COMBI Trial Medical Doctor 211 views

Zvitambo is a multidisciplinary public health research institute whose mission is to improve maternal and child health in Zimbabwe and to apply its findings to improve health globally. Zvitambo conducts research and provides technical support and education to reduce the burden of malnutrition and infectious diseases. Zvitambo is looking for an energized and committed team to help lead and support a clinical trial in Shurugwi, called COMBI – Cotrimoxazole for Mothers to Improve Birthweight in Infants. COMBI is evaluating the effects of antibiotics (versus placebo) during pregnancy on birth outcomes. The trial will enrol 1000 pregnant women from three clinics in Shurugwi district and follow mother-child pairs until 6 weeks postpartum. The trial aims to investigate the impact of infections on birth outcomes, including the role of periodontitis.

Duties And Responsibilities

The primary role of the COMBI Trial Medical Officer is to review study participants, interpret their laboratory results, and assist the study nurses in providing antenatal and postnatal care. S(he) will work closely with the Project Lead and Study Nurses to ensure that a high standard of clinical care is provided to the participants. S(he) will assist the team in the detection of and response to problems on site, including potential adverse events following study drug administration, and pregnancy and postnatal complications. S(he) will manage newborns with clinical complications. S(he) will work at all three clinic sites in Shurugwi District. S(he) will ensure proper screening, enrolment and follow up of study participants, perform physical examinations on all study participants, liaise with the senior medical staff (both district and study medical staff) about complex medical cases, perform specimen collection on study participants, maintain proper documentation on all study participants, promptly report all adverse events and complete requisite forms in a timely fashion as required by the protocol, participate in study-related training sessions and meetings, and correspond with the local institutional review boards and the Data Monitoring Committee.

The start date for this post is 1 June 2021 or soon thereafter.

Qualifications And Experience

The candidate must have a medical degree with a strong experience in obstetrics and paediatrics, a current practicing certificate and be registered with MCAZ. They must have excellent organizational skills, be a strong team player, be able to work to strict deadlines, and have a clean driver’s licence. They must have excellent oral and written communication skills in both English and Shona, be computer literate with practical experience working with word processing programmes and spreadsheet forms. They must have a current certificate in Good Clinical Practice and Ethics and traceable references. It is preferable if the candidate has previous familiarity with Shurugwi district, and/or working in rural communities, and have previous experience working on a clinical trial.