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Deadline for Applications: February 15, 2025

About the BCPH Thought Leadership for Public Health Fellowship

The mission of the Boston Congress of Public Health Thought Leadership for Public Health Fellowship (BCPH Fellowship) seeks to: 

  • Incubate the next generation of thought leaders in public health;
  • Advance collective impact for health equity through public health advocacy; and
  • Diversify, democratize, and broaden evidence-based public health dialogue and expression.


It is guided by an overall vision to provide a platform, training, and support network for the next generation of public health thought leaders and public scholars to explore and grow their voice.

What Is the BCPH Thought Leaders Fellowship?

The fellowship is a 6 month program and platform, comprising 2 months of technical training and content workshopping and 4 months of content creation and promotion. Fellows who complete the program requirements of 5 posts and promotions will receive a certificate of completion. Top performing fellows will be offered a position to continue amplifying their thought leadership platform on the HPHR Journal website (HPHR.org) as a columnist. 

How to Apply

Applications for the Spring 2025 Fellows Cohort are open now. Applicants submit the following: 

  • Short questionnaire
  • CV/Resume
  • Brief Bio
  • 5 topics in a specific area of public health and social justice that you will cover in your podcasts for the Thought Fellowship.  
  • Details for ONE specific podcast, including introduction, list of questions, potential interviewees, and targeted audience.

Note: Writing and promotion previously developed or published elsewhere are permitted. Coauthors or collaborators involved in the proposed project must be acknowledged and their contribution clearly delineated.

If you have trouble uploading your files for the application, please email them to [email protected].   

Only files submitted by the deadline are considered. Late and/or incomplete applications will not be reviewed.

FAQs

For More Information

An Information Session will be held in February 2023 and a recording will be uploaded to @BCPHStudio’s YouTube channel shortly afterwards.

What will Fellows gain from the Fellowship?

Participants will gain:

  • Creative freedom to bring their public health and health equity passions to a global audience and develop their voice and brand
  • Technical skills in content creation and promotion
  • Enhanced confidence as a thought leader and public health expert
  • A community of public health creators and advocates
  • Graduates participate in a special online ceremony honoring their achievements.

What do Fellows need to complete in order to graduate?

At a minimum, Fellows need to:

  • Publish 5 posts and social media posts on BCPH platforms. (These materials may be repurposed on the Fellows’ platforms.)
  • Attend all Fellowship trainings either synchronously or through reacting to the recordings asynchronously for the 2 months of training
  • Participate in an HPHR meeting each month


Who is eligible?

  • Anyone working towards or has earned a secondary or post-secondary degree (e.g., BA, BS, MPH, MS, MA, DrPH, PhD) or has significant work experience. Recent high school graduates with a very strong vision will be considered.
  • Applicants must possess strong writing skills suitable for a non-scientific audience.


What are we looking for in a strong candidate?

A combination of:

  • Alignment with BCPH’s mission and vision
  • Solid understanding of public health topics and use of evidence
  • Strong vision and planned approach for an online platform
  • Unique point of view that enriches discourse of public health issues
  • Ability to produce robust and high-quality blogs, vlogs, or podcasts
  • Content management system experience (such as Elementor or Blocks in WordPress)
  • Social media post production, including reels and other video posts  
  • Design and/or video editing skills are not required, but a definite plus!)
  • Strong motivation to complete the Fellowship and time management skills


What do we mean by “public health”? What types of topics/content would be included?

  • BCPH takes a broad approach to public health; anything that is related to health of more than the individual (i.e. communities and populations) can apply.
  • Preference will be given to topics related to health equity or that are overlooked in the mainstream of public health.
  • Please visit HPHR.org’s Blogs section for a sense of the range of topics Fellows have explored.


Who is the target audience for Fellows’ posts?

  • Each Fellow may have a different target audience, based on their specific perspective and interest in public health, and  target audiences may shift from post to post. Fellows are expected to identify and tailor content for the audience best suited for each post.


How competitive is the selection process for the Fellowship?

  • For the inaugural cohort, 27% of applicants were selected to be Fellows.
  • For the second cohort, 24% of applicants were selected to be Fellows.


How many Fellows will be selected?

  • 5-10 Fellows will be selected for each cohort.


How will BCPH consider diversity in its selection of Fellows?

  • The BCPH Fellowship strives to balance diversity of focus area within public health, diversity of geographic region, and diversity of lived experience. We look at each applicant as a whole, what they would gain from this experience, and what they would bring to the experience to create a balanced cohort who are excited to maximize this opportunity.


Are the sample content calendar and promotions submitted by applicants the final version they will use for their actual content?

  • Fellows have the freedom to tweak their content based on feedback from senior Fellowship staff and the trainings from guest experts. However, we expect Fellows to keep to the spirit of the themes they propose in their application.


How much time does the Fellowship take on average?

  • There is significant variation in time commitment.
  • Weekly trainings during the 2 month training period last for a maximum of 2 hours, including preparation.
  • Content creation and promotion range from a day to a week per post depending on the level of preparedness, research, scheduling, revision, and AV editing required.


What additional opportunities exist after the Fellowship?

  • Top 2-3% of Fellows with the most consistently high-quality content and significant audience engagement will be asked to stay on as HPHR Columnists to continue to produce content
  • Lead trainings for the next cohort of Fellows
  • Participate in – or lead – HPHR special initiatives
  • Stay engaged with HPHR Journal editorial activities
  • Publish with HPHR Journal


All content published on BCPH and HPHR platforms will remain the property of fellows.