H.J. Heinz Company Foundation Fellowship
About the Fellowship
Eligibility
Fellow Obligations
Application Process
Current Fellows
Alumni
Alumni Update Form
About the Fellowship
The Heinz Fellowship was established in 1982 by an endowment from the H. J. Heinz Company Foundation to the University of Pittsburgh's University Center for International Studies. The fellowship is managed by the Global Studies Program at the University Center for International Studies, and is offered annually providing one year of practical, professional, and non-degree educational experiences through the University of Pittsburgh in Pittsburgh in Pennsylvania, USA. The University of Pittsburgh is one of the leading research universities in the United States and includes 16 professional schools, 28 departments in the arts, social and natural sciences, 3,400 faculty members, 27,000 students, and library holdings of over 4.7 million volumes. Pitt is located in an urban center of cultural, ethnic, and racial diversity.
Heinz Fellowships are granted to individuals from developing countries who demonstrate potential as future leaders in the public, government, non-profit, or private sectors. The goal is to improve, early in a career, the fellows' capacity to contribute to the development of their country and to enhance their understanding of the United States. This is accomplished through a year of sitting in on selected courses and participating in practical professional activities while based in Pittsburgh. Upon acceptance of their final report, fellows will receive a program certificate from the University Center for International Studies. This is non-degree program. Courses are observed on an informal basis, and do not earn credit towards any academic degree.
Fellows will receive a living stipend of $18,000 (paid in monthly installments), mandatory health insurance, round-trip transportation to and from Pittsburgh, and a $2,000 program and professional activities fund. Please note that, if the fellow comes from a country which does not have a tax treaty with the U.S., the fellow must pay U.S. taxes amounting to 14% of the stipend. No transportation costs, living allowances, or insurance funds are provided for dependents. The fellowship does not include allowances or services for dependents, whether or not they accompany the fellow. As a condition of the grant, applicants will be required to submit a statement of their ability to finance the transportation and maintenance expenses for any accompanying dependents. Please note that U.S. government visa restrictions make employment opportunities for dependents rare.
Eligibility
The competition for a Heinz Fellowship is open to men and women from developing countries whose record of accomplishment early in their career indicates strong potential for leadership and achievement in business, government, public services, or other relevant professions.
1. Applicants must have completed a university degree.
2. Applicants must be proficient in speaking, reading and writing English.
3. Preference will be given to those applicants at the early or mid-stages of their career.
4. The fellowship is intended for individuals in the practitioner/policy domains. It is not awarded for basic academic research, academic sabbaticals, nor for medical research.
5. Two candidates will be chosen each year. One fellowship will be awarded to a candidate from either China, India, or Indonesia who specializes in public health and the other applicant should be working in one of the following:
- Governance: Management and administration of public and nonprofit agencies; growth and sustainable development of urban metropolitan regions throughout the world; economic and social development of newly independent and developing states; emerging dynamics that are shaping today's international political economy; threats to and issues in international security
- Public Health: Local and national approaches towards infectious diseases; development of health services; family planning; maternal and child health; community health; environmental health, epidemiology
- Business: finance; marketing; organizational behavior & human resources management; strategy; environment, & organizations
- Education: administrative and policy studies
- Law: development of the legal system; the extension and institutionalization of fundamental rights
- Engineering: bioengineering; sustainability; nanoscience and engineering; energy; manufacturing
- Application Form (Word/PDF), including Personal Statement and Statement of Proposed Fellowship Activities, signed and submitted electronically or mailed by applicant.
- English Language Report (Word/PDF), signed and submitted electronically or mailed by professional English language teacher or U.S. Embassy official (see application instructions).
- Three Letters of Reference, signed and submitted electronically or mailed by each professional reference (see application instructions).
Fellow Obligations
Within the first month of arrival, the Fellow will develop and submit a plan of work which identifies the ways and means of sharpening existing professional expertise during the Fellowship residency. A progress report should be submitted at the end of the first semester, and a final report turned in at the end of the Fellowship. Typically, Fellows attend courses within the University and participate in internships in Pittsburgh or elsewhere in the United States. Heinz Fellows will be able to draw on all these resources and will be aided by an academic mentor.
