The 2025-2026 application is now closed. The 2026-2027 competition will open in Spring 2025.

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Current U.S. Student

United States citizens who are currently enrolled in undergraduate or graduate degree programs are eligible to apply.If you are currently enrolled in an undergraduate or graduate program at a U.S. college or university, you will apply through that institution, even if you are not currently a resident there. Find the Fulbright Program Adviser on your campus.

U.S. Citizen but not a Student

If you are a U.S. citizen, will hold a bachelor’s degree by the award start date, and do not have a Ph.D. degree, then you are eligible to apply. Non-enrolled applicants should have relatively limited professional experience in the fields (typically 7 years or less) in which they are applying. Candidates with more experience should consider applying for the Fulbright Scholar Program.

The Getting Started page will provide information on eligibility and next steps.

Artist

The Fulbright U.S. Student Program welcomes applications in the creative and performing arts. Arts candidates for the U.S. Student Program should have relatively limited professional experience in the fields (typically 7 years or less) in which they are applying. Artists with more experience should consider applying for the Fulbright Scholar Program.

Creative & Performing Arts projects fall under the Study/Research grant category and are available in all countries where Study/Research grants are offered.

FPA

U.S. Professor/Administrator

If you are a U.S. citizen and a professor or administrator at a U.S. institution and are interested in applying for a Fulbright Scholar Award, you will need to apply through fulbrightscholars.org.

To support your students in applying for a U.S. Student Program award, please connect with the Fulbright Program Adviser at your institution.

Non U.S. Citizens

If you are a non-U.S. citizen interested in applying for a Fulbright Award to the United States, you will need to apply through the Fulbright Commission or U.S. Embassy in your home country. Find out more information on the Fulbright Visiting Scholar Program or Fulbright Foreign Student Program.

Malawi

Fulbright-Fogarty Public Health Fellowship Award

Accepted Degree Levels
  • Doctoral
Grant Period
August Start
Grant Length
9 Months
Award Type
Special Study/Research
Specialized Grant Types
  • Science/Public Health
Award Profile

The Fulbright-Fogarty Fellowships in Public Health are offered through a partnership between the Fulbright Program and the Fogarty International Center of the U.S. National Institutes of Health. These awards were established to promote the expansion of research in public health and clinical research in resource-limited settings.

Fulbright-Fogarty Fellowships carry the same benefits as the traditional Fulbright Study/Research grants to the host country. The Fogarty International Center, NIH, will provide support to the research training site and may provide orientation for the fellows at the NIH.

For more details on Fulbright-Fogarty Fellowships and application instructions, please review the ‘Type of Awards’ page: https://us.fulbrightonline.org/applicants/types-of-awards/fulbright-fogarty-fellowships-in-public-health

Grant Length
9 Months
Grant Period
August Start

August through April.

Orientation
Pre-Departure and In-Country Orientation

Grantees will be required to participate in a Virtual Pre-Departure Orientation (VPDO) in June/July as a condition of their grants. In addition, grantees will be required to participate in a Pre-Departure Orientation with NIH in July.

Candidate Profile

Pre-doctoral trainees:

Must be enrolled in an accredited doctoral-level program (MD, PhD, DDS, or comparable degree from an accredited institution) in public health, government, business, design, engineering, education, medicine, nutrition, law, pharmacy, dentistry, veterinary medicine, and nursing. Eligible doctoral degrees include, but are not limited to: DMD, DC, DO, DVM, OD, DPM, ScD, EngD, DrPH, DNSc, DPT, PharmD, ND, DSW, PsyD, JD and Doctorate of Philosophy in Nursing.

Health-professional students who wish to interrupt their studies for a year or more to engage in full-time research training before completing their formal training programs are also eligible.

By the start of the program year (July 2024), fellows must be an MD (and other professional degrees) student who has completed their 3rd year or a Ph.D. candidate who has completed their Master’s level requirements (i.e., post-qualifying exam).

What is life like for Fulbrighters in the host country?

Welcome to the Warm Heart of Africa! Lilongwe, the capital city of Malawi, is a wonderful place in which to live and work.  The climate is agreeable year-round, people are friendly, traffic is calm, and personal security threats are relatively rare.  Although we live in a comparatively “quiet” city by African standards, there are a variety of activities that keep our non-work hours filled.  Outdoor sports/recreation, community festivals, and home entertaining play key roles in Lilongwe.

