The PhD in Implementation Science, offered by the IVAN Institute in affiliation with the University of Nigeria (UNN), is engineered to address a critical flaw in global healthcare: the devastating delay between the discovery of life -saving medical interventions and their actual delivery to frontline communities. Traditional research frequently terminates at clinical efficacy, leaving a massive operational gap where proven diagnostics, vaccines, and treatments fail to scale due to structural bottlenecks, resource constraints, and human behavioral variables. This doctoral program provides the rigorous, scientific framework required to dissect these systemic challenges and accelerate evidence translation into routine policy and practice. At the core of our research philosophy is the conviction that implementation is a distinct, rigorous science demanding its own unique methodologies. Students do not merely observe health system failures; they employ validated implementation science frameworks to systematically evaluate and engineer health delivery systems. The philosophy balances a deep commitment to community- centered healthcare models with an appreciation for advanced technological workflows, including the integration of modern molecular laboratory diagnostics into public health systems. Throughout their doctoral journey, researchers will engage in advanced, hands - on health systems engineering. Rather than focusing exclusively on classroom - bound theory, students will design, test, and scale interventions across diverse health tracks, including Cardiovascular Diseases, Oncology, Maternal and Child Health, Vaccines, TB, Neglected Tropical Diseases, Mental Health, and Infectious Diseases. You will conduct rigorous field evaluations, engage multi - sectoral stakeholders, analyze health policies, and formulate scalable strategies to optimize clinical and community work flows under the mentorship of world - class scientists. This program is explicitly designed for highly motivated health professionals, biomedical researchers, research managers, and public health practitioners who are unsatisfied with generating theoretical data that sits idle on library shelves. It is built for ambitious individuals who want to lead multinational research initiatives, advise ministries of health, and head global health programs. The curriculum is structured to accommodate the demands of working professionals, blending rigorous academic benchmarks with flexible operational execution to cultivate high - level capacity building across sub - Saharan Africa. What fundamentally distinguishes this PhD program from conventional postgraduate public health degrees is our unparalleled collaborative ecosystem and "implementation-first" approach. Students benefit from an elite dual - supervision model, receiving direct guidance from the distinguished faculty at IVAN and UNN alongside co-supervision from six world- ranked global partner institutions. Furthermore, our faculty bridges the gap between laboratory precision and field execution, comprising actively publishing implementation scientists, molecular biologists, and practicing clinicians. Graduates emerge not just as specialized academicians, but as influential health system leaders uniquely equipped to transform complex science into sustainable, real - world public health impact.
Intensive structured coursework builds a rigorous theoretical foundation in implementation science, epidemiological methods, and health systems analysis. Students critically evaluate key conceptual frameworks and begin scoping their dissertation territory.
Candidates deepen mixed-methods expertise, engage with field sites, and develop a full dissertation proposal. The year concludes with a formal proposal defence before the supervisory committee.
Full-time dissertation research under dual supervision (primary supervisor and Director of Longitudinal Research). Candidates collect primary data, prepare manuscripts, present at annual seminars, and complete thesis writing and defence.
This hands - on component embeds doctoral researchers directly into active health systems, clinical workflows, or community - centered research programs. Working alongside frontline practitioners and research managers, students apply implementation science frameworks to diagnose operational bottlenecks and manage field logistics in real time. This ensures that academic training translates directly into capacity building and sustainable, real - world health system resilience
Extended community-based research engagement in rural, peri-urban, or urban informal settlement settings across Enugu State and beyond. Includes participatory needs assessments, key informant interviews, community stakeholder forums, and household survey administration.
Full access to IVAN's Nigeria Research and Innovation Centre (NRIC) laboratory infrastructure for biological sample processing, secondary data analysis, and GIS-based spatial health mapping.
A competitive three-month residency at an IVAN partner institution — Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health or Michigan State University Global Health — for advanced training, co-authorship collaboration, and access to international datasets.
Design and implement rigorous, community - centered health intervention studies to optimize public health deli very systems
Analyze complex implementation barriers and healthcare bottlenecks using established theoretical frameworks
Evaluate the sustainability and scalability of evidence - based medical and molecular diagnostic protocols within resource - constrained health systems
Formulate data - driven health policies and capacity - building strategies through active multi - sectoral partnerships
Produce high - impact, peer - reviewed scientific publications that contribute directly to global implementation science and heal th equity
Mentor emerging researchers, contribute to faculty-led projects, and actively build Africa's implementation science knowledge base
Applications are accepted on a rolling basis. Bring your research vision — IVAN will provide the rigorous training, supervision, and global networks to turn it into impact.