During the residency, the Fellow is expected to give at least one presentation on a subject related to his or her professional experience to members of the University. In addition, the Fellow is strongly encouraged to participate in community outreach activities in the region by lecturing about his or her home country to an audience of high school students or interested adults.
Acceptance of the grant by the candidate constitutes an agreement between the grantee and the University. It is expected that, barring unforeseen emergencies, grantees will remain for the full tenure of the award. A grantee who leaves the U.S. or terminates the grant at a date earlier than that specified in the grant authorization, without consent of the University, will be required to reimburse the University for any expenditures made by the University on the grantee’s behalf.
Upon completion of the Heinz Fellowship program, fellows are required to submit a final report describing and evaluating the full range of their activities and experiences during the Fellowship, as well as their plans for applying the Fellowship upon return to their home country. These reports are subsequently distributed to program officials at the University of Pittsburgh and to representatives at the H.J. Heinz Company Foundation. These reports will also be used as references for incoming Fellowship recipients.
Timeline
| March 2, 2010 | Application deadline |
| April 15, 2010 | Winner notified |
| April 30, 2010 | Winners announced on Web site |
| August 1, 2010 | Fellowship year begins |
| July 31, 2011 | Fellowship year ends |
Application Process
Before completing any forms, please read all instructions in the fellowship's 2010-11 Announcement (Word/PDF) carefully. We must receive all of the required components of your application package by March 2, 2010. Late or incomplete application packages will not be considered.
Current and Past Heinz Fellows
Current Fellows 2009-2010
Yexia Zhang of China
Yexia Zhang is from Xi'an, China. She earned her PhD in Management from the Xi'an Jiaotong University and also has a BA and Ma in Medicine. From 1998-2004 she was resident and attending physician at the First Hospital of Xi'an Jiaotong University. After becoming a physician, Yexia began her studies on population issues in rural China. She began with a focus on reproductive health. Her work on birth registrations will be presented at the IUSSP world congress in Morocco in September 2009. It details the inequities in China between rural and urban birth registrations and makes suggestions for improvements. In 2007, she joined Plan International China, an international humanitarian, child-centered, non-profit development organization. The vision and mission of Plan International China are to enable all children to realize their full potential in societies, working mainly with children in poor areas. During her service with Plan International China, Yexia has led the development for many programs in school nutrition, prenatal care, disease prevention and also micro insurance for children.
Moses Katende of Uganda
Moses Katende is from Mpigi, Uganda. He earned a Masters in Public Health Leadership from the Uganda Christian University earlier this year. Moses has been a champion in the reduction of maternal and child deaths in Uganda. He has been involved in public health related activities especially in the integration of the safe motherhood teaching into the curriculum at the Nsamizi Training Institute of Social Development. He is a real advocate for family planning and speaks out for responsible fatherhood as a core foundation for healthy families. As a community health advocate, Moses has implemented programs in the awareness of HIV/AIDS, malaria prevention, family planning services, and advocacy working in improving access and of the quality of health care facilities in Uganda.
Alumni
Elviyanti Martini of Indonesia
Elviyanti Martini earned a Masters of Science in Community Nutrition from the South East Asian Ministers of Education - Tropical Medicine and Public Health (SEAMO-TROPMED network at the University of Indonesia. For the past twelve years she has worked with Helen Keller International (HKI), an international non-governmental organization. As HKI’s current Director of Health and Nutrition in Indonesia, Elviyanti oversees health and nutrition programs in Indonesia and also coordinates a micronutrient program (Sprinkles) in Maharashtra state, India. Over the years she has provided technical and managerial leadership to many other projects, including the Nutrition and Health Surveillance System, Food Aid Monitoring, and a Micronutrient Supplementation Project for tsunami-affected areas. She was chosen to serve as a member of the Ten-Year Strategy for the Reduction of Vitamin and Mineral Deficiencies Working Group by the United Nations' Standing Committee on Nutrition. Elviyanti has spoken at numerous national and international conferences and has authored publications on child and maternal health and nutrition.
