02.18.22
The Reckitt Global Hygiene Institute, a not-for-profit foundation launched in 2020 by RB to generate and fund high-quality, scientific research that addresses the links between hygiene and health, today announced the four recipients of its first RGHI Fellowship Program.
Over the next three years, the fellows' research will contribute to filling the current void in health and hygiene research and help to generate better hygiene practices that could save lives, according to RGHI.
"Hygiene is foundational to health and the way we consider hygiene measures needs to be realigned. An increase in evidence around hygiene would help to change policy and prevent people from contracting other diseases," said Simon Sinclair, executive director, RGHI.
The fellows are: Giorgia Gon and Ian Ross with the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine in the United Kingdom; Sheillah Simiyu from the Africa Population and Health Research Center in Kenya; and Julie Hennegan from the Burnet Institute in Australia.
According to RGHI, their research focuses on improving the economic evaluation of handwashing interventions; measuring unmet menstrual health and hygiene needs and their impacts on health and education; assessing the effectiveness of community-led initiatives on hygiene practices and maintenance of handwashing facilities in low-income settings in Kenya; studying the changing hygiene social norms at key times in the life-course; and improving backyard poultry management to reduce exposure to poultry feces.
Generating information on the intersection between health and hygiene is vital to safeguarding the health and wellbeing of populations worldwide both amid COVID-19 and beyond, said , RGHI Simon Sinclair.
The four fellows will receive up to three years full time salary, $150,000 in research costs, $15,000 for travel expenses and $15,000 for training and capacity building.
"It is fascinating that behaviors which seem so simple, such as handwashing with soap, are actually quite hard to encourage. For economists, a key question is how to invest scarce resources to most efficiently improve outcomes. Efficiency depends hugely on whether uptake and adherence to behaviours are achieved. The fact that so little attention has been given to economic evaluation of hygiene interventions made me want to investigate this,” noted Ian Ross, a member of the first RGHI cohort.
GHI said applications are open for the 2022 fellowship. Those with up to five years of experience post-PhD and researchers already employed by a university or academic research institute are encouraged to apply. Research topics of interest to RGHI include basic research, clinical investigation, epidemiology, behavioral science, sociology, health economics and engineering.
An online information session will be held on March 2 to give an overview of the fellowship before a grant writing session takes place on the March 15. Registration is required for both events.
Over the next three years, the fellows' research will contribute to filling the current void in health and hygiene research and help to generate better hygiene practices that could save lives, according to RGHI.
"Hygiene is foundational to health and the way we consider hygiene measures needs to be realigned. An increase in evidence around hygiene would help to change policy and prevent people from contracting other diseases," said Simon Sinclair, executive director, RGHI.
2021 Fellows
The fellows are: Giorgia Gon and Ian Ross with the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine in the United Kingdom; Sheillah Simiyu from the Africa Population and Health Research Center in Kenya; and Julie Hennegan from the Burnet Institute in Australia.
According to RGHI, their research focuses on improving the economic evaluation of handwashing interventions; measuring unmet menstrual health and hygiene needs and their impacts on health and education; assessing the effectiveness of community-led initiatives on hygiene practices and maintenance of handwashing facilities in low-income settings in Kenya; studying the changing hygiene social norms at key times in the life-course; and improving backyard poultry management to reduce exposure to poultry feces.
Generating information on the intersection between health and hygiene is vital to safeguarding the health and wellbeing of populations worldwide both amid COVID-19 and beyond, said , RGHI Simon Sinclair.
The four fellows will receive up to three years full time salary, $150,000 in research costs, $15,000 for travel expenses and $15,000 for training and capacity building.
"It is fascinating that behaviors which seem so simple, such as handwashing with soap, are actually quite hard to encourage. For economists, a key question is how to invest scarce resources to most efficiently improve outcomes. Efficiency depends hugely on whether uptake and adherence to behaviours are achieved. The fact that so little attention has been given to economic evaluation of hygiene interventions made me want to investigate this,” noted Ian Ross, a member of the first RGHI cohort.
2022 Applications
GHI said applications are open for the 2022 fellowship. Those with up to five years of experience post-PhD and researchers already employed by a university or academic research institute are encouraged to apply. Research topics of interest to RGHI include basic research, clinical investigation, epidemiology, behavioral science, sociology, health economics and engineering.
An online information session will be held on March 2 to give an overview of the fellowship before a grant writing session takes place on the March 15. Registration is required for both events.