Health Innovation Journalism Fellowship

Are you a journalist passionate about health innovation?

In our contemporary world, health innovations such as artificial intelligence, new vaccine platforms and diagnostics, and emerging biotechnology solutions are expanding the frontiers of science at an unprecedented rate. The rapid pace of innovation opens new doors for progress in global health but also creates a complex and ever-changing landscape for journalists to navigate. Journalists play a vital role in keeping the public informed about the latest advances in health and medicine, communicating information to audiences around the world, and holding accountable the actions of policymakers, officials, and stakeholders. Now more than ever, it’s critical to provide fact-based and high-quality reporting on the opportunities and challenges in developing, introducing, and scaling new innovations for global health.  

​​The Health Innovation Journalism Fellowship is aimed at supporting in-depth, high-quality reporting on health innovation topics through professional fellowships. Throughout the duration of the fellowship, selected fellows will strengthen their skills to report on the latest developments in health and medicine.​​​ 

About the Program​

The Health Innovation Journalism Fellowship is administered and managed by ICFJ and is funded through a grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. 

ICFJ will award the Health Innovation Journalism Fellowship to experienced journalists who possess both a passion for innovative storytelling in health-related journalism and a track record of publishing in major global media outlets. Selected fellows will receive grant funding, training, and individual mentorship in order to develop and publish their original reporting projects centered around health innovation. Towards the conclusion of the fellowship, they will also have the opportunity to go on an international reporting trip to take part in fieldwork related to the health, science, and technology sectors. Each fellow is expected to report on and publish five original articles over the course of the Health Innovation Journalism Fellowship. 

The main activities of the program will follow this timeline: 

• Fellowship Period (January 2024 – May 2024): Selected fellows will be supported with grant funding, training, individual mentorship, and an international reporting trip. Each selected fellow is expected to produce and publish five articles related to health innovation within the timeframe of the fellowship. 

Eligibility Requirements​​ 

• Have 4+ years of experience in journalism

• Be able to show demonstrated interest and experience reporting on health-related topics

• Possess a professional working knowledge of English (The fellowship will be conducted in English)

If you have specific questions about the Health Innovation Journalism Fellowship, please contact Caitlin Shekleton (cshekleton@icfj.org) or David Tellez (dtellez@icfj.org).