The NPGH LEADERs LAUNCH Fellowship Program 2027–2028 is a 12-month clinical research training programme for post-doctorate trainees and doctoral students in the health professions. The programme is sponsored by the National Institutes of Health’s Fogarty International Center in partnership with several NIH Institutes and Offices. Applications are due September 15, 2026, by 5pm Pacific Daylight Time.
Programme Snapshot
Programme: NPGH LEADERs LAUNCH Fellowship Program
Category: Global Health Research Fellowship
Sponsor: National Institutes of Health’s Fogarty International Center
Consortium: Northern Pacific Global Health LEADERs Research Training Consortium
Duration: 12 months
Fellowship Start: July 2027
Application Deadline: September 15, 2026, by 5pm Pacific Daylight Time
Eligible Citizens/Permanent Residents: United States, Cameroon, Ghana, India, Kenya, Nepal, Peru, Thailand, and Uganda
About the NPGH LEADERs LAUNCH Fellowship Program
The NPGH LEADERs LAUNCH Fellowship Program supports clinical research training for post-doctorate trainees and doctoral students in the health professions. The fellowship is connected to the Northern Pacific Global Health LEADERs Research Training Consortium.
The consortium includes the Universities of Washington, Indiana, Michigan, and Minnesota, with international partnerships in Kenya, Cameroon, Uganda, Ghana, Peru, Thailand, Nepal, and India.
Awards for the 2027–2028 programme year are contingent on funding of the Fogarty LAUNCH fellowship program and the NPGH LEADERs consortium.
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Programme Purpose and Training Structure
The fellowship provides 12 months of clinical research training. Each trainee is paired with a team of mentors, both domestically and abroad.
Mentors provide disease-specific knowledge, epidemiological support, and career guidance during the fellowship and after completion of the programme. Trainees also complete a 12-month core competency curriculum designed for the programme.
The curriculum prepares trainees to become successful grant writers, mentors, and leaders in global health.
Research Themes
The programme supports research and training across a wide range of global health themes.
Confirmed research themes include:
• Infectious diseases, including HIV, malaria, tuberculosis, herpesviruses, HPV, and HTLV
• Cancer
• Pulmonary and cardiovascular disease
• Child development and mental health
• Women’s health
• Genetics and nutrition
• Environmental health themes, including built environment, tobacco use, lead toxicity, and slum upgrading
• Trauma
• Policy
• Nursing
• Oral health
• Engineering
• Implementation science
The application page also lists special interest in projects related to HIV/AIDS, neurology and nervous system disorders, cardiovascular, lung and blood disease disorders, cancer, diabetes, women’s health, child health and human development, mental health, environmental health, behavioral and social sciences research, data science, disease prevention, biomedical imaging and bioengineering, dental and oral health, drug use and addiction, eye conditions, nursing research, and aging research.
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Fellowship and Support
NPGH LEADERs Fellowships provide financial and training support for the fellowship period.
Confirmed support includes:
✓ Living stipend for 12 months
✓ Modest research training costs
✓ Travel costs to and from the international collaborating country
✓ Orientation at NIH in July
✓ US Fellow living stipend of USD $67,824
✓ US Scholar living stipend of USD $28,224
✓ International Fellow living stipend based on local cost of living
✓ Fellow research funds of USD $10,000
✓ Scholar research funds of USD $7,500
✓ Health insurance for US trainees
✓ Travel to and from site for US trainees
✓ Travel to and from the United States for international trainees participating in the US short-term training period
✓ Attendance and travel costs for the NIH Orientation in Bethesda, MD
Funding for research studies is limited to $7,500 for U.S. predoctoral trainees and $10,000 for U.S. and LMIC postdoctoral trainees.
Who Can Apply?
Applicants must meet the programme’s general requirements and category-specific requirements.
All applicants must:
• Have a mentor at a U.S. institution within the consortium who has reviewed and endorsed the application.
• Have a mentor at one of the approved international partner sites who has reviewed and endorsed the application.
• Propose a research project at one approved international partner site.
• Be available to dedicate 40 hours per week to research for 12 months at the approved international fellowship site.
• Be available to begin the fellowship in July 2027.
• Be available to spend 12 months at the fellowship site with limited travel away from the site.
• Apply to only one Fogarty LAUNCH consortium at a time.
• Be a citizen or permanent resident of the United States, Cameroon, Ghana, India, Kenya, Nepal, Peru, Thailand, or Uganda.
Outside clinical duties are not allowed during the 12-month research period.
Eligibility for U.S. Citizens and Permanent Residents
U.S. citizens and permanent residents may apply as postdoctoral or predoctoral trainees, depending on their academic status.
Postdoctoral applicants are eligible if they:
• Have completed a doctoral or terminal degree, or equivalent, in the last six years.
• Have completed a doctoral or terminal degree and are currently in or have recently completed a postdoctoral fellowship, medical residency, or advanced degree.
• Will have received a doctoral or terminal degree, or equivalent, by July 2027.
Predoctoral applicants are eligible if they:
• Are currently enrolled in a doctoral or terminal degree programme.
• Have completed at least one year of studies.
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Eligibility for LMIC Citizens and Permanent Residents
LMIC citizens and permanent residents may apply as postdoctoral trainees if they meet the listed criteria.
Postdoctoral applicants are eligible if they:
• Have completed a doctoral or terminal degree, or equivalent, in the last six years.
• Have completed a doctoral or terminal degree and are currently in or have recently completed a postdoctoral fellowship or advanced degree.
• Will have received a doctoral or terminal degree, or equivalent, by July 2027.
• Are a citizen or permanent resident of one of the nine collaborating countries.
• Are affiliated with an approved partner institution.
LMIC trainees must also be available to spend one to three months of their fellowship at their primary U.S. mentor’s consortium university for short-term training.
Approved International Fellowship Sites
Research must be conducted at one of the approved international fellowship sites.
Current approved international sites are listed in:
• Cameroon
• Ghana
• India
• Kenya
• Nepal
• Peru
• Thailand
• Uganda
The official page lists partner institutions for each approved country. Applicants should review the site list before choosing a research site and mentors.
Application Process
Applicants should follow the official application steps before submitting.
The process includes:
• Choose a research site from the approved site list.
• Choose a research area from the listed research priorities or propose another area based on training and interests.
• Choose mentors.
• Secure at least one U.S. mentor at a consortium institution.
• Secure one research site mentor at an approved international partner site.
• Prepare the application.
• Have the proposed U.S. and research site mentors review the application.
• Submit a tentative budget for the study.
• Submit two required letters of recommendation by September 15.
Applicants who need help identifying required mentors should contact programme staff at least four to six weeks before the application due date.
Required Application Materials
Applications can only be submitted online.
A complete application includes the online application form and letters of recommendation. Two letters are required, and a third letter is optional.
The online application form requires:
• Unofficial transcripts for predoctoral applicants only
• Research proposal
• Tentative study budget
• Personal statements
• Mentoring plan
• Certified NIH Biosketch Common Form from the applicant
• Certified NIH Biosketch Common Form from each primary mentor
• Personal background information
• Letters of recommendation
One recommendation letter should come from the primary research site mentor. The other should come from the primary U.S. mentor at a consortium university.
Selection Timeline
Applications will be reviewed between September and November. Interviews will be conducted from late September to mid-October 2026.
Applicants will be updated on the status of their applications by February 2027. Fellowships begin July 1.
Application Deadline
Applications are due September 15, 2026, by 5pm Pacific Daylight Time.
Letters of recommendation should be uploaded to the application or emailed to the programme by September 15.
Apply Here
Submit your application through the official application link below.
