, knowledge of other official South African languages may be necessary, depending on the project.

Grant period:

9 months. Fulbright grants start between July 2014 and March 2015.

Affiliation:

Applicants should identify an educational institution, research facility, or other appropriate institution, for their projects and include affiliation letters with their applications. Affiliation is possible at any of the 23 universities or technical universities in South Africa, and affiliation with other research institutions will also be considered. Applicants are encouraged to contact the U.S. Embassy’s Fulbright Office if they have questions in this regard.

Specific considerations:

Please note that the program supports a balanced countrywide distribution of grants. Priority consideration will be given to proposals for affiliation with previously disadvantaged host institutions and to those seeking affiliations beyond heavily-subscribed institutions, including the Western Cape.

General comments:

The highest-ranking applicant to South Africa will have the honor of being designated the Fulbright/Amy Biehl awardee. This grant carries the same stipend as other Fulbright grants to South Africa, but honors the memory of Amy Biehl, a 1993 Fulbright Grantee to South Africa, who was tragically killed while working to help promote multiracial democracy in South Africa.

Dependents:

The grant is increased by US$200 per month for one accompanying dependent; by US$300 per month for two or more accompanying dependents.

Language:

English is sufficient.

Grant period:

9 months, beginning in January, 2015. A mandatory in-country orientation will be provided by the U.S. Embassy in Pretoria.

Candidate profile :

Graduating seniors or graduate students considering careers in education who have a degree in English, education or TEFL/applied linguistics and have experience teaching or tutoring will be considered. Other fields will be considered if combined with teaching experience and/or coursework in pedagogy. Candidates with the ability to incorporate or organize extra-curricular activities – music, art, dance, and sports – are preferred. Candidates with an interest in African languages, culture, and history are also encouraged to apply.

Nature of assignment:

Placement will be made by the U.S. Embassy, at the university undergraduate level, colleges of further education/training and at secondary schools. Applicants are encouraged to contact the U.S. Embassy’s Fulbright Office if they have questions in this regard. Approximately 20 hours per week assisting university professors and English secondary school teachers in their classrooms, plus requisite class preparation time and school-related activities are expected. English Teaching Assistants (ETAs) will be assigned as language-learning assistants, but will not be responsible for teaching entire courses. Responsibilities may include giving presentations on topics related to the United States, preparing classroom activities, and/or encouraging students to communicate in English. ETAs may assist in a variety of academic formats from one-on-one tutoring to co-teaching large groups to improve the English academic reading and writing skills of university undergraduates for whom English is both a second language and the medium of instruction at school. ETAs will also assist at the secondary school level, teaching English at lower-level classes to help improve reading and writing abilities of students.

Website:

http://southafrica.usembassy.gov/fulbright_program.html

Location:

Durban, South Africa

Affiliation:

Centre for the AIDS Programme of Research in South Africa (CAPRISA)
U.S. partner: Columbia University

Contacts:

• Dr. Quarraisha Abdool Karim
  abdoolq2@ukzn.ac.za

• Dr. Nesri Padayatchi
  padayatchin@ukzn.ac.za

Eligibility:

Post-third year medical school.

Project descriptions:

Fellows would participate in one or more of the following projects:

• The TRAPS Program (Tenofovir gel Research for Advancing Prevention Science) studies are designed to offer fundamentally new insights into how tenofovir gel works to prevent HIV in vivo, and the biology of HIV acquisition and control. Its principal goal is to provide the information necessary to design an improved gel with substantially higher efficacy. The TRAPS Program provides an opportunity to study the impact of topical antiretroviral pre-exposure prophylaxis in humans on four important aspects of HIV infection, i.e., innate and adaptive immune responses, viral dynamics, pharmacokinetics of tenofovir,  and the role of genital inflammation in HIV acquisition. At the completion of the TRAPS Program studies, we expect to have an enhanced understanding of whether tenofovir gel has an impact on genital cytokines and CD4+ cell distribution, genital CD4+ cell trafficking, viral diversity, viral drug resistance and mucosal immunity. Additionally, multiple compartment tenofovir drug levels will be explored as potential correlates of protection.
• The TB Recurrence upon Treatment with HAART study, which opened enrollment in 2009, will assess whether TB recurrence in treated TB-HIV co-infected patients is due to reactivation or reinfection. In this prospective cohort study, the mycobacterial strain from new episodes of TB in ex-SAPIT and ex-START trial participants will be compared to baseline stored mycobacterial strains to assess whether the recurrent TB episode is due to reactivation or reinfection. Innate and T-cell immunity will be assessed to identify potential immunological grounds which predispose to reactivation and reinfection.
• The CAPRISA 008 tenofovir gel implementation trial, is a phase IIIb open-label randomized controlled trial to assess the effectiveness and safety of tenofovir gel provision through family planning services in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. The implementation of tenofovir gel through the health services is the next biggest challenge once tenofovir gel is registered as a medicine and can be legally dispensed in each country. A major gap exists between the prevention effectiveness achieved in clinical trials and subsequent performance of the health system in real-life clinical settings. 
• The CAPRISA 009 study aims to determine whether prophylactic exposure to tenofovir gel alters the therapeutic response to a tenofovir containing antiretroviral regimen. Women who become infected with HIV while participating in the CAPRISA 004 and CAPRISA 008 trials will be randomized to either receive Tenofovir, lamivudine and efavirenz or Zidovudine, lamivudine and efavirenz as their first line treatment regimen; and the antiretroviral treatment failure rate at 12 months will be compared.
• The CAPRISA 002 Acute Infection Study is one of the first longitudinal studies to explore in detail the natural history of HIV infection in Africa. The overall aim has been to understand virological, immunological and genetic determinants of HIV disease progression in antiretroviral naïve participants and the response to antiretroviral therapy.
• Improving Retreatment Success (in TB patients with a past history of TB irrespective of their HIV status) (IMPRESS study),  is an open-label randomized controlled clinical trial comparing two regimens for treatment of smear-positive pulmonary TB, among patients previously treated for TB. The primary objective is to determine if a moxifloxacin-containing regimen, substituting moxifloxacin for ethambutol, of 24 weeks duration is superior to a control regimen of 32 weeks duration in improving treatment outcomes in patients with recurrent TB and shortens the duration of TB treatment.