Fellowships
Emerging and neglected diseases are largely diseases of poverty—they arise out of the lack of access to basic sanitation and health care. The World Bank estimates that nearly 1.4 billion people in the developing world live in extreme poverty, creating fertile grounds for infectious disease. Yet most of the basic research that will lead to innovative drugs, vaccines and technologies is conducted in laboratories in the United States and Europe—far away from endemic regions. Thus, CEND has established several neglected disease research fellowships to help break down the barriers between Berkeley and the rest of the world.
Minority Health Global HealthThe UC Berkeley Minority Health-Global Health program funds students who are under-represented in the health sciences to work in infectious disease research. Fellows conduct research both in Berkeley and in a developing country. Applications for the 2010 fellowship are due November 14, 2009.
This new fellowship program provides short-term research experiences at selected sites in developing countries for Berkeley doctoral and postdoctoral researchers. Application guidelines for the 2010 S&E for Global Health Fellowship have been posted. The deadline is January 30, 2010.
The Irving Wiesenfeld Graduate Student Support Fund provides research funds for UC Berkeley graduate students engaged in neglected infectious disease research. Three fellows have been supported since 2007 thanks to a generous gift from the Fund's founder.
Microfluidic device from Professor
Luke Lee's lab (Photo:Luke Lee)
Scientists working toward the development of effective treatments, diagnostics, and vaccines for emerging and neglected infectious diseases must understand the complex interactions of pathogens, host immune responses, and environmental factors—not just in the laboratory, but also in the countries, villages, and communities where these diseases are most prevalent. Equipped with first-hand knowledge of the complexity of health in the developing world, Berkeley students will develop new insights and approaches to the disease systems that they study.
