Indigo: an international doctorate for health systems research

This article looks at the International Doctorate in Global Health (Indigo), an innovation programme in 2009 and coordinated by the Centre for Global Health at Trinity College, Dublin, with partners from Africa, Europe and North America. Indigo aims to produce doctoral-level graduates who have the ability to address global health problems using a systems framework, utilizing interdisciplinary research to provide the effectiveness of public health services, particularly in Africa. By developing the interface between biological science, social sciences and public health, the programme seeks to create more effective and efficient platforms for service delivery, in the context of a region challenges by HIV/AIDS and a range of many other serious health problems. The programme's distinctive contribution is to strengthen genuine interdisciplinary capacity, rather than to pursue solutions along multiple, albeit sometimes interlocking, disciplinary pathways. While the approach is global, the main focus is currently on sub-Saharan Africa. By working collaboratively with universities in Africa, Indigo seeks to enable them to become regional centres of excellence in interdisciplinary health research, producing research leaders who will develop the evidence base for health systems capable of developing and implementing effective treatment strategies and technologies.