The Society for Public Health Education (SOPHE) is accepting applications for one-year student fellowships to assist and train students in injury prevention and control, funded by the CDC's National Center for Injury Prevention and Control (NCIPC). The fellowship is designed to recognize, assist and train students working on research or practice-based projects in either unintentional injury prevention or violence prevention from the perspective of health education or the behavioral sciences. For one year, starting November 2004-2005, “SOPHE Fellows in Injury Prevention” will receive a $1,500 stipend, one-year student membership in national SOPHE, and complementary registration at the SOPHE Annual Meeting in Washington, DC in 2005, where they will have an opportunity to display poster presentations on their projects.

Recipients of the award will receive the following:

• $1,500 stipend to be distributed throughout the year;
  fellowship certificate;
  
• free student membership in national SOPHE for one year;
• complimentary registration at the SOPHE Annual Meeting in 2005, and space to display a poster presentation on the proposed project; and
• recognition in SOPHE's newsletter, News & Views, on SOPHE’s web site, and through the NCIPC listserv.

Eligibility and Requirements:

• Applicants must be enrolled as a full time student in a masters or doctoral degree program in health education, health promotion, behavioral sciences or a related field. Students are not required to be national SOPHE members at the time they apply.
• Students must submit the original and three copies of: a completed application form; a current resume or curriculum vitae; and a project proposal describing the rationale, intended purpose, process/methodology, and potential contribution or impact of the project in 800 words or less. In addition, applications should include one letter of recommendation (from an internship coordinator, preceptor, faculty member or other professional); and one letter of support from a designated faculty member who plans to work with the applicant on the proposed project and can verify that the student is following a course of study in one of the above mentioned disciplines. Letters should be sealed in envelopes with authors’ signatures across the seal.
• Proposed projects for injury prevention should address injuries related to home and leisure or transportation (e.g. fire, bicycle, sports, falls, alcohol, motor-vehicle). Occupation-related injuries will not be considered for this fellowship.
• Proposed projects for violence prevention must emphasize and apply the public health approach. Projects may address violence against women, including dating violence, sexual violence, intimate partner violence; child maltreatment, such as child abuse, neglect or sexual abuse; suicide; or youth violence prevention, including media influence and bullying.
• Proposed projects may be new or on-going, and the applicant must have the primary role in conducting the project.
• Recipients will be required to submit a brief, mid-year progress report in early April 2005.
• For their final project, recipients must prepare a poster or presentation for the SOPHE Annual Meeting in 2005 (space for a poster is assured; presentations are competitive and abstracts will need to be submitted to SOPHE for review). Recipients will also be encouraged to prepare a manuscript based on their work and submit it for publication in one of SOPHE's two journals, Health Education and Behavior, or Health Promotion Practice.

Review Criteria

Proposals will be reviewed by a SOPHE/CDC Fellowship Selection Committee for their scientific and/or theoretical basis, originality, and potential contribution to health education's role in injury prevention and control. Projects may be related to surveillance, risk factor identification, or intervention development, evaluation or dissemination. Projects related to the development or use of theory in injury prevention are also acceptable. Specific criteria include the following.

• Research proposals should include: problem identification and/or rationale for the project; theoretical or conceptual basis; population of interest; research design and methodology; plans for data collection and analysis; contribution to knowledge in injury prevention.
• Practice-based proposals should include: problem identification and/or rationale for the project; theoretical or conceptual basis or related findings from a needs assessment; population served; practice design; cultural competence of materials; plans for implementation, evaluation and dissemination; intended contribution to the field of injury prevention.

Application Procedures:

Send the original and three copies of the complete application (including resume/CV and project proposal); one letter of recommendation; and one letter of support to: Society for Public Health Education, Injury Prevention Fellowship, 750 First Street, NE, Suite 910, Washington, DC 20002. All applications must be postmarked by July 31st of each calendar year to qualify for consideration.
If you have any questions, call Eleanor Dixon-Terry at SOPHE (202/408-9804; edixon-terry@sophe.org).

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