ITM Call for Applications: Course on Field Laboratory Preparedness

The Institute of Tropical Medicine (ITM) Antwerp offers a short course on field laboratory preparedness.

During this course, students will be introduced to the requirements and knowledge necessary for establishing and operating a district laboratory in resource-limited settings, in accordance with Quality Management System principles. Through lectures, exercises, self-study, and face-to-face discussions, students will learn about the organization of a district laboratory, basics of staff management, laboratory equipment, logistics, and key aspects of the pre-analytic, analytic, and post-analytic phases of laboratory analyses.

The course will conclude with an integrated exercise where students will apply their acquired knowledge to: (i) conduct a root cause analysis of a laboratory incident and propose interventions, and (ii) discuss the establishment of a diagnostic evaluation study

Date: December 2 – 20, 2024

Place:  in person in Antwerp, Belgium

Learning objectives:

After having successfully completed the course, participants should be able to

• critically assess the set-up of a field laboratory and propose interventions to improve its organization,
• identify priority actions to assure the quality of a laboratory in terms of accuracy, reliability, and timeliness of the results,
• explore research opportunities within a diagnostic laboratory.

Eligibility criteria: 

• The course aims at biomedical profiles (biologists, pharmacists, biomedical scientists and laboratory staff) who (will) work in clinical diagnostic laboratories in low-resource settings.
• Participants should be holders of a (para)medical university degree of minimum 240 ECTS credits or equivalent and preferentially have two years of relevant professional experience.
• Exceptions to the degree requirement are possible based on the level and relevance of professional experience.
• The minimum language requirements are proof of a TOEFL iBT (internet-based test) score of 79-93, an IELTS score of 6.5 or other qualifying evidence of an English CEFR level of B2-C1 meaning a higher tier B2 or C1.
• A higher tier B2 will generally mean a B2 on all components of language proficiency and would have to be evidenced (ITM Toefl Code = 7727).
• Native English speakers are exempt from these language requirements.
• Applicants whose first language is not English are exempt if they have successfully completed a higher education programme of at least 60 ECTS credits taught in English or have a higher education diploma from a Flemish Community higher education institution.

Tuition fee:

• € 644 EEA / 1640 non-EEA

Read more here.

Application deadline September 30, 2024.