Purpose

The Fellows Program represents a period of time during which students in public health, other health-related fields, or education gain specialized training in the intersection of public health preparedness systems research and education. 

Eligibility

All U-SEEE Fellows must be enrolled in a Master's or Doctoral program in public health, another health-related field, or education at the University of Minnesota Twin Cities Campus.  Preference will be given to (1) Public Health Doctoral students, followed by (2) Public Health Master's students who already have a doctoral degree in their primary discipline, (3) Doctoral students enrolled in degree programs in other schools in the Academic Health Center, and (4) Education graduate students with health-related background and interest in U-SEEE's focus area. 

Fellowship duration and award

The total award is $20,000 per year for up to two years (with awards made for one year at a time), contingent on performance and availability of funds.  Two Fellows (new or continuing) are funded each year.  

Read about U-SEEE's First Fellow, Thuy Doan, PhD student in Environmental Health Sciences.

Read about U-SEEE's Second Fellow, Ryan Newkirk, PhD student in Epidemiology.

How do I apply?  

Applications are not being accepted currently. The timeline for future applications will be announced when available.

Expectations

Each Fellow develops an Individual Learning Plan (ILP) with annual learning goals and objectives/strategies.  The ILP must incorporate the Bioterrorism and Emergency Readiness Competencies for All Public Health Workers (CDC, 2002; update in-progress).  Each Fellow takes on responsibilities in research (the largest focus), practice, and teaching to contribute to their learning.  Research projects may be the Fellow's own individual research, part of an existing U-SEEE research project, or part of another existing research project.  Each fellow will be involved in at least one practice project or field experience per year, which may be in a state or local health department or other appropriate agency or organization.  All Fellows will be expected to assist with teaching of public health preparedness topics in at least one Public Health Institute.  Time outside of research, teaching, and practice duties is available to the Fellow for coursework.  Each Fellow must track their progress, meet on a regular basis with U-SEEE personnel, take part semi-annual and final performance reviews, and submit final written reporting. 

Leadership, advising, and mentoring

Overall leadership and direction for the program is provided by Dr. Debra Olson, U-SEEE Principal Investigator.  Dr. Olson is responsible for final decisions regarding awards, approval of ILPs, and key meetings with each Fellow (initial, semi-annual, and final).  Other U-SEEE personnel will meet regularly with each Fellow and provide ongoing supervision and tracking of progress.  The Master's or Doctoral Academic Advisor, appointed by the Fellow's department, will work closely with the Fellow and U-SEEE.  The Research Advisor and Practice/Field Experience Advisor are the individuals with whom the Fellow works to complete the research project(s) and practice placements, respectively. Mentoring is key to the U-SEEE Fellows program, as it provides guidance and counsel for Fellows as they build and strengthen their skills.  All Advisors are expected to provide mentoring, and Fellows are encouraged to take full advantage of mentoring opportunities from various sources.

This opportunity is supported in part through a grant from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)/COTPER (Grant Number 1P01TP000301-01), and a total of $20,000 is available for distribution during this call for applications.

Questions?  Contact Andrea Hickle, U-SEEE Coordinator, at ahickle@umn.edu / 612-626-3033.