This 5-day in-person course provides a practical introduction to qualitative research methods in public health. The course will equip participants with knowledge and skills to design high-quality studies, collect rich data, conduct rigorous analysis and publish results in peer-reviewed journals. The course will include lectures, discussions and exercises. At the end of the course, participants will be able to develop a qualitative study protocol, conduct in-depth interviews and focus group discussions, analyse data, disseminate findings and critically appraise qualitative studies. 

Who is this course for?

The ideal candidates for this course will be early-career researchers and faculty members involved in public health research. The course can also be taken by clinicians and other health professionals interested in using qualitative methods to understand patient, provider and community perspectives. 

Learning outcomes

By the end of the course, participants should be able to: 

1. Develop a robust qualitative research question/s and choose an appropriate study design, including data collection methods.
2. Collect high-quality data through interviews, focus groups and other commonly used techniques.
3. Manage, code, and analyse qualitative data and report findings with transparency and rigour.
4. Understand and apply ethical principles in the design and conduct of qualitative public health research and address issues of power, positionality and cultural sensitivity.

Eligibility and prerequisites

Participants should hold at least a master’s degree in a health-related, social science, or allied discipline and have familiarity with qualitative research methods. Prior experience of applying qualitative research methods in public health research projects will be an asset.

Short course date and venue

The short course will be held in person from April 19 to 23, 2026, in Kathmandu, Nepal. The venue details will be provided to the selected candidates closer to the date.

Cost to attend the short course

Participation will be free of cost for the participants.

Support to publish a qualitative research paper

The Centre will support select participants in publishing the results of their qualitative research project if relevant to the Centre’s objectives, in open-access journals by paying article processing charges.

Application procedure

Interested candidates should submit the following documents as a single PDF file saved as full name_qual_methods using the link here on or before 15th March 2026 (5 PM).

1. Short CV (max two pages).
2. A letter describing the motivation to attend the short course and expected outcomes (max one page).
3. Description of a research idea/project involving qualitative research methods that they would apply the learnings to (max one page with background, objectives and methods).

Applications that do not meet the requirements mentioned above will not be reviewed.

For further information, please email at mltc_centre@kmc.edu.np and Cc to ashna.parajuli@kmc.edu.np

To know more about the Centre, please visit our website:– https://nihrcentreformltc.org/general-public/