Health for America in partnership with mHealth for the underserved (a collaboration between One Economy Corporation, Children’s National Medical Center, Amplify Public Affairs and its Health in Place (HIP) Advisory Board) and XLerate Health announces a summer program to incubate, test and launch applications specifically focused on childhood asthma in low-income communities in Washington, D.C. and Louisville, KY. This unique program, presents an opportunity to utilize disruptive mobile technologies to greatly improve health conditions of populations that need it the most.
Chronic disease accounts for more than 70% of deaths in the United States, with health outcomes seemingly worsening each year. Health disparities by race, income level, and state mean that the needs of vulnerable communities are largely going unmet. Meanwhile, the rapid growth of mobile technology ownership within these same populations creates an unprecedented opportunity for mobile health interventions.
Six to ten fellows from diverse backgrounds will work with target communities in Washington, D.C. and Louisville, KY. Fellows will begin by conducting a needs assessment and an environmental scan of mobile solutions that address childhood asthma. Fellows will then participate in a hackathon with the local DC tech community to either improve on existing products or create new solutions to meet the community’s needs. Using entrepreneurial techniques, fellows will iterate the applications developed based upon community feedback. Throughout the program, fellows will have classes and mentorship from thought leaders in health innovation.
This program will provide fellows with unique insights into health, innovation and entrepreneurship while giving back to the community. The program runs from June 10, 2013 to August 4, 2013 and fellows will receive a stipend of $1,500. Fellows will be chosen based on aptitude, creativity, integrity, teamwork and leadership.
Health for America is looking for passionate change makers from a variety of backgrounds including the fields of technology, computer science, art, design and health. Applicants must be a college graduate and have completed their degree after May 2010 to be eligible. Applications from current seniors are welcome, but all fellows are required to have graduated by June 10, 2013. The fellowship is restricted to US Citizens only.
Early deadline with first prefence for city placement: Noon, Monday April 15, 2013
Final deadline: Noon, Tuesday April 30, 2013
To get more information and apply, please visit: http://www.healthforamerica.org/fellowship/summer-program.html
The Council for International Exchange of Scholars is offering U.S. Fulbright Scholar grant opportunities in Europe and Eurasia in the field of public health. Applications for the 2014-15 academic year are currently being accepted from all levels of faculty and professionals, including early career.
Applications are being solicited for a broad range of awards in public health, including but not limited to:
Finland #4200 Fulbright-Saastamoinen Foundation Award in Health and Environmental Sciences
Denmark #4189 Public/Global Health: Nutrition and Health
Czech Republic #4182 Fulbright-Masaryk Award (NGO Management)
Ukraine #4348 Public Administration, NGO Management, Health Administration or Public Health
Russia #4312 Community College Faculty Award
Applicants must be U.S. citizens and hold a Ph.D. or appropriate professional/terminal degree at the time of application. The application deadline is August 1, 2013.
In addition, all-discipline awards are available in all countries in Europe and Eurasia and can be a good option if no discipline-focused award matches your expertise. Please visit the 2014-15 Catalog of Awards at http://catalog.cies.org/index.aspx to learn more about the opportunities available in this year’s competition. For most awards, English is sufficient for teaching and foreign language proficiency is only needed to the extent required by the proposed research project, if applicable.
For eligibility factors, detailed application guidelines and review criteria, please follow the link http://www.cies.org/us_scholars/us_awards. You may also wish to register for one of our webinars at http://www.cies.org/Webinar/ or join our online community, My Fulbright, a resource center for applicants interested in the program.
To view more than 475 fellowships for students and professionals in all disciplines, sign up to check out ProFellow’s fellowships database.
Global Health Corps Fellow Jared Stancombe (right) with Barbara Bush (center), co-founder and CEO of the Global Health Corps and Neil Malilwe (left), a Zambian GHC Fellow.
