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Takemi Program in International Health

The Takemi Program in International Health seeks to improve health and health systems around the world by welcoming mid-career health professionals and scholars to the Harvard T. H. Chan School of Public Health to conduct path breaking research and develop their leadership skills.

Location

665 Huntington Avenue, Bldg. 1, Room 1210
Boston, MA 021151, USA

Apply to the Program

(Applications for the 2025–2026 year closed on Dec 31st, 2024)

Applicants should be mid-career researchers who have completed graduate degrees, published in internationally recognized journals, and demonstrated potential leadership capacity in their home countries. They are expected to show strong promise and appropriate preparation (including facility in English) to enable them to fully benefit from the experience. Further, they are expected to have made, or intend to make, a commitment to a career in health for which participation in the Program will be of significant value. Applications may come from any relevant discipline or profession (e.g., medicine, law, public health, economics, management, and social sciences).

If you are unsure as to whether you meet these requirements, please reach out to the Takemi Program at takemi@hsph.harvard.edu to learn more.

Eligibility requirements

What make a candidate stand out

Academic degree

Have completed a graduate degree

Experience

Have significant work and research experience, including publications in internationally recognized journals

Leadership

Have demonstrated potential leadership capacity in their home countries

Preparation

Strong promise and appropriate preparation (including facility in English)

Application Materials

Everything you should have ready

Your application should include basic information, education, and professional experience

List the title of your research proposal and upload a PDF version. The full proposal should be no more than 5 pages (excluding the title page and references), single spaced, 12 point Times New Roman font. The Proposal must include the following (page length is only a suggestion):

  • Title page
  • Summary of the proposed project, including a brief statement of specific aims and objectives and potential significance of the research (1/2 page)
  • Specific aims (1/2 to 1 page)
  • Background and significance (1/2 to 1 page)
  • Data sources (1/2 to 1 page)
  • Research design and methods (2 pages)
  • References

We would like to know why you are interested in the Takemi Program and learn more about your motivation for pursuing this opportunity. Also share more about:

  • How will the program contribute to your professional life?
  • What do you think you can contribute to the Program?
  • Why do you think you would be successful in the Program?
  • What do you hope to get from the Program?
  • What are your plans after completing the Program?

List of publications and sample of documents published in English

You must provide three references who are willing to submit letters of recommendation on your behalf. Once you complete the form as part of the application, an email will be generated and sent to your references.

We accept TOEFL/IELTS. If you attended a University where English is the language of instruction, you can include a copy of your transcript.

Funding

Please note that the Takemi Program does not provide funding. Should you be accepted into the Program, Fellows are expected to begin their appointments on August 1 for 11 months. We encourage applicants to review the list of funding sources past fellows have found useful here.

While US $36,410 per year (US $3,641 per month) is the funds you must show for your J-1 visa, please note that this is not considered a livable wage in the Boston area. The cost of living is extremely high, and we would encourage you to review the below to get a better sense of living expenses. While this depends on personal choices, we believe this is the best estimate to provide funding for a comfortable year in Boston. It is also important to note that the standard NIH postdoc salary at the school is US $57,000-$67,000.

We do not hold programming in the month of January so many fellows choose to visit home during this time. We begin in-person activities in late August and end in early May. You will have access to your Harvard ID and email until June.

Basic health insurance coverage is required for J-1 visa holders (and you will be asked to provide documentation of adequate coverage should you be selected). If you will have health insurance from home for the duration of the fellowship, you may be asked to confirm that your current health care coverage meets the health care coverage requirements for J visa holders.

* Please note that health insurance and other benefits are not included when Takemi Fellows receive stipends through Harvard for the JPMA-funded Fellowships.

Below are the estimated costs for the 2024–2025 Fellowship year:

Expenses (estimates)Estimated Costs in US Dollars
International travel$ 1,000
Health Insurance$ 10,000
Rent$ 2,000 – $ 3,000 /month
Food costs$ 400 – $600 /month 
Living expenses$ 47,484
Expenses related to research (e.g.: publication fees, conference travel, etc.)$ 10,000 
Living expenses (e.g., transportation, winter gear, living equipment, etc.)$ 10,000
Social events and other personal expenses $ 5,000 – $10,000 
Comprehensive Total Cost estimate for the Takemi Year:$ 77,000
Conservative Total Cost estimate for the Takemi Year: US $60,000