Fellowship FAQ Details!

[Catherine Folowoshele Program Coordinator]

Hello,

Many people often have questions about the timing of the fellowship,
when to apply, orientation in January, etc. So I will try to answer
them in more detail below:

Applicants are to apply during the application cycle of their 2nd or
3rd year to then actually begin the fellowship the next year (in their
3rd or 4th year).

The fellowship is technically a year long (applications go out in
January of a particular year and the fellowship runs from July 1st of
that same year to June 30th of the next year), but you are only in the
field/away from school for 6–12 weeks and at CDC in Atlanta for 4 days
during the 3rd week of January in the middle of the fellowship year
for the mandatory orientation (further detailed below). Although you
are still at your respective school for the rest of the fellowship
year, there are written assignments (~4-5), phone/email meetings with
supervisors (included in the 4-5), modules and online courses for
completion (2), and assigned readings (number dependent on supervisor)
that are due throughout the fellowship year. Further, upon finishing
your field experience, there is a final report and evaluation report
due 1 month after your return to the states. A mid-point report is due
while in the field. The time commitment when not in the field is not
extreme – so you’ll certainly be able to still focus on your studies.

_When_ you go out in the field is entirely dependent on your project
and conversations with your supervisor. Most fellows go out during the
late winter/early spring as that is how timing usually works out
(supervisor’s availability and fellow’s ability to take time off from
school) but there are usually some available in the summer/fall
although most fellows are interviewing during those times and unable
to match with those projects. Due to a lot of logistical issues with
fellows being notified of acceptance and trying to go abroad less than
2 months later, we are implementing a new rule having field
assignments begin no earlier than September 1st of the fellowship year
to allow for proper planning, vaccinations, etc. The available time
spans are listed with the projects – so when choosing your top choices
during the application process, consult your schedule and choose
accordingly. Negotiations with supervisors can change the field time
by a couple days to a couple weeks at most; but a fall assignment will
never wait until February to leave or vice versa (for example).

Yes orientation is in the middle of the fellowship year. Due to
medical school interviews and timelines of availability, we hold
orientation in January of the fellowship year, although technically
someone could go out before orientation. Most fellows, however, do not
go out on their field assignment until the late winter or early spring
of the fellowship year. In the last 3 years, we’ve only had 4 of 30
fellows complete their project before orientation. One student that
had orientation after her field experience mentioned still finding
orientation valuable because she learned helpful tools/skills she
could use in her future career (biostats, epi study design,
surveillance, etc.), she was able to come to the CDC and meet with
some big name/influential people, and most importantly she was able to
meet her Hubert classmates face to face. Many of the fellows build
lasting relationships during orientation.

I hope all that helps! Let me know if you have follow-up questions.
Catherine Folowoshele, MPH
Program Coordinator, CDC-Hubert Global Health Fellowship