Jared Stancombe believes it is our civic duty to give back to our country and community. Motivated by his passion for public service, Jared pursued an opportunity to earn an officer commission with the United States Marine Corps, but unfortunately was set back by a prolonged illness. Undeterred, Jared pursued another opportunity – a position in the City Year Corps, a program supported by the national AmeriCorps program, which unites young people of all backgrounds for a year of full-time service to keep students in school and on track to graduation. Over the course of 2,000 hours of service, Jared provided pre-algebra math tutoring, afterschool instruction, role modeling, and mentoring services to 140 at-risk youth at Kramer Middle School in Washington, DC. After his City Year service, Jared was competitively chosen for the prestigious Global Health Corps, which place fellows in yearlong paid positions with organizations in the U.S. and Africa doing excellent work in improving healthcare access and health outcomes for the poor. Placement organizations range from small grassroots organizations to large global institutions. Intrigued by Jared’s passion for helping others, we asked him more about his experience with the Global Health Corps program.
1. Why did you apply to the Global Health Corps?
I applied because after working in inner city Washington, DC neighborhood as a corps member with City Year, I was exposed to how inequality perpetuates poverty, crime, and disease. I worked in an area of the United States that has higher HIV/AIDS prevalence rates than most sub-Saharan African countries, and observed first hand the devastating effects it can have upon children. I learned of the Global Health Corps through City Year, and found it to be a once in a lifetime experience that can provide the necessary professional experience and development to pursue a career in global health. I particularly like how it promotes global health equity, and creates a close community of exceptional leaders and practitioners to solve complex global health problems. I applied to my particular position with a small NGO called Action Africa Help International because it combines my experience working in security, education, and nonprofit management.
2. What is the Global Health Corps experience like?
The experience is life changing. I met the other fellows during our training at a highly prestigious school on the east coast, and my first impression was that I was completely outclassed. But over the course of two weeks, I became very close to many of the other fellows, and we developed a true sense of community before heading off to our placements. Even here in Zambia, we stick together and constantly bounce ideas off each other. This is my first time in Africa and exposure to African culture, so it was difficult making the transition in the first three months of my fellowship. Six months in, I feel that I know my place, and where I can best serve within my organization.
I have learned an incredible amount about international development, refugee affairs, financial management, performance management, and financing, and I am using it every day. Having a completely different perspective within an organization can create truly innovative solutions if they can be implemented properly. Having ideas is easy, it is implementation that is the most difficult here, and my supervisor wants results. She is completely supportive, and has placed me on several important projects, such as developing an organizational business model.
Besides working, vacations are definitely fun. Zambia is most known for Victoria Falls, the largest waterfall in the world. We went there with other fellows from other programs, and I went whitewater rafting in the most intense rapids in the world, and went swimming in the “Devil’s Pool” along the edge of the falls.
This is a once in a lifetime experience, and as with any experience, there are highs and lows. Sometimes I feel like I’m not making a difference here, but when I go out into the field and learn how much good Action Africa Help International is doing, it strengthens my commitment to do my share of the task. Also, I am amazed at some of the work other fellows are doing throughout Africa, and I feel honored to be apart of such a community of passionate young leaders. I can see within a decade or two some fellows taking senior cabinet level positions in African countries such as Uganda, Zambia, and Rwanda.
3. What tips would you give others applying to the Global Health Corps program?
The Global Health Corps program is one of the most competitive fellowships in the world. I believe around 1% of all fellows who apply from the United States are offered fellowships. You don’t have to have a graduate degree in public health to apply. I don’t have a graduate degree, but I do have around five years of experience working in the public and nonprofit sectors. The current corps of fellows is incredibly diverse, and we have computer scientists, architects, medical researchers, teachers, consultants, and policy analysts among others. My advice is to figure out how you can best leverage your education, experience, and skillset towards furthering the mission of the Global Health Corps of advancing global health equity. When you apply for the fellowship, you apply for a specific position. Read the job descriptions very carefully, and during the interviews, which are several, be prepared to answer questions on how your experience best relates to the needs of the placement.