LOCATION: Malawi is a small landlocked country in Africa, south of the equator between latitude 9 degrees 45' and 17 degrees 16' south and between longitudes 33 degrees 35' east.  Malawi is 46,066 square miles in area of which 9,425 square miles are Lakes Malawi, Malombe, and Chilwa.  Among the smallest countries in Africa, Malawi is approximately the size of Pennsylvania.  The country is bordered to the north and north-east by the Republic of Tanzania and to the east, south and south-west by the Republic of Mozambique.  The Republic of Zambia forms the Western border.

CAPITAL AND MAJOR CITIES: Lilongwe was declared the capital in January 1975.  All government ministries are in Lilongwe, but the bulk of media, academic, and commercial sectors remain in the southern cities of Blantyre and Zomba.  Mzuzu is the largest city in the north.

AREA AND CLIMATE: The country is dominated by Lake Malawi which runs along much of the eastern border.  The lake is 568 kilometers long and 16 kilometers wide, accounting for 20 percent of Malawi's total surface area.  Malawi has a varied topography with mountains and rivers which have a direct effect on its climate.

Malawi has two main seasons, the dry and the wet.  The wet season extends from November to April, and rainfall can reach between 635mm and 3050mm.  From May to August, it is cool at night and dry.  In September, it is hot and dry, with October and November being the hottest months.

The predominant vegetation of Malawi is the savannah woodland.  Ever-green forests are found where ground water is plentiful as in river valleys and on mountains.  Grasslands are found on high plateaus and river-basins.

POPULATION: Malawi has a population of over 20 million people with several ethnic groups.  The Chewa are found in the central region.  The Yaos are mostly found along the lakeshore districts of the central and southern regions.  They are also found in Dedza, Machinga, Zomba, Blantyre, and Chiradzulu.

Lomwes are mainly found in the Shire Highlands areas of Thyolo and Mulanje while the Nkhonde, Lambya, Tonga, and Tumbuka are found in the north.  The Ngoni are found in both the northern and central regions.

CULTURE: Malawian culture is very friendly and very formal.  Initially, Malawian values and traditions may seem counterintuitive for visitors from the United States and will likely challenge American assumptions about independence and individuality.  In Malawi, a traditional male dominated hierarchy is respected.  Speaking out of turn or speaking one’s opinion too vociferously is highly discouraged.  Public shame in front of community and colleagues is to be avoided at all costs.  On the other hand, the informal community “safety net” to support those in need is gracious and often automatic.  A popular Malawian proverb states: “A single head does not carry a roof,” signifying that people are encouraged from an early age to work together and rarely take the initiative to solve problems alone.

Eligibility
Residency in host country permitted in year prior to grant
Dual citizens of this country are eligible
Degree Level of Applicant
  • Doctoral
Foreign Language Proficiency
Not Required
Fulbright Proposal Types
Independent Study/Research:
Yes
Graduate Degree Enrollment:
No
Affiliation
Independent Study/Research:
Letter required for independent study or research at deadline

Applicants are required to obtain a letter of support from the site contact.  

When emailing project contacts, please include both contacts and attach a current CV and a concise statement (less than 500 words) about your interest in the program (especially your primary research interest). 

Affiliation Fees/Tuition
Affiliation Fees/Tuition not covered in grant benefits
Award Benefits
  • A stipend broadly based on the cost of living in the host country. These funds may be used by the grantee to support housing, meals, and incidental costs during the grant period.
  • International travel benefits
  • Accident & sickness health benefits
  • 24/7 mental health support line for urgent and non-urgent situations
  • 12 months of non-competitive eligibility (NCE) hiring status within the federal government
Stipend Amount

This is an estimated amount and is subject to change. The financial terms of the grant will be confirmed in the grant document issued after selection.

2200 monthly stipend amount in
$ [US Dollar]
One-Time Allowances

This is an estimated amount and is subject to change. The financial terms of the grant will be confirmed in the grant document issued after selection.

3550 in
$ [US Dollar]
  • Excess baggage fees
  • Research/Materials allowance
  • Settling in allowance
Estimated Cost of Living

Consider using cost of living comparison websites to gain a better understanding of the potential costs in your host country.

Many western goods have to imported and expensive. Inflation averages about 30 % and Malawi has experienced devaluations which have caused prices to increase significantly.

Dependents
Dependent financial support is available
Fulbright Program Management Contact
FBstudent.AF@iie.org
Fulbright Commission/U.S. Embassy Website
https://mw.usembassy.gov/
Baylor College of Medicine Children’s Foundation – Malawi (Baylor Foundation Malawi)

U.S. University Consortia: INSIGHT 

Summary of Site

The Baylor College of Medicine Children’s Foundation – Malawi (Baylor Foundation Malawi) has worked in partnership with the Malawi Government in the Health Sector since 2005. We have three main areas of focus: service delivery, training and research, in that order of priority. Our original mission was to improve the health and lives of HIV-infected children and families through high quality, high impact, ethical, state-of-the-art comprehensive care and treatment, training of health professionals and clinical research.  

