jHASE Peer Review Fellowship Description, Learning Activities and Objectives
Background & Rationale of the Peer Review Fellowship:
The peer review process of the journal jHASE (Journal of HIV/AIDS Surveillance & Epidemiology) is founded on the Institute of HIV/AIDS Surveillance & Epidemiology (iHASE) preceptorship model and philosophy which propounds the notion that rigorous peer review of seminal field-advancing works of science should include both experienced published researchers and mentored junior peer reviewers or peer review fellows (junior or mid-level researchers, post-doctoral fellows and doctoral candidates as peer-review fellows/trainees). In a manner similar to the science and medicine post-doctoral training model (or law clerkships in the court system), this approach provides an opportunity for preceptorship/ mentored training of junior peer reviewers who assist in literature reviews, critique and rigorous peer review in the search for excellence through open debates in the proceedings of the Institute of HIV/AIDS Surveillance and Epidemiology (i.e. open public health discourse, debates and constructive criticism as a vehicle for  advancement of public health surveillance and applied Epidemiology research on HIV/AIDS and related STDs, Viral Hepatitis and TB). Further, jHASE strongly believes that mentored peer review fellows should contribute to every stage of the process of quality assurance, training and continuing education through peer-review and publication/dissemination of HIV/AIDS Surveillance & Epidemiology work, including all levels of the proceedings of the Institutes of HIV/AIDS Surveillance & Epidemiology.
 
Fellowship Description:
Using a preceptorship model, the jHASE fellowship offers a unique opportunity for:
  1. Fellows to acquire high quality mentored applied HIV Epidemiology training in conducting applied HIV Epidemiology quality assurance and continuing education through peer review, and
  2. Providing public health agencies with expertise,  technical support, quality assurance and rigorous program peer review; 
Fellows collaborate with iHASE/jHASE fellowship preceptor faculty [jHASE Section Editors, a public health agency preceptor, and an academic preceptor] to identify relevant project topics to fulfill the fellowship objectives and learning activities on development of protocols, proposal abstracts and manuscripts. Through practical learning activities to fulfill the fellowship objectives/core curriculum in collaboration with public health practice and academic preceptors, fellows will develop the comprehensive set of competency- and problem-based core skills in applied HIV Epidemiology methods outlined in the iHASE applied HIV Epidemiology curriculum.
Applied/Practical Learning Activities and Objectives:
During the fellowship [short-term (1 semester/12 weeks) and long-term (>1 year)], fellows will participate in the following learning activities:
  • Conduct intake review of articles submitted to jHASE for peer review, develop and submit recommendations to the relevant jHASE Section Editor on suitability of articles for peer review and publication in jHASE;
  • Under the preceptorship of (long term) senior peer review fellows, junior peer review fellows will review relevant literature for each assigned article peer-reviewed for publication, critique article/protocol (including ethics review), summarize relevant findings from literature, develop, consolidate and submit fellows' recommendations to the relevant jHASE Section Editor for consideration;
  • In collaboration with assigned fellows group, fellows will consolidate peer review reports and recommendations of senior peer reviewers and submit recommendations to jHASE Section Editor for review;
  • In the event of strong disagreement between fellows' recommendations and those of external peer reviewers, fellows will develop and consolidate requests for clarification of areas of differences from peer reviewers through the relevant jHASE Section Editor;
  • Ethics aspects of peer review of research and public health practice/interventions protocols will also include:
    • Review of the ethical implications of research study design and conduct;
    • Review of the ethical implications of intervention program implementation;
  • In collaboration with 2 preceptors from a public health agency and an appropriate academic institution, fellows will develop at least 1 manuscript (as first author) for peer review and publication in jHASE in any 1 of the following 4 categories of jHASE article types: a) a review article, b) a methods protocol of study procedures, c) a methods protocol of statistical analyses (including relevant statistical analyses programs), or d) a research article;

  • Under the preceptorship of the relevant jHASE Section Editor(s), fellows will participate in jHASE peer review of manuscripts, pre- or post-IRB/ethics review of protocols and serve as Editorial Board members of jHASE;
After completing this fellowship, long-term fellows will have also participated in the following learning activities:
  • In collaboration with 2 preceptors from a public health agency and an appropriate academic institution, review relevant published literature from jHASE, other journals and sources, and identify, conceptualize and submit at least 4 article proposal abstracts (as first author) for peer-review and publication in jHASE: i.e. a) at least 2 proposal abstracts for new studies/articles to address gaps in knowledge, and b) 2 proposal abstracts for commissioned companion-papers of study procedures and analyses methods protocols corresponding to published work (including developing corresponding applications for funding of commissioned work for submission through jHASE to external funding sources);
  • In collaboration with 2 preceptors (1 from a public health agency and the other from an appropriate academic institution), develop at least 4 commissioned manuscripts (as first author) for peer review and publication in jHASE in each of the following 4 categories of jHASE article types: a) a review article, b) a methods protocol of study procedures, c) a methods protocol of statistical analyses (including relevant statistical analyses programs), and d) a research article (Long-term fellows who are Doctoral candidates will be encouraged to develop this series of 4 articles within the same topic for use towards a publication-format dissertation in partial fulfillment of requirements for a doctoral degree in Epidemiology or Biostatistics).
 
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