The most important thing is to advertise yourself, but be honest and humble. The amount of talent the Global Health Corps attracts is truly unique. The entire corps participates in recruitment, and the program is not for people who just want international experience, or a year between undergrad and medical school. The Global Health Corps wants people who are absolutely committed and driven to make a difference through immense adversity.
Applications for Global Health Corps are now open! Apply by February 3, 2013.
Jared Stancombe is a 2012-2013 Global Health Corps fellow for Action Africa Help International–Zambia. He is a former analyst with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, an alumnus of City Year Washington, DC, and a member of Young Professionals in Foreign Policy. He is a 2009 graduate of Indiana University, where he graduated with honors in Political Science, focusing on the influence of informal economies upon civil conflicts in Northern Africa, the Middle East, and Central Asia. Jared is from Bedford, Indiana. After the Global Health Corps, he hopes to continue his career in public service through fellowships in social enterprise or enter a graduate program in business administration, policy analysis, or international relations.
© Victoria Johnson 2013, all rights reserved.
For MBA and MPA students interested in pursuing a career in energy efficiency, management or environmental sustainability, the Environmental Defense Fund’s (EDF) Climate Corps Fellows Program is an excellent way to jump start your career. Recently included in our Top 10 Summer Fellowships of 2013, the EDF Climate Corps Fellowship trains and places MBA and MPA students in leading companies, cities and universities to build business cases for energy efficiency. Since 2008, three hundred Climate Corps Fellows have developed case studies for dozens of high growth companies, including adidas, Bloomberg and Facebook, and have identified more than $1.2 billion in net operational cost savings while cutting 1.7 billion kilowatt hours of electricity use. The full list of companies and case studies is available here.
As impressive as the environmental gains identified by Fellows are the career paths of the Fellows. A recent article published by EDF Climate Corps titled EDF Climate Corps Fellow Today, Director of Sustainability Tomorrow provides a window into these careers. After their fellowships, some Fellows have gone on to forge careers at the companies where they performed their fellowships; others now work at leading startups, non-profits, local and state governments, and even the White House. For example, Emily Applegate (2011, Gaylord Entertainment) is now the Director of Sustainability at Energy Source Partners; Elizabeth Turnbull (2010, adidas Group) is now Sr. Manager of Environmental Affairs at adidas Group; Tom Fisher (2010, Staples) is now a Sustainability Analyst at Salesforce.com; and Anne Marie Pippin (2010, Bank of America) is now a Climate Change Adaptation Analyst at the White House Council on Environmental Quality.
The organizations that host EDF Climate Corps Fellows also reap the benefits of this program:
“Our fellow had the ability to introduce us to some of the tools available to us that we weren’t aware of – tools that help us think about how we go about our work, how we think about energy and reducing energy usage for our restaurants.”
- Jerry Sus, Senior Director of Development & Strategic Technology, McDonald’s
Applications for the 2013 EDF Climate Corps Fellowship are currently open. The program is 10-12 weeks in length. Fellows receive a minimum salary of $1,250 per week and $2,500 for travel expenses. The application deadline for the 2013 summer fellowship is January 11, 2013. Click here to apply.
Yesterday at the American Geophysical Union (AGU) Fall Meeting, I had the pleasure of attending a panel discussion on professional fellowship programs sponsored by the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS). The AAAS Congressional Science and Engineering Fellows Program provides support for scientists and engineers to spend a year on Capitol Hill working in Congressional offices. The fellowship program is a cooperative effort of approximately 30 national scientific and engineering societies that has operated for more than 35 years. Some of the duties of Congressional Fellows include crafting legislation, background research, speechwriting, meeting with constituents and lobbyists, and organizing hearings. Also featured was the AAAS Mass Media Fellowship, which annually provides a graduate or undergraduate student in science or engineering the opportunity to spend 10 weeks working in a newsroom. Mass Media Fellows have worked as reporters, editors, researchers and production assistants at such media outlets as National Public Radio (NPR), the Los Angeles Times, Voice of America and Scientific American.
