2019 Call for Applications: Richard J. Jackson Designing Healthy Communities Fellowship

The Richard J. Jackson Designing Healthy Communities Fellowship was established in 2018 to support promising graduate students to conduct projects and fieldwork on the built environment. Three fellows will be chosen in the spring quarter, 2019.

Description

 Throughout his career, Dr. Richard J. Jackson has inspired and revolutionized public health and student's lives, from his time as Director at the Centers for Diseases Control and Prevention to his nine-year tenure at the UCLA Fielding School of Public Health beginning in 2009. His environmental health influence has been wide-ranging: from establishing the California Registries of Birth Defects and Cancer to driving legislation to create the Pesticides Use Reporting (PUR) law, to co-authoring the first public health book to examine the health effects of urban design. 

In honor of Dr. Jackson's outstanding leadership and in recognition of the many environmental health champions to come, we are proud to announce the Richard J. Jackson Designing Healthy Communities Fellowship.

The Department of Environmental Health Sciences (EHS) invites applications from promising UCLA graduate students who need support to further their fieldwork or project-work on the built environment. The research may be conducted in collaboration with a UCLA faculty member, government agency, private sector or community group, so long as the work functions at the intersection of health and the environment. 

The Department will use the criteria below to select fellows. Applications and all supporting documentation are due to Adelin Lo at alo@ph.ucla.edu with the subject line "Full Name]: RJJ DHC application" by Friday, March 15, 2019.

Fellowship Specifications

• Fellowship in the amount of $5,000.
• Three students will receive an award in 2019.

Application Process

• Submit Letter of Intent (LOI) form by Friday, March 1, 2019.
• Complete the application form and send all materials by Friday, March 15, 2019.
•  Submit an essay (single-spaced, 3 pages maximum) that describes the student’s interest, history of environmental health work, the project or area they intend to develop using the Fellowship funding, and answers all questions in the section below.
• Submit a current CV or resume

The student should explicitly address the following information in their application essay:

1. What demonstrated impact have you explored or have you made to a major environmental issue within the built environment
2.  What are your project-specific goals? What potential or significant contributions will your project make to advance environmental health and to influence society and public health? How?
3.  How do you plan to apply your knowledge and work within the built environment after you graduate? Are there specific communities or environments on which you plan to focus

Final Report and Presentation

Each fellow must produce a final project report (single-spaced, 2 pages maximum) due to Adelin Lo at alo@ph.ucla.edu with the subject line “[full name]: RJJ DHC final report” by Monday, October 14, 2019. The fellows may be invited to present their findings during a future EHS/COEH student showcase.

The final report should include:
a) Project summary
b) Research methods
c) Findings
d) Discussion
e) Challenges in meeting project goals
f) Lessons learned and how they will be applied to the student’s future trajectory

Each fellow is encouraged to submit an abstract or poster describing their project to a professional conference. Each year, one fellow will be awarded travel funds to present their findings and experience as a recipient of the Richard J. Jackson Designing Health Communities Fellowship Award in Washington D.C.

Criteria for the Fellowship

• UCLA graduate student pursuing a degree related to environmental health (MPH, MS, MURP, Ph.D.).
• Fellow will be selected based on a holistic assessment of the following: demonstrated interest in and commitment to working on the built environment and health; demonstrated academic achievement; demonstrated likelihood of working in a high-need community; demonstrated likelihood of having an impact on society and public health.
• Students who anticipate graduating within the academic year are eligible to apply. Any continuing students who are applying must remain registered full-time for the entire academic year they are receiving the award.
• Student must be in good academic standing (minimum of 3.0 GPA) and must make satisfactory progress toward their degree.
• Student may be expected to attend and present at scholarship recipient events or funder initiated events within one year after completing the fellowship.