The Humanitarian Assistance Scholarship Fund

Humanitarian Assistance Scholarships are designed to support leaders who are committed to improving humanitarian response and health for refugees and displaced persons.

Overview
The Humanitarian Assistance Scholarship will provide travel and research support to promising MPH, MHS and doctoral candidates enrolled full time in programs at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.  Eligible students include those enrolled in the following departments or programs at the School:

MHS, PhD, or DrPH—Department of International Health and/or Certificate in Humanitarian Assistance (in progress or completed by application date; majority of coursework completed before funding is awarded)

MPH Program—Health and Human Rights Concentration and/or Certificate in Humanitarian Assistance (in progress or completed by application date; majority of coursework completed before funding is awarded)

The Scholarships
Humanitarian Assistance Scholarships seek to support and expand the field experiences of current Johns Hopkins School of Public Health Students who have a demonstrated interest in humanitarian assistance and displaced populations.  Priority will be given to those students with past work experience in the field (MPH awards) and those looking to gain entry or additional experience in the field via internships and research activities (MHS and Doctoral Awards).

MHS and Doctoral Awards—support MHS internships or doctoral research abroad that is conducted in collaboration with relief organizations in the context of humanitarian emergencies or the post-emergency recovery and reconstruction period, or with displaced populations.  One or more awards of $1500-2000 per year based on performance in course work related to humanitarian assistance, description of proposed internship and/or research plan, and recommendations.

MPH Awards—awards for outstanding MPH students with prior experience working with non-government organizations in the context of humanitarian emergencies or with refugees or internally displaced populations.  One $500 award per year based primarily on the MPH capstone project, but also performance in course work related to humanitarian assistance.

How to Apply
MHS and Doctoral Awards— Interested applicants must apply directly to the Center for Refugee and Disaster Response by Friday February 29, 2008 (deadline extended!).  Application components include the following:

I. COVER PAGE (1 page)
~Title of the proposal
~Contact information for the student:
         Name, Degree Program, Department
         Full mailing address, Email, Phone and Fax
~If the proposal is to support doctoral dissertation research, include contact information for your faculty advisor.

II. CONCEPT PAPER (Maximum 3 pages, 12pt font single spaced)
This section should clearly state how the proposed project would contribute to improving the provision of humanitarian assistance to displaced populations, or the understanding of issues in related fields including refugees, IDPs, natural disasters, or conflict.  Include the following sub-sections:

~Introduction

~Specific aims of the research project or field experience

~Research methods or field experience activities

~Clearly stated expected outcomes

~Significance of the proposed project, including: a discussion of your personal motivation for selecting the project and the experience will contribute to your career development, and how the project will contribute to achieving improvements in provision of humanitarian assistance, quality of life among displaced populations, or the understanding of natural disasters or conflict-affected settings.

III. LETTER OF FACULTY SUPPORT
All students must include a letter of support from a faculty member.  This may be the student’s academic advisor or the faculty member that will serve as the project advisor for the proposed research or field experience.

IV. LETTER OF SUPPORT FROM HOST ORGANIZATION (OPTIONAL)
If the proposal includes a field experience, provide a letter of support from the host organization or faculty member whose project you will be working with.

V. CURRENT CURRICULUM VITAE

NOTE: Institutional Review Board (IRB) approval is not required at the time of application. If the research involves human subjects, please include a discussion of issues relating to human subjects in your research. Grants will not be awarded until notification has been received that IRB approval has been granted.

MPH Awards— Applications are accepted on annual basis and must be submitted by the Monday following the school wide deadline for submission of the MPH capstone to faculty supervisors (the MPH application deadline for this year is May 5, 2008).  To be considered, the MPH capstone must be related to humanitarian assistance, conflict or natural disasters, displaced populations, or human rights in these contexts. For MPH students, application components consist of: a cover letter, a copy of the MPH capstone, and curriculum vitae.

I. COVER PAGE (1 page)
~Contact information for the student:
        Name, Degree Program, Department
        Full mailing address, Email, Phone and Fax

~A summary of your background and related experiences

~A description of the personal motivation behind selection of the Capstone topic

~A brief statement about your post-graduation plans and career ambitions

II. COPY OF THE MPH CAPSTONE (as submitted to the capstone advisor)

III. CURRENT CURRICULUM VITAE

All Applicants—Completed applications must be received by 5:00 pm on the indicated day in hard copy.  Applications should be submitted to:

Dr. Gilbert Burnham
Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health
615 North Wolfe Street, Suite E8132
Baltimore, MD 21205-2179

The Application Review Process
The review committee will be comprised of members of the faculty at the Center for Refugee and Disaster Response.  The applications will be judged on the following criteria:

~Scholarly merit -- including design, methodology, and originality.

~Relevance in relation to the mission of the Center for Refugee and Disaster Response and the objectives of the scholarship fund.

~The degree to which the proposed work will provide quality field experience and support the development of careers that focus on the health and well-being of displaced populations and the field of humanitarian response.

Awards will be announced in May of each year, before the end of the 4^th term of the academic year.