Deadline: 14-Nov-22
Vital Strategies is excited to announce its Healthy Food Policy Fellowship, an initiative to combat an important barrier to addressing global obesity—a dearth of research expertise to guide national policies.
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.
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.
Benefits
- The fellowship will cover tuition, living expenses (only rent, local public transport and utilities), health insurance (in most cases it should be the plan recommended by school, and is limited only to the fellow, and not dependents), travel and one-time costs such as a laptop, software and books.
- 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.
Eligibility Criteria
The Healthy Food Policy Fellowship program is open to candidates who meet the following selection criteria:
- Reside in one of the focus countries: Barbados, Brazil, Colombia, Jamaica, Mexico, South Africa. (“Reside” includes people who are non-citizens of a country and who have long-term residency in that country.)
- Demonstrate a commitment to improving public policy for a healthier food environment in their country of residence.
- In the process of applying, or already accepted, to a Ph.D. for the upcoming semester in a field that will allow them to contribute to healthier food environments through public policy—health economics, nutrition epidemiology, marketing, health behavior, etc.—from a university that meets the desired combination of theoretical coursework and practical, field-based research.
- Have a background in healthy food policy or experience in one of the aforementioned academic areas of interest.
- Have no conflict of interest, including no affiliation with sugary drinks, ultra-processed foods or tobacco industry.
For more information, visit https://www.vitalstrategies.org/healthy-food-policy-fellowship/