Mentorship
Learn with digital communicators who understand audience, format, platform, production, and sustainable creative practice.
Turn public health expertise into public understanding.
A six-month fellowship for health experts, researchers, clinicians, policy leaders, and evidence-based communicators ready to build a stronger public-facing digital presence.
Work alongside established digital communicators to create accurate, engaging content designed for how people find, understand, and act on health information today.
Why this fellowship, now
Credible health information has to compete in a media environment that was not built for nuance.
Health questions are increasingly answered in feeds, podcasts, newsletters, search results, and online communities, often before people ever speak with a trusted expert.
The challenge is not simply producing more information. It is translating evidence into formats that are accurate, accessible, useful, and built for the realities of today’s media landscape.
The program
Build the strategy, skills, and publishing practice to reach people beyond your field.
The fellowship pairs health and public health experts with established digital communicators. Fellows work in interdisciplinary teams to create and publish digital-first communication that builds trust, increases understanding, and makes evidence more useful in everyday decision-making.
Strategy
Develop a clear public-facing voice, audience strategy, platform focus, and repeatable approach to content.
Creation
Produce and publish throughout the fellowship rather than ending with a plan that never reaches the public.
Collaboration
Work across disciplines in teams of approximately four to seven fellows and mentors.
Learning
Use audience response, feedback, and measurement to understand what works and refine your approach.
Contribution
Help shape a practical health communication playbook for today’s information ecosystem.
What fellows should leave with
A strong public voice and the skills to use it.
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A clearer public-facing voice and digital strategy.
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A repeatable content development and publishing system.
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Experience creating content in various formats and analyzing audience insights.
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Stronger cross-disciplinary relationships and collaborators.
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Practical lessons on effective communication to scale beyond the fellowship.
Who should apply
Experts who have something important to say and are ready to build in public.
The fellowship is designed for public health scientists, clinicians, researchers, academics, epidemiologists, policy experts, nutrition scientists, behavioral health experts, and evidence-based health or public health journalists.
Follower guidance
An audience of 5,000 or more on an existing social platform is preferred, but it is not a hard requirement. Applicants with smaller audiences may be competitive when they can show strong public-facing work, meaningful earned reach, or a distinctive communication proposal.
Ideal applicants
- Are based in the United States or Canada and can participate in an English-language fellowship.
- Hold an MD, PhD, DrPH, MPH, RDN, equivalent credential, or substantial relevant professional experience.
- Are actively engaged in research, clinical care, public health practice, academia, policy, journalism, or community health communication.
- Can demonstrate an existing body of public-facing work for non-specialist audiences.
- Want to translate complex, uncertain, or contested health topics into accurate and compelling stories.
- Are ready to collaborate with digital-native communicators and experiment with new formats.
- Can commit to creating and publishing work throughout the fellowship.
Commitment and support
A meaningful commitment, with meaningful support.
Plan for approximately 4–6 hours per week.
- Attend the mandatory in-person convening in Boston from November 19-21, 2026. Travel costs and approved reimbursements will be handled through the fellowship process.
- Create and publish digital content across one or more online platforms throughout the fellowship.
- Participate in virtual orientation on October 22, 2026, and five mandatory virtual classes between January 1 and April 1, 2027. Class dates are still being finalized.
- Submit interim updates and a final report on outcomes, lessons, and key insights learned during the fellowship.
- Participate in the April 22, 2027 culmination and April 2027 graduation, certification, and exit activities.
$7,000
Paid in two $3,500 installments, pending completion of required participation milestones.
Payment #1 is scheduled for late December 2026 following the launch and in-person convening milestone. Payment #2 is scheduled for late May 2027 after culmination, pending completion of participation requirements and final deliverables.
Travel support
The fellowship will coordinate travel costs and approved reimbursements associated with the mandatory Boston convening. Final travel instructions will be provided to selected fellows.
Application requirements
Show us how you think, what you care about, and how you communicate.
All applicants will submit the following materials through the application portal.
