Women in Global Health LEAD Fellowship Program 2019, Harvard University, USA

Welcome to the Women in Global Health LEAD Fellowship website.

Applications are now open!

Learn, Engage, Advance, Disrupt: Why a Women LEAD fellowship? 

Women are agents of change when they work in leadership positions. They implement policies that create better lives for families, communities and nations, research shows. They find ways to support and lift up women and children, who continue to experience a disproportionate burden of disease and death worldwide. Still, women remain underrepresented in leadership in public health, medicine and in health and life sciences.

In an effort to equip and empower more women leaders, the Harvard Global Health Institute and the Women and Health Initiative at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health are offering a new fellowship specifically designed for rising female leaders from low- and middle-income countries.

This unique opportunity combines a 4-month residence at Harvard with the development and execution of an 18-month professional development plan. Selected fellows will take classes in any of Harvard’s schools based on their field of work; they will receive general leadership training and be invited to share their experiences and to lead, both while at Harvard and upon their return to their places of work. They will also be part of a mentoring program focusing on their specific needs, industry and career path, utilizing mentors at Harvard, in their industry and in their home countries long past their time at the university. Women from all continents, regions, disciplines and sectors are eligible to apply.

The Experience

A Harvard LEAD fellowship is a transformative experience designed to empower emerging female leaders in global health. Successful applicants will articulate a clear vision for personal growth, leadership and change. Based on their specific needs and goals, fellows will spend a semester at Harvard University engaging in tailored leadership training, mentoring, speaking and networking opportunities, and independent project work. While at Harvard, they will have access to world-class faculty, classes, and executive education programs. They will be both encouraged and challenged in new, inspiring ways.

Building on their Harvard experiences, fellows will return to their home organizations to execute their unique personal growth and leadership plan, with full support from their employers and institutional mentors. Deliverables for this part of the fellowship include hosting training events for peers on specific leadership skills, progress reports, and mentoring a future LEAD fellow as well as initiatives and action items specific to each fellow.

Application Requirements

Applicants for this mid-career fellowship must work full-time in the field of global health. They need to have at least 15 years of professional experience, including proven leadership experience. Global-health related work completed as a university student does not count as professional experience.

Candidates need to be able to reside in the Boston/Cambridge area during their semester at Harvard. While at the university, they must be free of work-related commitments. They must have the full support of their employers, and they must have a champion in their organization who signs on as an internal mentor. If chosen, they also must agree in writing to honor the leave-stipulations made with their employers.

Candidates nominate themselves by applying for the fellowship. There are no age limits or academic prerequisites. During at least two years prior to arrival, the fellows should not have participated in a full-time fellowship that lasted 4 months or longer.

Terms and Conditions

Fellows are in residence at Harvard University for a period of four months, or one academic semester, between August 26, 2019 and December 20, 2019. They are expected to reside in the Boston/Cambridge area for the duration of their time as LEAD fellows. Fellows have to be free of their regular commitments so they can devote themselves full-time to the work outlined in their proposal. The program will provide: housing in the Boston/Cambridge area; 1 roundtrip, economy class ticket to/from Harvard University; office space; a monthly stipend; and access to libraries and other resources at Harvard University during the fellowship period. Fellows are responsible for arranging health insurance for themselves and dependents in advance of the start of the program and are required to setup a US bank account while in residence.

Upon returning to their home institutions, fellows will be required to submit regular progress reports, execute all elements of their 18 month development plan, and will be expected to mentor trainees at their home institutions as well as future Women in Global Health LEAD Fellowship awardees.

Selection Process

Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis by the Harvard fellowship application review committee. The last day to submit an application will be March 15, 2019.  The Women in Global Health LEAD Fellowship steering committee will review the top 20 applications and make the final decision on awardees, based on the criteria below, by April 30, 2019.  All candidates will be notified of their application status the week of May 1, 2019.

For more information click "LINK TO ORIGINAL" below.