Pacific Public Health Fellowship Program

REGIONAL INITIATIVES

Pacific Public Health Fellowship Program

The Pacific Public Health Fellowship Program (PPHFP) is a two-year educational program that provides promising career-minded individuals with robust and practical hands-on learning and training in a variety of public health career pathways. The program offers a wide array of opportunities to learn from and work directly with highly experienced and seasoned frontline public health professionals in a health department/ministry/agency setting and aims to provide meaningful experiences and development of skills and competencies that will ensure a successful future career in public health.

The program is specifically designed to prepare new college graduates and early career professionals to meet emerging and future public health challenges in the Pacific, and to expose individuals to innovations in public health practice and health advocacy, leadership, and policy.

The PPHFP is a collaborative effort between the U.S. Affiliated Pacific Islands’ (USAPIs) departments/ministries of health, the Pacific Island Health Officers’ Association (PIHOA), and the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). The USAPIs include the U.S. Pacific Island Territories of Guam, the Commonwealth of the Northern Marianas (CNMI), and American Samoa; and the U.S. Freely-Associated States (FAS) of the Federated States of Micronesia (FSM), Republic of the Marshall Islands (RMI), and the Republic of Palau.

“The opportunity to work on the front line alongside very knowledgeable staff and supervisors has solidified my interest in public health and disease prevention.”

Ms. LaDonna Engichy

2020 Pacific Public Health Fellow, Guam Department of Public Health and Social Services, STD/HIV/Viral Hepatitis Program

“This fellowship has helped me understand the local healthcare system and network with others to create long-term solutions on behalf of the entire CNMI community.”

Ms. Gizelle Kwon

2020 Pacific Public Health Fellow, Tinian Health Center, CNMI Non-Communicable Disease Bureau

Why Become a Fellow?

Successful Pacific Public Health Fellows will:

Apply foundational knowledge acquired in the classroom to communities in need.
Witness the critical work being done in multiple disciplines by public health professionals.
Acquire skills and knowledge to enhance public health careers.
Network with experienced public health experts in the field.
Gain exposure to internationally renowned global health leadership and agencies such as the U.S. CDC, World Health Organization (WHO), the Pacific Community (SPC), and others.
Receive support for further professional training.
Enhance professional credentials with proven experience.

Training Core Competencies and Curriculum

At the commencement of the fellowship, the Fellow and Host Site Supervisor will work together to develop a work plan outlining the fellowship training goals, objectives, key tasks, and anticipated deliverables. In addition to participating in and completing the program’s core competency training and development courses, the work plan will further define each Fellow’s unique learning and competency development goals throughout his/her two-year fellowship. The fellowship learning and training domains will include but are not limited to: Analytics and Assessment; Public Health Science; Program Planning, Management, and Improvement; Public Health Policy and Law; Professionalism; Communication; Cultural Competency; Community Dimensions of Public Health; and Financial Planning and Management.

Eligibility

Potential candidates should have a strong interest in pursuing a career in public health, ideally in the Pacific region. A bachelor’s degree is required (major in a health related field such as [but not limited to] public health, nursing, allied health, microbiology, environmental science, entomology, or public policy is preferred). We are seeing candidates who have recently graduated or are in the early years of their careers (working in the field of public health or other health related field). Potential candidates must be citizens of the U.S. or FAS, either from or residing in USAPIs.

Fellowship Stipend

Fellowship stipends are provided as a subsistence allowance to help individuals defray living expenses for the duration of their two-year fellowships. Fellowship stipends are not designed to be a source of income and do not constitute an offer of employment. Other benefits are not covered. Fellows should plan for other mechanisms of financial support as needed. First-year Fellows may be eligible for limited relocation expenses paid by PIHOA to be assessed on a case-by-case basis and availability of funds.

How are Fellows Selected?

Candidates for the fellowship program will be evaluated and selected based on several criteria:

Must meet the minimum qualifications;
Candidate interview;
Applicant’s personal statement;
Academic performance; and
Letters of recommendation.

The selection and placement of Fellows in the host sites will be based on a panel recommendation.

Host Site Supervisor Testimonials

“We have benefited tremendously from the fellowship program, both in terms of building the region’s cadre of public health professionals and increasing our capacity to fill gaps in areas of need.”

Mr. Vince Aquon

Guam Host Site Supervisor - Pacific Public Health Fellowship Program, Guam Department of Public Health and Social Services

“As a supervisor, I have been delighted with the experience that both we and the Fellow have gained. Gathering and analyzing data that will be used to develop evidence-based policy, systems, and interventions for the island of Tinian is a considerable achievement.”

Ms. Amber Lynn Mendiola

Host Site Supervisor - Pacific Public Health Fellowship Program, CNMI Commonwealth Healthcare Corporation, Non-Communicable Disease Bureau

Application

Applications are accepted on a rolling basis for annual placements to be made in the Fall of each year. Applications must be submitted no later than October 8, 2021, to be considered for this year’s cohort.

Apply Here

Application

To be considered, interested candidates should complete the application with the following information:

Degree attained or expected graduation date.
Resume/Curriculum Vitae.
University or college transcript (either official or unofficial). If you are selected for a fellowship position, you will be required to provide an official transcript.
Minimum of two letters of recommendation, including contact information for the reference.