Digital or professional portfolio
Share several links to public-facing work: social channels, podcasts, newsletters, op-eds, interviews, media appearances, public talks, community education, video explainers, or other work for non-specialist audiences.
Formal academic papers are not the focus. We want to see how you communicate ideas publicly and accessibly.
Personal statement
750–1,000 words or video. Explain what draws you to the fellowship, the communication challenge you want to address, the audience you hope to reach, and what you hope to contribute and gain.
Mini public health communication strategy
300–500 words or video. Propose a collaboration, topic, format, or audience strategy you would like to explore. We are looking for originality, feasibility, public health importance, and the potential to reach a meaningful audience.
Letter of support
Where applicable, submit a signed letter from your institution, employer, or professional sponsor confirming that participation is compatible with your role and that you can commit approximately 4-6 hours per week. If you are self-employed, specify that in the application.
One submission must be on video.
Either your personal statement or mini strategy must be a simple, straight-to-camera video. We are interested in your thinking and your ability to communicate naturally, not editing, lighting, graphics, or production polish. Maximum length: 2 minutes.
How applications are evaluated
Winning applications make a persuasive case, not a perfect one.
Strong applications show that the applicant has something important to say, a real audience to serve, and the readiness to experiment and build with others.
Clarity of purpose
Motivation and alignment with the fellowship’s goals.
Potential for impact
Ability to reach audiences, fill information voids, and build trust.
Public health relevance
Clear stakes for health, equity, prevention, policy, or public understanding.
Creativity
Willingness to test formats, platforms, and story structures.
Platform readiness
Either strong content creation skills or domain expertise that can translate into content with the right collaborator.
Scientific integrity
Accuracy, nuance, accessible language, and responsible handling of uncertainty.
Program timeline
Key dates
Applicants should confirm that they can attend the Boston convening and scheduled virtual sessions before applying.
- Applications open
- Applications close
- Application review
- Fellowship acceptances confirmed
- Virtual orientation
- Mandatory onsite convening in Boston
- Five mandatory virtual classes. Exact dates to be determined.
- Culmination
*These dates are subject to change.
Frequently asked questions
Before you apply
Review the most common eligibility, portfolio, video, travel, and time-commitment questions.
Do I need to be a physician or hold a doctorate?
No. Applicants may hold an MD, PhD, DrPH, MPH, RDN, or equivalent credential, but substantial relevant experience in research, clinical work, public health, policy, journalism, or community health communication may also qualify.
Do I need at least 5,000 followers?
No. An audience of 5,000 or more is preferred, but applicants with smaller audiences may be competitive when they can show strong public-facing work, meaningful earned reach, or a compelling communication proposal.
What counts as a public-facing portfolio?
Examples include social channels, videos, podcasts, newsletters, explainers, op-eds, interviews, media appearances, public talks, community education, or other work created for non-specialist audiences.
Is a video required?
Yes. Either your personal statement or your mini public health communication strategy must be submitted as a simple, straight-to-camera video.
Does the video need to be professionally produced?
No. We are interested in your thinking and your ability to communicate naturally, not editing, lighting, graphics, or production polish.
How much time should I expect to commit?
Plan for approximately 4–6 hours per week for content development, publishing, collaboration, review, training, and iteration.
Is the Boston convening mandatory?
Yes. Selected fellows must attend the mandatory onsite convening in Boston from November 19-21, 2026. Travel costs and approved reimbursements will be handled through the fellowship process.
Is the rest of the program virtual?
Most fellowship programming will take place virtually. Virtual orientation is scheduled for October 22, 2026, followed by five mandatory virtual classes between January 1 and April 1, 2027. Exact class dates are still being finalized.
When will applicants hear back?
Fellowship acceptances are scheduled to be confirmed on October 2, 2026.
Applications close September 18, 2026
Bring your expertise into the public conversation.
Start your application
For any questions not answered in the FAQ or full application PDF above, please contact us here.
Email your questionPlease note: due to the volume of questions, we may not respond if your question is already answered in the written materials above.