Technology innovation and social innovation for the adoption of open-source eHealth systems in urban slums

Electronic Medical Records (EMRs) have a great potential to improve healthcare in low-income and lower middle income countries. Despite the availability of open source solutions, the uptake has been slow. The development and adoption of appropriate solutions depends on an in-depth understanding of the sometimes challenging contexts in which they are to be used. We still know little about how open source EMR systems are developed, adapted and implemented - and how they shape the work of healthcare professionals working in low-resource settings.

This truly interdisciplinary PhD project, aligned with the Cities and Health themes, addresses this research gap through an investigation of the role of local organisations – and in particular (social) enterprises – in the development, adaptation and adoption of EMR systems for urban slum settings in India and Kenya.

It involves a truly interdisciplinary and mixed-methods study of
a) processes of technology and social innovation and adaptation that facilitate the adoption and productive use of EMR systems for healthcare delivery, research and education;
b) the extent to which and how open source systems enable implementing organisations to accommodate specific needs associated with the delivery of healthcare in slums;
c) how local implementers work with customers and partners in ways that can enhance professional practice in healthcare delivery and data management.

The research will be conducted in partnership with enterprises in India and Kenya build on an established collaboration with OpenMRS, which is one of the largest global open source communities in eHealth. This will enable the chosen candidate to achieve both academic excellence and real word impact.

The successful candidate will join a collaborative effort between researchers from three departments – the School of Healthcare, the Business School and Computing. The dedicated supervisory team will include Dr Rebecca Randell, Associate Professor in Applied Health Research at the School of Healthcare (first supervisor); Dr Lena Jaspersen, University Academic Fellow in Innovation Management at the Business School who works on technology innovation for LMICs (co-supervisor); and Owen Johnson, Senior Teaching Fellow at the School of Computing and expert in EMR systems (co-supervisor).

Eligibility:
• Full award is available to applicants who would be liable to pay academic fees at the UK/EU fee rate;
• Applicants must hold a First Degree at undergraduate level equivalent to at least a UK 2:i Honours degree. Applicants should either have graduated with the appropriate First Degree or be in their final year of study. Candidates with a lower mark in their undergraduate degree will be considered if they have or are expected to receive a Distinction in a Masters programme relevant to their field of research, or if they can demonstrate relevant alternative experience (eg in industry or business, or - for a practice-based PhD - in the creative arts);
• Candidate whose first language is not English must provide evidence that their English language is sufficient to meet the specific demands of their study, the Faculty minimum requirements are: British Council IELTS - score of 6.5 overall, with no element less than 6.0
or TOEFL iBT - overall score of 92 with the listening and reading element no less than 21, writing element no less than 22 and the speaking element no less than 23. You should have a valid test result, which is no more than two years old by your official start date at the University of Leeds.
• Applicants must not have already been awarded or be currently studying for a doctoral degree;
• Awards must be taken up by 1 October 2018;
• Applicants must live within a reasonable distance of the University of Leeds whilst in receipt of this Scholarship.

How to apply:
To apply for this scholarship applicants MUST first submit a research degree study application form and be in receipt of a Student ID number. Applicants without a valid Student ID number will be rejected. To apply for a study place please visit: https://studentservices.leeds.ac.uk/pls/banprod/bwskalog_uol.P_DispLoginNon

Once you are in receipt of your Student ID number please click the link below, which will take you to the online application form.
https://leeds.onlinesurveys.ac.uk/centrally-funded-research-postgraduate-scholarships-2018

You must complete both a PhD research degree study application form and a separate scholarship application by the application deadline in order to be considered for this project.

Closing date for this studentship is Friday 17:00 (UK time) 1 June 2018