Baylor Foundation Malawi has now been operating in Malawi for nearly fifteen years and have broadened our mission to include maternal health care services, mainly at Ethel Mutharika Maternity Wing at Kamuzu Central Hospital (KCH) and Area 25 Health Centre, pediatric oncology at KCH, pediatric emergency medicine at KCH and pediatric surgical and anesthesia services at KCH. Through its main outreach arm, the Tingathe Program, Baylor Foundation Malawi assists the Ministry of Health in improving prevention of mother-to-child transmission, early infant diagnosis, and pediatric HIV care and treatment services through onsite mentorship teams in various districts of the country, but currently is working in six districts in Central and South Eastern Malawi: Salima, Lilongwe, Balaka, Mangochi, Machinga, and Phalombe.

Primary Contacts

Areas of Focus

  • HIV
  • Tuberculosis
  • Cancer 
  • Maternal Health

Sample Research Projects

Tuberculosis (TB) is the world’s leading infectious cause of mortality and responsible for one third of deaths in people living with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV). Children and adolescents living with HIV (CALHIV) are disproportionately affected due to inadequate preventive services, large case detection gaps, treatment and adherence challenges, and knowledge gaps. The TB GAPS project, funded by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and implemented by Baylor College of Medicine’s Global TB Program, is generating evidence to inform interventions targeting several of these weaknesses in the TB/HIV cascade of care through:

1. Evaluation of novel screening and diagnostic strategies for CALHIV.

2. An assessment of a client choice-based approach to TB Preventive Treatment (TPT) uptake with randomization to enhanced vs. standard treatment support through bi-directional texting.

3. Determination of the cost-effectiveness of successful screening and diagnostic strategies and TPT regimens.

The TB GAPS study is being implemented in five sub-Saharan African countries: Eswatini, Lesotho, Malawi, Tanzania, and Uganda.

Language Requirement

None

Partners in Hope (PIH)

U.S. University Consortia: GloCal

Summary of Site

Partners in Hope (PIH) is a Malawian, non-governmental organization dedicated to tackling barriers to health care in resource-limited communities in Malawi, with a focus on HIV testing and treatment services. Since PIH’s founding in 2001, the Ministry of Health has continued to award PIH with certificates of excellence for HIV and ART services. The organization has a longstanding relationship as a PEPFAR implementing partner (since 2009), providing HIV care and treatment programs in 101 health facilities throughout 8 of Malawi’s 28 districts. PIH works across programs, policy, science, clinical education, and health service delivery.            

Primary Contacts 

Areas of Focus

  • HIV/AIDS research
  • Infectious Disease
  • Maternal-child health
  • Mental Health

Language Requirement

None

UNC Project – Malawi

U.S. University Consortia: UJMT

Summary of Site

UNC has been conducting HIV/STD research in Malawi since 1990 and officially established UNC Project-Malawi in 1999. UNC Project Malawi is a partnership with the Ministry of Health (MOH) and Kamuzu Central Hospital (KCH) that broadly focuses on improving the health of Malawi through research, capacity building, and care.

Primary Contacts

Areas of Focus
Fellows would be expected to work with U.S. and Malawi based mentor groups to develop an independent research project that could be integrated into one of the following projects:

  • HIV/AIDS including prevention, treatment, opportunistic infections and co-morbidities
  • HIV/STI prevalence studies
  • Surgery, trauma, burns, injury prevention
  • Maternal and child health
  • Mental health
  • Cancer (breast, cervical, esophageal, lymphoma, Kaposi sarcoma, palliative care)
  • Transfusion Medicine and Blood Donation Practices
  • Implementation Science research

Language Requirement

None

JHU – Kamuzu University of Health Sciences (KUHeS)

U.S. University Consortia: UJMT

Summary of Site

The JHU research and training collaboration started in 1989 and since then, research and training activities have steadily increased with substantial achievements in infrastructure development.

Primary Contacts

Areas of Focus 

Fellows would be expected to work with U.S. and Malawi based mentor groups to develop an independent research project that could be integrated into one of the following projects or in a new area of interest:

  • Child health
  • HIV/AIDS
  • Noncommunicable diseases
  • Women’s health

Language Requirement

None

Fulbright Commission/U.S. Embassy Contact
Public Engagement Specialist: BandaTT@state.gov
Public Diplomacy Officer: DennyEW@state.gov