The Population Reference Bureau (PRB) is now accepting applications for its 2008–2009 Fellows Program in Population Policy Communications. The Program is funded by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID). It is open to individuals from developing countries that are doctoral-level students between their 3rd and 5th year of studies, currently enrolled in academic institutions in the United States or Canada. Developing-country applicants may be in any field of study but their area of interest must be in family planning and/or reproductive health (FP/RH), including contraceptive use/behavior, population growth, adolescent reproductive health, poverty and health equity, and gender issues.

The goals of the Fellows Program in Population Policy Communications are:

• to understand the process by which research informs the policy environment; and
• to learn various ways to communicate findings to policy audiences. 

The Fellows Program, initiated in the 1980s, has over 260 alumni. The Program aims to bridge the gap between research findings and the policy development process. While research often has profound policy implications, it must be communicated effectively to a variety of non-technical audiences in order to have an impact.

Program Information

The program has three parts:

Washington Workshop: Participants will attend a two-week workshop at PRB in Washington, D.C., scheduled for June 16 to 27, 2008. During the workshop the participants interact with PRB staff and outside experts active in policy research and communications. This workshop focuses on the role of research in the policy process and on techniques for effective communication of research findings to decisionmakers. During the workshop, participants are asked to work with their own research data to identify the policy relevance of their findings; Fellows learn how to draw implications of those findings and how to communicate them effectively to policy audiences.

Research Project: During the 2008–2009 academic year, Fellows apply the lessons learned at the Washington workshop to prepare written and oral presentations for policy audiences, based on their dissertations or related research topics. On the basis of their own research (usually but not exclusively dissertation research), the Fellows prepare a 4 to 6 page policy brief and a 12-minute policy presentation for the PAA workshop.

PAA Workshop: The Fellows will formally present their research findings at a workshop held prior to the 2009 Population Association of America (PAA) Annual Meeting. During the workshop, Fellows make 12-minute policy presentations to the other Fellows and to PRB and guest discussants. The workshop offers an opportunity to use skills learned at the seminar, as well as to obtain feedback on the briefs and presentations.

PRB covers travel, lodging, and per diem expenses for each Fellow to attend the Washington workshop and the PAA. PRB pays for the PAA registration for each Fellow and awards stipends of $2,000 to cover Fellows’ research expenses.

Who Should Apply

The participants selected will be from developing countries that are supported by USAID*.

Application Information

The deadline for applying has passed. The fellowship awards will be announced in late March 2008.

* To find out if your country is supported by USAID, please check the following Internet page: http://www.usaid.gov. Scroll down to see a complete list and to find out whether your country is listed.

Feedback From Former Policy Fellows

"The Policy Fellows program has provided me with skills to effectively translate and communicate research findings."

"Learning about tailoring your research to a policy audience was a good experience. It is not something we learn about in the university."

"This workshop was very well-organized, and sessions very well-planned."