Post-Bachelor Fellowship (PBF)
Institute for Health Metrics & Evaluation (IHME)
University of Washington

Through the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation (IHME) at the University of Washington, PBFs complete a two- or three-year research fellowship during which they are trained in many types of methods and analytics used for global health research. Fellows have the unique opportunity to work on a variety of research projects at IHME, including the Global Burden of Disease (GBD) study, which has been heralded as the "single largest and most detailed scientific effort ever conducted to quantify levels and trends of health worldwide." Because of their critical contributions to the research at IHME, PBFs typically end up with at least few scientific papers from prestigious health journals (e.g., the Lancet, JAMA, PLOS Medicine) during the course of their fellowship.

Further, PBFs have the option of applying for a fully-funded Master's in Public Health (MPH) through the University of Washington, which PBFs complete alongside their research activities over three years. During the summer of their second years, PBFs work abroad with in-country partners or collaborating organizations; in the past, fieldwork has taken place in Bangladesh, Botswana, Indonesia, the Philippines, Sri Lanka, Uganda, and Zambia. The program offers competitive pay ($40,000 for the first year, with annual raises), as well as waived tuition for coursework at the University of Washington (up to six credits per quarter).

The PBF program has served as excellent stepping stone for continued studies in global health, public health, and development (through PhD programs or MA programs for public policy), as well as medical school (PBF alums have ended up at many top medical schools, including Harvard, UCSF, Dartmouth, Columbia, and Stanford). Other alums have pursued doctorates in statistics, applied mathematics, and economics. Many PBF alumni also end up working for a range of health and development organizations abroad and domestically after completing the fellowship.

Previous experience in global health or public is not required; in fact, IHME purposely recruits PBFs from a range of disciplines, especially those with a quantitative focus. PBF majors in college have included biology, biostatistics, chemistry, computer science, economics, geography, international relations, mathematics, physics, psychology, and sociology.

Apply online at: IHME Post-Bachelor Fellowship.