The Inaugural PBH Impact Fellows Program will run from November 2026 to June 2027. The program will train an interdisciplinary cohort of postdoctoral fellows to harness research findings for societal impact. Fellows will receive advanced training in communication, policy briefs, engagement, and impact evaluation - along with a $2,500 fellowship award to each Impact Fellow.  Each fellow will propose and conduct a capstone project relevant to their professional expertise that aims at harnessing research discoveries to improve human and environmental health. These projects can include policy briefs, white papers, dashboards, and plans/platform to develop novel therapeutics. The PBH along with Impact Fellows will co-organize a symposium in May 2027 - including featured opportunities for Fellows to present their work.

Application deadline (for fellows applying on a competitive basis): October 23, 2026

Program start for first-year cohort: November 16, 2026

Training sessions 11/2026 - 01/2027 (preliminary dates may change):

• First workshop: November 23, 2026 (2-hour event)

• Second workshop: December 2, 2026 (2-hour event)

• Third workshop: December 7, 2026 (2-hour event)

• Science impact - case studies: one-day event in the week of January 19, 2027 (date TBD).

Dates for workshops in Spring 2027 will be scheduled in coordination with the fellows.

PBH Seminars:

• Wednesday, 10/21 at 3-4pm

• Monday, 11/16 at 3-4pm

• Wednesday, 12/9 at 3-4pm

Spring symposium: May 2027 (date TBD)

End of the first-year cohort program: June 2026

We invite applications from interested postdocs across UMD to join the cohort on a competitive basis (advanced graduate students may be considered in exceptional cases, see application details). We expect to establish three rounds of Impact Fellow cohorts. The call for application of the first round is currently open; the second round is planned to open applications in July 2027.  Impact Fellows benefits include:

• Receive advanced training as part of of a recurring program (~18 hours in focused training blocks between November 2026 to June 2027).

• A $2,500 fellowship award for all selected fellows.

• Annual PBH Symposium organization: Fellows serve as conference committee members and contribute to symposium planning (the symposium will have designated Chairs and logistical support from within PBH).

All selected Impact Fellows are expected to:

• Participate in the Impact Training series (2-hour workshops take place from November 2026 to April 2027, and a 1-day event in January)

• Participate in bi-weekly cohort meetings (may overlap with training series)

• Attend and present at a PBH seminar

• Contribute to the PBH symposium planning in Spring 2027

• Deliver a capstone project: policy/community relevant translation of their work via, at minimum, a white paper, and optional product

• Contribute to the annual PBH report