Applying to the Malaria Vaccine Advocacy Fellowship

The PATH Malaria Vaccine Initiative (MVI) is inviting applications for its Malaria Vaccine Advocacy Fellowship, a program meant to ensure that policymakers have the information they need to make early decisions on malaria vaccine use. Supported by the ExxonMobil Foundation’s Africa Health Initiative, the program provides leaders in the field of malaria vaccine research and development (R&D) with the skills necessary to bridge the science and policymaking worlds.

MVI, which works with government, academic, and industry experts to accelerate malaria vaccine development, plans to support six R&D fellows from sub-Saharan Africa in 2008 to develop the skills necessary to engage media and policymakers about the drive for a malaria vaccine and the need to begin preparing now for malaria vaccine use.

The program consists of two parts:

A July 8-10, 2008 workshop in Accra, Ghana: A team of policy and communications professionals will plan and run the workshop. The agenda will include the following:

  • Message development and media training.
  • Conversations with leading journalists.
  • Practice in delivering messages in a variety of formats, including live interviews.
  • Discussions on ways to affect policy in your country.
  • Practice in delivering effective, memorable presentations.
  • Planning for follow-up advocacy efforts.

A six-month follow-up plan: This part of the program is designed to put the knowledge and tools acquired during the workshop to immediate use. Each fellow will develop at least one achievable advocacy goal and a realistic work plan for achieving that goal, notwithstanding a busy schedule.

Sample advocacy goals:

  • Goal: To educate the local ministry of health and other stakeholders about the need to start planning for a malaria vaccine.
  • Goal: To communicate malaria vaccine development progress to the national media and policymakers.

Sample activities:

  • Regular updates on vaccine development to health ministry officials.
  • Meetings with key stakeholders to provide information on the global state of malaria vaccine development and the need to prepare for the first vaccine.
  • Timely opinion pieces to be published in a national newspaper.
  • Fellowships or lectureships on malaria vaccine R&D.
  • Regular media and policymaker dialogues.
  • Participation in at least one policy event in the United States or Europe on the drive for a malaria vaccine at the invitation of MVI.

The deadline for applications is March 28, 2008.

The fellowship covers round-trip travel to the workshop, hotel accommodation, training during the workshop, follow-up support to carry out the six-month plan, and meals (excluding dinner on the last two nights).

Eligibility:

  • Demonstrated leadership in the field of malaria vaccine R&D.
  • Expertise in the malaria vaccine field.
  • Willingness to advocate for malaria vaccine R&D support among key policymakers in the industrialized or developing world.
  • Interest in developing as an advocate for the field.
  • Willingness to devote a maximum of four hours (if selected) to engage in pre-workshop activities (teleconference, completion of goal worksheet, etc.).
  • Willingness to continue advocacy activities independently or with other fellows.

(Fellows would always be expected to speak on behalf of their own organization, not PATH or the PATH Malaria Vaccine Initiative.)

Download the the Malaria Vaccine Advocacy Fellowship application in Word or PDF form.

About PATH and the PATH Malaria Vaccine Initiative

PATH is an international, non-profit organization that creates sustainable, culturally relevant solutions enabling communities worldwide to break longstanding cycles of poor health. For more information, please visit www.path.org. The PATH Malaria Vaccine Initiative (MVI) is a global program established through an initial grant of $50 million from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, which has since invested an additional $207.6 million in the program. This funding is a crucial part of the support needed. MVI's mission is to accelerate the development of promising malaria vaccines and ensure their availability and accessibility in the developing world. For information, visit www.malariavaccine.org.