Vital Strategies Healthy Food Policy Fellowship 2023 (Fully-funded)

An key roadblock to addressing global obesity is the lack of research expertise to inform national policies. The Vital Strategies Healthy Food Policy Fellowship is an endeavour to address this issue.

Outstanding Ph.D. candidates from Barbados, Brazil, Colombia, Jamaica, Mexico, or South Africa who are dedicated to pursuing a field of study and research that will enable them to influence public policy to promote healthier food environments are supported by the fellowship, which Bloomberg Philanthropies fund.

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.

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.

Eligibility

• Open to candidates that 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.

Application

• 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 fellowships@vitalstrategies.org 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 fellowships@vitalstrategies.org 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.