Two Congressional Science Fellows on the panel, Kevin Reed and Erica Bickford, discussed what inspired them to apply and transition from academic research to policy work in Washington, DC. “I started my Ph.D. knowing I wanted to work in policy when I finished. I read about this fellowship when I was an undergraduate,” said Reed, who completed his Ph.D. in Atmospheric and Space Science at the University of Michigan in January 2012. Bickford was less focused on a policy career as a student, but presented a very strong application for the fellowship. “There was a policy component to my dissertation research on the impacts of air quality on transportation,” said Bickford, who recently completed her Ph.D. in Environment and Resources at the University of Wisconsin.
When asked how to best prepare for a Congressional Science Fellowship, Reed recommended participating in opportunities like the American Meteorological Society’s (AMS) Summer Policy Colloquium, a ten-day immersion course in atmospheric policy. Bickford recommended that aspiring fellows stay abreast of current events and science-related legislation. “The fellowship requires a quick learning curve,” said Bickford. “As a fellow, you are considered as having expertise in all areas of science, and therefore you will be asked to weigh in on scientific topics you may know little about.”
The two other panelists, Jessica Morrison and Dee Rossiter, discussed their experience as AAAS Mass Media Fellows. Morrison, a Ph.D. student in Civil & Environmental Engineering at the University of Notre Dame, spent her fellowship this past summer at The Chicago Tribune, where she reported on health science and policy. “I applied for the fellowship because I found I was much more excited about communicating science than working in a lab,” said Morrison. While a student, she began writing, blogging and utilizing social media, something she recommends to other aspiring fellows interested in science journalism.
When Rossiter heard about the Mass Media Fellowship, she felt it was a perfect opportunity to pursue her two passions, science and communications, and strove to develop a competitive resume and application for the fellowship. As a 2011 Fellow, Rossiter worked for Voice Of America, a U.S. State Department media organization that provides news in 43 languages to countries outside the U.S. After earning her Ph.D. from the University of California, Santa Cruz, where she studied cloud microphysics, Rossiter landed a job as Program Director of the AAAS Mass Media Program.
One member of the audience asked for the panelists’ honest opinions on working with a Congress in constant deadlock. Reed assured us that despite the political unknowns, policy work is very rewarding. “What you don’t see every day in the news is that there are a lot of smart people doing good work behind the scenes.” However, policy work is very different than academic research. “As a Ph.D. student, you’ve worked for five, six, maybe seven years toward a specific goal of completing one project. In policy work, while you may have a common goal, nothing is set is stone, and you have to be prepared for that,” said Reed.
© Victoria Johnson 2012, all rights reserved.
Bessie Young, 2012 Mitchell Scholar and former Luce Scholar, with a resident in a Japanese nursing home
Bessie Young pursued a series of prestigious fellowships to travel the world and pursue her unique interest: photography and cross-cultural gerontology. As an undergraduate at Amherst, Bessie was a double major in Psychology and Art with focus on aging and Turkish language study. She won a Critical Language Scholarship for study abroad in Turkey, and also won a $10,000 Davis Projects For Peace grant from the Kathryn W. Davis Foundation to travel in Turkey, France and the U.S. and photograph the experience of the aging in nursing homes. After college, Bessie was one of 17 people nationally to win the prestigious Luce Scholarship, which funds a year of professional development in Asia. Bessie chose to live in Nishinomiya, Japan, where she studied and photographed aging and long-term care for the elderly to better understand the aging environment in differing cultural contexts. Bessie subsequently won the George J. Mitchell Scholarship, which funds a year of graduate study at universities in Ireland and Northern Ireland. Bessie is now enrolled in a Master of Fine Arts program at the University of Ulster in Belfast where she is collaborating with a faculty member who is researching photography as a memory aid for those suffering from Alzheimer’s. It is clear that Bessie will continue to excel in her interdisciplinary studies. We sat down with her to ask her more about pursuing her niche interest using a series of fellowships.
