TO APPLY

The process for selection as a JPB Environmental Health (EH) Fellow is a multi-stage process that includes the following steps: 

  1. Nomination – Potential Fellows must be nominated (April 15 through May 20, 2022)
  2. Application – Selected nominees will be invited to apply to the Program (June 24, 2022 – July 24, 2022
  3. Interview – Selected applicants will be invited to come to Harvard for an interview (September 13-15, 2022)
  4. Selection – Candidates will be notified if they have been selected

This page contains information on each step, please scroll down to read the details about the process.

Multi-Stage Process 

Eligibility Criteria

 

Multi-Stage Process

#1. NOMINATION PERIOD: April 15 through May 20, 2022                    

Potential JPB Environmental Health (EH) Fellows must be nominated first, before receiving an invitation to apply to the Program. A Nomination letter from a Dean, Department Chair or Senior Faculty member at the nominee’s Academic Institution along with a CV are required. On the nomination page use the link to the nomination form and once completed attach the nomination letter and CV.  Before considering a Nomination, please review the eligibility criteria.

Nomination letters must include the following:

    • Examples of recent research and areas of interest
    • A description of the candidate’s character and interest in working collaboratively
    • Commitment from the home institution that release time from teaching and other activities will be approved if the candidate is selected. JPB EH Fellows are required to attend two one-week long workshops annually and be able to participate in monthly calls.
    • A description of additional in kind support available to the candidate should be discussed. Examples of such support could be scholarships for doctoral students and/or post docs, equipment, software or sample analysis.
    • Acknowledgement that funds awarded are for Direct Costs only. Nominations accepted: April 15, 2022 – May 20, 2022

#2. APPLICATION PERIOD

Applications accepted between: June 24, 2022 – July 24, 2022

After review of the nomination materials, selected nominees will be invited to apply to the JPB EH Fellows program. The nominees selected to apply will be notified via email usually within 30 days of the nomination deadline and will be provided with a link to the online application system.  Applicants will have 30 days to complete their application and submit requested materials that include a writing sample, other support and updated CV. In addition, applicants will be asked to provide contact information for up to FOUR references. Your references may be contacted by email with a request to fill out and submit our reference form or they may receive a phone call from one of our Directors. It is important to make sure your references are aware of your application.

#3. INTERVIEW PERIOD

Full day interview sessions will be held: September 13, 14 and-15, 2022                 

Selected applicants will be contacted to schedule a day of interviews with the Directors, Senior Fellows and various faculty members here at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health in Boston, MA. Travel expenses and lodging for the in person interviews will be covered by the JPB EH Fellowship Program.

#4. FINAL SELECTION                               

Usually within two weeks from the interview sessions candidates will be notified if they have been selected as a JPB EH Fellow and the cohort of Fellows will then be announced as a group shortly after.

First Workshop November 2022

The Fellows will all met for their first workshop November 1-4, 2022 on the Harvard University Campus in Cambridge, MA. The workshop shop will be held for four full days. Travel time to Boston should be on October 31, 2022.

Award Disbursement begins in October 2022

Fellows should expect a modest first award after acceptance based on an approved budget to support travel and proposal development. Funds can also be used for course buy out to focus on Fellowship activities.

IMPORTANT NOTES:

Should you be invited to apply to the program, the following documents will be required with your application: updated CV, writing sample that best represents your research as it relates to the JPB EH Fellowship Program and in which you are first author along with your other support.  Other support should be submitted using the NIH 398 format. Remember that reference contact information will be required with your application. We consider your nomination letter as a reference letter as well.

Should you be invited for an interview please keep in mind that you will need to be available to travel to Boston, MA sometime between September 12 – 15, 2022.   BEFORE you begin your application, make sure that you can attend the mandatory workshops and monthly telephone/zoom check in meetings. The first workshop will be held November 1st- 4th, 2022 at Harvard University in Cambridge, MA and the second workshop will be in March 2023.  If any of these times are problematic, please contact Tracy Mark at tmark@hsph.harvard.edu.

 

Eligibility Criteria

To be considered as a JPB EH Fellow you must meet the following criteria:

  • First be nominated by a Dean or Department Chair from your institution. Due date for nominating letters is May 20, 2022.
  • Be early career (within 3 years of appointment as of 10/1/2022) tenure or ladder track faculty at academic institutions in the United States.
  • Demonstrate commitment to research and teaching that address environmental and social determinants of health in underserved populations and/or under-resourced communities in the United States. We will select some Fellows for the 3rd cohort working on climate impact and adaptation.
  • We seek fellows with diverse disciplinary training (for example: Social and Behavioral Sciences, Engineering, Environmental Health [exposure science, epidemiology], Medicine, Economics, Architecture, Demography, Physical and Natural Sciences).
  • Not already receiving substantial funding for early career training, through a K-award or similar non-NIH mechanism.
  • Not be a faculty member at Harvard University.
  • Hold a PhD, MD or other relevant advanced degrees.
  • Be a U.S. citizen or permanent resident.

Frequently Asked Questions

  1. Does the focus on research need to be related to U.S. communities?

Yes, this Fellowship program is for faculty at U.S. academic institutions with research interests on domestic U.S. communities and does not include U.S. Territories.

  1. Are under-resourced communities only considered geographically, or also demographically?

Both, geographically and demographically.

  1. I am in the second year of the tenure-track process. I have received a teaching load reduction and start-up funding. Can my start-up package be considered ‘in-kind’ support from my institute for the Fellowship program?

Yes, this start-up package could be considered as institutional support. However, the length of the JBP Fellowship Program (3 years) must be considered when determining this.  If the start-up agreement ends before the Program does, release from teaching, use of space etc. will still be required for participation in the Program. 

  1. I have a terrific colleague who is doing a postdoc, her title is ‘Research Fellow’ but potentially she could be promoted to Research Scientist and she has long-term faculty aspirations.  Would she be eligible to be nominated?

No, this program is for junior faculty in the first years of their career. If they are in the process of accepting a faculty position, they must have confirmation of the offer and start by 9/1/2022. 

  1. Would you pick two Fellows from the same school? 

It is possible.  In this case, the Directors would negotiate cost sharing in support of the Fellows research projects.

  1. Do you have to have a doctoral degree to apply to this program?

Yes, candidates must hold a doctoral degree, or a MD. With a compelling candidate, we would consider other advance degrees.

  1. Do the Fellowship Awards support indirect costs?

No, similar to other academic Fellowship programs the JPB EH Fellowship Program supports direct costs only. Like an NIH K award, the JPB EH Fellowship Program is an investment in the careers of junior faculty at academic institutions across the U.S. The award provides cross-disciplinary training as well as training in proposal development, leadership and communications, along with research funding.

  1. Would you consider an applicant from one to the previously supported university?

We intend to broaden the geographic coverage of the Fellowship program to regions of the US currently not represented.  However, we will consider candidates from previously awarded institutions.