Wes Wislar
By Nicole Racovites onFOCUSWes' research focuses on mental health disparities of gender-expansive people (transgender, genderqueer, non-binary, agender, two-spirit, intersex, etc.).…
Opal Gay
By Nicole Racovites onFOCUSOpal is a public sociologist and organizer in Atlanta, Georgia. Their work seeks to promote holistic community-centered solutions, which…
Sarah Peralta
By Nicole Racovites onFOCUSSarah's research interests are on issues related to grief and bereavement in the United States juvenile and criminal justice…
Sarah El-Azab
By Nicole Racovites onFOCUSSarah's goal is to ensure that the data used to inform and develop health policy represents the lived experiences…
Santino Giovanni Camacho
By Nicole Racovites onFOCUSQueer and Transgender Pacific Islanders (QTPI) have historically been in the margins of Pacific Islander communities and have endured…
Pyar Seth
By Nicole Racovites onFOCUSPyar studies Black sociopolitical life and death, policing and medicalization, subject formation, and the epistemic organization of health, disease,…
Nayla Bezares
By Nicole Racovites onFOCUSFood systems affect multiple elements of society, influencing well-being from health, economic and environmental perspectives. In Puerto Rico, recent…
Natasha M. Lee-Johnson
By Nicole Racovites onFOCUSLittle is known about Black women with intellectual disabilities and their experiences with sexual and reproductive healthcare. However, it…
Motunrayo Tosin-Oni
By Nicole Racovites onFOCUSMotunrayo's research interests lie at the intersection of health equity and community-driven policies. In her work, she explores the…
Mao S. Lee
By Nicole Racovites onFOCUSEnglish learner (EL) students are often viewed as having a learning disability. Equating multilingualism with cognitive impairment costs EL…
Mary Phan
By Nicole Racovites onFOCUSHow can we introduce evidence-based interventions to improve underserved youth's mental health that are sustainable and cost-effective? Using a…
Lauren Prox
By Nicole Racovites onFOCUSDo we have a say when it comes to the air we breathe? Well, that depends on who you…
Lastascia Coleman
By Nicole Racovites onFOCUSLastascia's research interests include investigating the intersection of Medicaid policy and maternal racial and geographic health disparities. She will…
Kobie X. Price
By Nicole Racovites onFOCUSKobie's current research interests involve the study of historic and contemporary processes of urban change. His work seeks to…
Khadijah Ameen
By Nicole Racovites onFOCUSKhadijah's doctoral research is on place-based, community-led interventions to address Black health inequities in the United States. As a…
Keiwana Glover
By Nicole Racovites onFOCUSStarting her doctoral program during a pandemic was challenging, but surprisingly not the most difficult experience of Keiwana’s first…
Katherine A. Pérez-Quiñones
By Nicole Racovites onFOCUSHow do people exercise their agency to have better and healthier communities, whether these communities are big or small?…
James Green
By Nicole Racovites onFOCUSJames is conducting research to empower queer and trans youth of color in their experiences with mental illness and…
Ginny Emiko Oshiro
By Nicole Racovites onFOCUSAs a formerly incarcerated scholar, Ginny has learned that her lived experience is connected to larger communities and societal…
Gabriel Lorenzo Aguilar
By Nicole Racovites onFOCUSHumanitarian organizations have problems in their distribution of aid that need critical attention from researchers and practitioners interested in…
The Program at a Glance
Who is Health Policy Research Scholars for?
Doctoral students from a variety of disciplines—such as urban planning, political science, economics, anthropology, education, social work, geography, and sociology—who are committed to using policy change to advance population health and health equity.
Applicants must be:
- Full-time doctoral students who are starting the second year of their programs in fall 2023 and do not expect to graduate before spring/summer 2026.
- From historically marginalized backgrounds and/or populations underrepresented in specific doctoral disciplines.
- Pursuing a research-focused discipline that can advance a Culture of Health.
- Interested in health policy and interdisciplinary approaches.
What do scholars receive?
- Annual award funding of up to $30,000 for up to four years or until they complete their doctoral program (whichever is sooner).
- Mentoring and training in health policy and leadership.
- Professional ties to public health and policy leaders and innovators from diverse fields.
- Opportunity to compete for an additional dissertationgrant of up to $10,000.
- Membership in a network of scholars and alumni for research and advocacy collaborations.
