For 2018/2019 academic year, Commonwealth Fund invites applications for Harkness Fellowships are available for mid-career professionals-academic researchers, clinicians, managers, government policymakers and journalists conducting original research and working with leading US health policy experts.

Harkness fellowships are awarded for terms up to 12 months, with a minimum stay of ten months in the United States required. Each Harkness Fellowship provides up to US $130,000.

The Commonwealth Fund is a private foundation that aims to promote a high performing health care system that achieves better access, improved quality, and greater efficiency, particularly for society’s most vulnerable, including low-income people, the uninsured, minority Americans, young children, and elderly adults.

Course Level: Fellowships are available to mid-career professionals—academic researchers, clinicians, managers, government policymakers and journalists to apply for a unique opportunity to spend up to 12 months in the United States as a Harkness Fellow.

Study Subject (s): Fellowships are awarded in Health Care Policy and Practice discipline.

Scholarship Awards:Each Harkness Fellowship provides up to U.S. $130,000. This amount covers:

• Roundtrip airfare to the United States;
• A fixed monthly stipend for US living expenses;
• Set up and shipping allowances;
• Support toward the portion of the project conducted in the home country, if appropriate;
• Funds for project-related travel, case studies, conferences and research expenses;
• Travel funds to attend the Harkness Fellows Orientation, Commonwealth Fund International Symposium on Health Care Policy; Washington Health Policy Briefing, Canadian Health Policy Briefing, Final Reporting Seminar, and AcademyHealth Annual Research Meeting;
• Institutional allowance for US mentor/placement;
• Health insurance coverage while in the United States;
• U.S. and state taxes.
  A supplemental allowance of approximately $60,000 —including roundtrip airfare, living allowance, and health insurance—is also provided to Fellows accompanied by a spouse and/or children up to age 18.

In some cases, Fellows may opt to arrange paid leave from their home institution in lieu of the fellowship monthly stipend to maintain their current income. Where partial home institution salary support is provided during the fellowship, a monthly supplement is available.

Number of Awards: Up to 13 Fellows are selected annually, typically one from Australia, one from Canada, one from France, two from Germany, two from the Netherlands, one from New Zealand, one from Norway, and four from the United Kingdom.

Scholarship can be taken in the  USA

Eligibility: Harkness Fellowships are designed for mid-career professionals who are committed to advancing health policy and practice in the Commonwealth Fund’s principal areas of interest: improving health insurance coverage and access to care; and improving the quality and efficiency of healthcare services. Projects may include comparisons between the United States and the applicant’s home country. Fellowships are not awarded to support study for academic degrees. All applicants must:

• Be citizens of Australia, Canada, Germany, New Zealand, the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden, Switzerland, or the United Kingdom. Applicants who are not citizens of the country in which they are applying must have permanent residency and have lived in that country for at least the last three years. Such applicants must also be committed to pursuing careers in the country from which they are selected.
• Show significant promise as a policy-oriented health services researcher or practitioner (clinician, health services manager, government official, or journalist);
• Have a demonstrated expertise in health policy issues and a track record of informing health policy through research, policy analysis, health services, or clinical leadership;
• Have a master’s degree or doctorate (or the equivalent thereof) in health care services, health policy research, or a related discipline, such as economics or political science (consideration may be given to candidates with a bachelor’s degree only, depending on work experience); and
• If academically based, be at a mid-career level (e.g., research fellow to senior lecturer).

Nationality: Citizens of Australia, Canada, Germany, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Sweden, France and the United Kingdom can apply for the Harkness fellowships.

How to apply: All candidates must complete a formal online application, including:

• Statement of professional objectives;
• Curriculum vitae;
• Preliminary proposal (up to five pages) for a policy-oriented research project that fits within the Fund’s national program areas;
• Letter of reference from the applicant’s department chair or from the director of his or her institution (more than one applicant may apply from the same institution);
• Three professional references from senior health policy researchers, policymakers, or senior level managers, who can comment on the applicant’s past work and the potential contribution of his or her proposed project.
• Three published articles or reports.

Application Form

Application Deadline: 2018-19 Harkness Application deadlines: September 5, 2017 for Australia and New Zealand, November 13, 2017 for Canada, Germany, the Netherlands, Norway, Sweden and the United Kingdom.

Scholarship Link