1. Tell us about your path to pursuing a MFA in Northern Ireland. What inspired you to apply to four fellowships and work abroad?
I began college with an interest in both art and psychology. In my first semester, I took a class called the Psychology of Aging and loved it. Soon both my art and psychology coursework began to focus on issues related to aging. Fellowships are a great way to explore specific passions in an interdisciplinary context, so I began applying to different opportunities that would allow me to use art as a way to understand aging in different countries.
Prior to coming to Northern Ireland, I was confused. Should I be a photographer who advocates for the elderly? Should I be a gerontologist who photographs aging issues as a part of research? While researching programs for a scholarship application, I was shocked to find a photography program in Northern Ireland where the director of the program was conducting research related to both photography and Alzheimer’s. I immediately decided this was the right program for me and I couldn’t be happier here. Sometimes applying for scholarships (whether your application is successful or not) will help you discover programs or collaborators you never would have otherwise.
2. What career paths are you considering after you complete your Master’s?
Even though I decided to pursue this MFA in Photography, my future is still very much open. I plan to continue to live abroad for the next several years and learn as much as I can about cross-cultural issues of aging. My main goal for this period in my life is to humbly learn and seek to understand as much as possible, so that one day I will be in a position to make positive change for the world’s elderly. Whether I’ll end up in the field of photography, psychology, medicine, anthropology, or something else, I’m not sure.
3. What advice would you give to others applying to competitive fellowships?
Follow your passions wholeheartedly and be truthful in explaining them and yourself to others. Just like you won’t be the perfect person for every fellowship, every fellowship will not be perfect for you. That’s why it’s important to be true to yourself and thoroughly thoughtful, genuine, and honest throughout your application and interview processes. Take time when answering questions to not just come up with a good answer, but to come up with the answer that is truest to who you are. Not only will others respond to your sincerity, but when you are offered a fellowship, you will also be confident that they saw the true you and liked it.
Photo by Bessie Young
Photo by Bessie Young
“This work is a way to connect the individual and the subjective aging experience to aging as a social phenomenon. It is a way to draw lines between the visible and invisible. There is specificity here that words cannot capture.”
- Bessie Young
Bessie Young is a 2011 summa cum laude graduate of Amherst College. She spent the last year as a Henry Luce Scholar studying eldercare in Japan. Currently, Bessie is studying for her MFA in Photography at the University of Ulster Belfast through a George J. Mitchell Scholarship.
© Victoria Johnson 2012, all rights reserved.
Singapore. Photo credit: Lunch Magazine
The National Research Foundation has announced its 6th annual call for applications for the Singapore NRF Fellowship. The fellowships provide up to US$2.4 million over five years to exceptional, young scientists and researchers (below 40 years of age) to carry out independent, leading-edge research in Singapore. Promising Fellows will be offered tenure-track or permanent positions at local universities or research institutions in Singapore. The FAQs state that those with a PhD are expected to have at least one post-doc stint on their resume, but ideally 2 or more postdoctoral stints and an impressive publication record.
I’ve read that Singapore has a bustling life sciences research scene for recent graduates and researchers from abroad. Also, many multi-national companies such as Novartis and Pfizer are setting up plants in Singapore.
Unsure about Singapore? Those in-the-know know that Singapore is rising in the ranks as a global contender for top-notch food, culture, nightlife and design. Sounds to me like a fantastic place for a fellowship abroad.
Curious? The NRF Fellowship is open to researchers from the following science and technology clusters: Computer Science (Infocomm Technologies and Interactive Digital Media), Engineering (All branches), Medicine, Life Sciences and Natural/Physical Sciences. For more information, read more here.
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