U.S. Health Equity Postdoctoral Research Fellow

Harvard University - Boston, MA

Full-time - Entry Level

Boston, MA

Educational Services

About the position

The Department of Global Health and Social Medicine at Harvard University is dedicated to improving global health delivery and promoting health equity worldwide. This unique department emphasizes an interdisciplinary approach, recognizing that traditional medical models alone cannot address the complex social, economic, and political factors that influence global health care. Through disciplines such as anthropology, history, sociology, economics, implementation science, and bioethics, the department's investigators aim to understand how issues like poverty, inequality, and access to resources serve as barriers to health. Collaborating with community-based and clinical organizations, they apply these insights to develop and evaluate interventions and systems that enhance health care delivery. In memory of the late Paul Farmer, the department has established the U.S. Health Equity Postdoctoral Fellowship. This fellowship is designed for early-career researchers who will spend two years in the department, focusing on an original research project aimed at advancing a more equitable and efficient U.S. health care system. The ideal candidates will conduct field research in low-income settings and will be assigned two mentors: a primary mentor from the Global Health and Social Medicine faculty and a co-mentor from another Harvard department or school, specializing in the relevant field of the fellow's research. Fellows will receive a stipend, along with funding for research and professional development. The department's senior faculty lead research in various areas, including digital technology for health care, the ecology of poverty and development, health care delivery systems, health impacts of the climate crisis, the history of medicine, and medical anthropology, among others. The program aims to cultivate a new generation of academic leaders equipped to conduct research that advances health equity through the lens of social medicine. Fellows will also have opportunities to participate in department seminars and career-development workshops at Harvard Medical School.

Responsibilities

• Pursue an original research project designed to advance a more equitable and efficient U.S. health care system.
• Conduct field research in low-income settings.
• Collaborate with local research partners in low-income communities.
• Engage with researchers and faculty in the department.
• Participate in department seminars and career-development workshops.

Requirements

• Doctoral degree in any field linked to social medicine or global health.
• Experience working in low-income communities.
• Knowledge of U.S. health care systems.
• Capacity for independent work.

Nice-to-haves

• Intellectual curiosity and a strong interest in research.
• Experience collaborating with local research partners.

Benefits

• Fellowship stipend
• Research funding
• Professional development funding