Fellowship for Promoting Women in Global Health
The LEAD Fellowship, a one-year fellowship designed to advance leadership skills among individuals from low- and middle-income countries, is now accepting applications. Offered by the Harvard Global Health Institute (HGHI) in collaboration with the Department of Global Health and Population at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, the program supports the continued development of leaders in global health.
“The LEAD Fellowship offers a personalized, fully funded alternative, with mentorship and coaching at the center of it all,” says Dr. Bethany-Rose (BR) Daubman, HGHI’s Director of Fellowships. “It’s so much more than a traditional training program. We want to give these emerging leaders a rare and vital resource: the time and space to step back from their demanding daily roles so they can reflect, recalibrate, and explore uncharted territories.”
Program Overview
The 2027–2028 LEAD Fellowship program will consist of a 12-month virtual curriculum with a six-week in-person experience in Spring 2028. Throughout their fellowship year, fellows will engage in one-on-one leadership coaching, mentorship, an executive education course, speaking events, private leadership masterclasses led by Harvard faculty, and networking opportunities.
The LEAD Fellowship is highly customized to each fellow, giving participants the autonomy to build their own leadership development curriculum around their specific interests, goals, and areas for growth. Fellows are connected to world-class faculty and senior mentors who offer instruction and guidance aligned with their individual goals. They also engage in tailored leadership training as a cohort and have opportunities for speaking, networking, and independent project work.
Each year, fellows graduate from the program having built a network of peers and mentors across Harvard University. The fellowship experience specifically aims to offer global health leaders time to reflect, connect, and explore uncharted territories.
“The cohort’s greatest learning came from sharing perspectives,” says Dr. Preethi John, a 2021 fellow and Deputy Director at MBA Health at UCL Global Business School for Health in India. “Truly internalizing those lessons requires time for reflection and discussion with others to gain new insights.”
The 2027–2028 cohort of LEAD Fellows will join a close-knit community of former fellows from around the world. To date, the LEAD Fellowship has welcomed 26 fellows from 21 countries across Africa, Asia, Eastern Europe, and South America. Past fellows’ areas of expertise span research, advocacy, administration, policy, and clinical work.
How is this program different?
Most training programs give everyone the same lessons. This one does not. The LEAD Fellowship is highly personal. You build your own leadership goals based on your work and the areas where you want to grow.
During the year, you will take part in:
- One-on-one leadership coaching
- Personal mentorship
- An executive education course
- Speaking chances
- Private masterclasses led by Harvard faculty
- Networking chances
- Group leadership training with your cohort
- Independent project work
- Time with Harvard faculty and senior mentors
You also build long-term friendships with other leaders. This professional network can stay with you long after the year ends.
What the Fellowship Pays For
This is a fully funded fellowship for the six-week stay in the United States. The fellowship covers:
- International flight costs
- Housing in Cambridge, Massachusetts
- J-1 visa fees
- A living stipend during your stay in the US
This means you can join the Harvard experience without paying for the high costs like travel and housing yourself.
Who Can Apply
- The fellowship welcomes people from many regions and many parts of health work.
- This includes research, clinical care, public health, advocacy, health policy, and administration.
- Applicants of all genders and gender identities are welcome.
- The program is designed to promote leadership skills among professionals from low- and middle-income countries who will in turn mentor future women leaders in global health.
To apply, you must meet these eligibility requirements:
- Education: You need at least a master’s degree in a related field.
- Work experience: You must work full-time in global health. You also need at least 10 years of work experience after finishing your education. Time spent working while you were a student does not count.
- Leadership: You must show strong leadership experience. You must also show that you can grow even more as a leader.
- Employer support: You must have the full support of your employer and a champion in your organization who serves as a reference.
- Time away: You must be able to take leave from your job for the six-week stay in April 2028.
- US visa: You must be able to get a J-1 visa and live in Cambridge for six weeks.
- No recent long fellowship: In the two years before the Harvard fellowship, you must not have joined a full-time fellowship that lasted four months or longer.
- Base: Candidates should be currently based and working in a low- or middle-income country and plan to return there after the fellowship.
Key Dates
- Application deadline: 15 November 2026 at 11:59 PM EST
- Selected fellows notified: Spring 2027.
- Fellowship starts: 1 September 2027.
- In-person stay in Cambridge: April 2028
- Fellowship ends: 31 August 2028.
How to Make Your Application Stronger?
This fellowship is for experienced leaders. So, school grades alone will not be enough. Your application should tell a clear story about your leadership journey.
Try to give real examples of:
- Leadership roles you have held
- Health problems you have helped solve
- Results you can measure
- How you have changed policy or systems or communities
- Leadership challenges you face right now
- Skills you want to build
- How Harvard’s network can help your future work
Also explain why this fellowship fits your goals. The program is personal. A general answer will not work as well as a specific one.
Applicants will be notified in spring 2027 if selected for the fellowship.
The fellowship will run from September 1, 2027, to August 31, 2028.
