Researchers on Neonatal Male Genital Cutting (MGC) and its Impact in later life

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Could you help an international health organisation research the Impact of neonatal Male Genital Cutting (MGC) or Childhood Circumcision later in life?

Purpose

The purpose of this research is to find out the impact of childhood circumcision in adults. This knowledge will help us make policies on whether there is any merit in neonatal circumcision and if we should stop this for children and allow them to make their own decisions when they are adults.

Male Circumcision

Male circumcision (MC) is the oldest planned surgical procedure performed around the world. Although it is estimated that one-third of males underwent circumcision, the true number might be higher due to the nature of how it is carried out. Many of these are performed in places other than primary centres or clinics, like private homes or the physician’s clinic.

The age of circumcision varies depending on the country and the sociocultural and religious background of the community. Whereas in non-muslim developing countries. MC is part of the coming-of-age process or ceremonies; in many other countries, MC occurs most commonly during infancy. Most of the world’s male population is uncircumcised. There is a tendency towards neonatal circumcision in some countries.

Some countries have issued guidelines on MC, now stating that the "health benefits of newborn MC outweigh the risks," allowing access to the procedure if the parents agree to do so. However, neonatal circumcision continues to be a polemic issue. Although from the medical point of view, MC brings many benefits, these are not necessarily extended to all children and are therefore controversial as the only reason to perform neonatal circumcision. Around 1% of the patients would experience complications, either acute or later in life, due to cosmetic or medical reasons. A negative psychological and sexual impact of circumcision has been argued, but solid, scientific data are lacking.

The purpose of this research is to investigate a review based on the current knowledge of the impact of childhood or neonatal circumcision on male babies later in life.

Duties and Responsibilities

• Develop research topic and proposal.
• Identify sources of funding, prepare research proposals and submit funding applications.
• Plan and perform experiments and surveys.
• Collect, record and analyse data.
• Interpret data analysis results and draw inferences and conclusions.
• Present research results to committee.
• Use research results to write reports, papers and reviews and present findings in journals and conferences.
• Collaborate with research teams, industry stakeholders and government agencies,
• Make policy recommendations for AHO and the global health sector in Africa and globally.

Qualifications, Skills and Experience

• PhD or equivalent professional qualification/experience in epidemiology, medical/social statistics, bioinformatics, data science or equivalent.
• Master’s or doctorate degree in the research field
• Three or more years of teaching and/or research experience
• Proven knowledge of data collection methods
• Proficiency in data analysis tools and statistical applications
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills
• Excellent presentation skills and ability to write doctorate-level research reports for publication in reputable journals
• Knowledge of project management
• Ability to work within a team and follow the instructions,
• Proven ability to organise a range of high-quality research activities to the required quality standards, including ensuring that data cleaning processes are quality-checked.