Overview
Type: Fellowship
Location: Barbados, Brazil, Colombia, Jamaica, Mexico and South Africa.
Value: The fellowship covers tuition, accommodation, health insurance and study-related travel
Application Deadline: November 14, 2022.
About the Fellowship
The Vital Strategies Healthy Food Policy Fellowship is an initiative to combat an important barrier to addressing global obesity—a dearth of research expertise to guide national policies.
The fellowship, funded by Bloomberg Philanthropies, supports outstanding Ph.D. candidates who are residents of Barbados, Brazil, Colombia, Jamaica, Mexico or South Africa and are committed to pursuing a field of study and research that will enable them to contribute to healthier food environments through public policy.
Strong preference is given to candidates who are committed to work in their country after they complete their program, and who demonstrate that they will apply their experience, skills and knowledge in disciplines such as health economics, nutrition epidemiology, marketing or health behavior. Applicants who can establish their past background or future interest in contributing to research of national-level importance are encouraged to apply.
Overall, the goal of the Healthy Food Policy Fellowship is to strengthen the focus countries’ health systems by developing research expertise—creating a pool of people who are qualified to design, conduct, analyze, present and promote research—to bridge existing research gaps and guide national policies for healthier food environments in Barbados, Brazil, Colombia, Jamaica, Mexico and South Africa.
Successful applicants are awarded a multiple-year fellowship for the duration of their Ph.D. (up to four years) program to support their studies at top universities in their home country or abroad. Some recipients may combine study in their home country with complementary coursework in another country. Although candidates in the process of applying, or already accepted, to a Ph.D. program for the upcoming semester can apply for the fellowship, the award will only be disbursed to an applicant once they have been enrolled in a Ph.D. program and has satisfied all legal requirements.
In general, the fellowship covers tuition, accommodation, health insurance and study-related travel, if appropriate. Each fellowship is tailored to the needs of the recipient and the country of residence/school and is bound by the funder’s financial parameters.
How to become a Healthy Food Policy Fellow
Follow the instructions on how to apply to Vital Strategies’ Healthy Food Policy Fellowship Program
Step 1: Check if you meet the selection criteria.
Step 2: Click here to download the application form.
Step 3: Request two referees to submit letters of recommendation in English to [email protected] with the subject “Recommendation Letter_Applicant name_Country of residence”. The letters must be submitted directly by the referees before the application deadline. The referees should be very familiar with the candidate’s work and professional experience, and/or might be the candidate’s current or potential mentor.
Step 4: Submit your completed and signed application form along with curriculum vitae in English to [email protected] by no later than midnight (New York time) November 14, 2022. Your curriculum vitae must mention your academic background, research/work experience, publications, and academic presentations.