2017 APHA Public Health Fellowship in Government

The American Public Health Association has announced their call for applications for the 2017 APHA Public Health Fellowship in Government. This is the ninth year APHA is offering this fellowship, which has been described as an “amazing,” “phenomenal” and “life altering” experience by previous fellows.

Candidates must have strong public health credentials and be able to spend one year in Washington, D.C. The fellow will have the option of working in the House or Senate on legislative and policy issues such as creating healthy communities, improving health equity, addressing environmental health concerns, population health or the social determinants of health.

Training for the fellowship will begin in January 2017 so you must be able to move to the Washington, D.C., area in January. The fellowship provides a unique learning experience and demonstrates the value and need for basing policy on sound science. Throughout the year, the fellow will gain a practical knowledge of government and how the public policy process works.

The fellowship aims to:

• Establish and nurture critical links between federal decision-makers and public health professionals;
• Educate public health professionals about the legislative process and the skills necessary to be successful, including the ability to translate complex public health issues into legislative, regulatory and policy initiatives;
• Increase the visibility and impact public health professionals in the policy arena;
• Increase attention to and focus on the social determinants of health and the goal of improving health equity and creating healthy communities;
• Support the inclusion of sound public health science in policy; and
• Create a culture of policy engagement for public health professionals.

Learn more and apply for this fellowship here: http://www.apha.org/fellowship