U.S. Policy Communication Training Program 2018/2019

U.S. Policy Communication Training Program 2018/2019

Deadline: February 16, 2018

The Population Reference Bureau (PRB) is now accepting applications for its 2018-2019 U.S. Policy Communication Training Program. The U.S. Policy Communication Training Program builds on PRB’s 40-year legacy of training researchers to bridge the gap between research findings and the policy development process.

While research often has profound practical implications, it must be communicated effectively to a variety of nontechnical audiences to influence policy and programmatic change. The U.S. Policy Communication Training Program prepares researchers to influence policy and practice through effective communication.

Through the U.S. Policy Communication Training Program, participants will:

• Understand the process by which research informs the policy environment.
• Learn various ways to communicate findings to U.S. and international policy audiences.
• Improve their ability to communicate in written and verbal formats.

Core training sessions cover the research to policy gap, communication strategies to link research to policy, writing for policy and nontechnical audiences, and effective content for and delivery of presentations. This program is made possible by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services—National Institutes of Health (NIH) Eunice Kennedy Shriver Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD).

Program Components

The program has two main components:

• Workshop: A week-long workshop in Washington, D.C., in June 2018 focuses on the role of research in the policy process, and on techniques for effective communication of research findings to decisionmakers, media, and nontechnical audiences.
• Practicum: During the 2018-2019 academic year, participants will apply the lessons learned at the Washington, D.C., workshop in their preparation of two policy communication materials (for example, policy briefs, blogs, or op-eds) based on their dissertations or related research topics.

Benefits

• Participant expenses including travel, hotel, food, and related expenses are funded for the workshop.
• Additional funding may be awarded for conference expenses related to work with the fellowship.

Eligibility

• The training is open to U.S. citizens and permanent residents (Green Card holders) pursuing doctoral programs at reputable U.S. academic institutions and who are between their 3rd and 5th year of studies.
• Priority is given to applicants who are current or previous trainees of NICHD-supported population centers in the United States.

Applicants may be in any field of study, but their research focus must be related to demography, reproductive health, or population health.

• Demographic topics include population dynamics, distribution, growth, and decline; migration; fertility, nuptiality, and family demography; mortality and morbidity; or the causes and consequences of demographic change.
• Reproductive health studies of interest are limited to behavioral and social science research.
• Population health areas include human health, productivity, and development at the population level. The populations of concern may be U.S. or non-U.S. populations.

Application

Applications will be accepted and reviewed on a rolling basis. The final deadline for applying is 11:59 PM ET on Feb. 16, 2018. The training program awards will be announced in April 2017.

Applicants must submit the following to PRB:

• A completed application form.
• An up-to-date resume with a full list of educational and other professional activities.
• Two letters of reference sent directly from the person writing the reference.  Letters of reference must be emailed directly to USPolicyTraining@prb.org.

Please complete the online application to apply!

For more information, visit U.S. Policy Communication Training Program.