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Zarema Mukusheva of Chechnya
Zarema Mukusheva holds a Masters in History from the Chechnya State University. She has worked as a researcher with the Chechen National Museums' Department of Ethnography, a reporter for Chechen TV, and since 2000, as a human rights monitor and film maker for the Human Rights Center (HRC) - Memorial, a leading human rights organization in Russia. She uses visual media to bring international attention to murders, mass graves, disappearances, and kidnappings in Chechnya, creating documentaries such as "Crying Sun: The Impact of War in the Mountains of Chechnya" about the life of refugees from mountain villages. Zarema is also a recipient of the 2005 Reebok Human Rights Award for young human rights activists.
Ying Peng of China, 2007-08
Ying Peng, from Xi’an China, completed five years of studies in public health, after which she was employed by the Epidemic Department of the Center for Disease Control in Xi’an China where she was promoted to director of epidemic and sanitation system management in local areas. Her greatest achievement and challenge at the CDC was when she was director during the SARS epidemic. She helped implement the SARS epidemic investigation procedure which is now used as a model at the CDC. In 2004, Ms. Peng joined Plan International as a member of the health program team. The program focuses on children living in poverty in rural areas and their right of development. Ms. Peng expects to play a major role in developing and advocating public policy changes in
Yujie Li of China, 2007-08
Yujie Li, from
Abdullah Hanif of Afghanistan, 2006-07
Dr. Abdullah Hanif is a medical doctor from
After more than two decades of war, occupation, and Taliban rule in
Hanif’s year at the
Saida Karimova of
Ms. Saida Karimova served as a Reproductive Health Trainer/Mobilizer for the United Methodist Committee on Relief (UMCOR): an organization that provides primary and reproductive healthcare among vulnerable populations throughout
While at the
Jyoti Vidhani of
Ms. Jyoti Vidhani served as the Food Aid Program Officer for Catholic Relief Services in
While at the
Irina Li of
Ms. Irina Lee served as the General Manager of the Eurasia Leader Group (ELG) in
Ludmila Ungureanu of
Ms. Ludmila Ungureanu worked for the American Bar Association (ABA)/ Central European and Eurasian Law Initiative (CEELI) organization as an Institution Building Advisor. This organization focused on helping Moldovan NGOs to become programmatically, organizationally, and financially sustainable. Specifically, the organization assisted NGOs in their process towards becoming forces in the legal and political arenas. Ms. Ungureanu conceived and implemented one of the organizations most successful programs, the Traveling Lawyer, where pro-bono lawyers make
Humaira Rafique of
This one year was a unique experience in my life and I learned a lot. During this one year, I tried to grab every single moment and utilize my time in the best possible way. Academic study and professional activities remained equally important for me: that was the reason I chose to take exams of three courses and focused attention on simulation and assignments in rest of courses. These, I feel, provide a crucial source of learning. Taking a variety of courses in a variety of fields, including nonprofit development, capacity, evaluation, planning and policy analysis, has greatly increased my ability to thrive in the Development Sector in
Jargalmaa Tsendjav of
With intention of developing my knowledge and skills in the area of education administration and development, I audited several courses during the fall 2003 and spring 2004 semesters. These courses were very useful for me as I had a chance of learning not only from faculty but also from other students in the field, as well from challenging and practical assignments. In addition to coursework, I was able to present a paper at the annual meeting of
Since my arrival to
Niyazaly Kaipov of
Since my first experience working for Price Waterhouse LLP, on a USAID funded Mass Privatization Program in Kyrgyz Republic, as a specialist of a Control Team in 1994, I have been working on development projects funded by the World Bank, US. Peace Corps, and UNDP in the
The H.J.Heinz Fellowship Program at the
* NGO Sector: During the fall term I took two GSPIA courses "Management for NPO" and "Marketing for NPOs". New issues related to NPOs were presented by instructors. The information is very useful and I will apply the new tools in my future career.
* Business Consulting: I am now attending two very interesting courses offered through the Katz Graduate School of Business: "Consumer Behavior" and "Competing in
My life in
Rudina Hoxha of
After an eight-year experience in the only English-speaking paper in
The courses I have attended so far include: "Introduction to Journalism", "Advanced Reporting" and "Public Relations." They have thrown light on many aspects of great interest for me and given rise to the discussion of new issues about my fields of study. The journalism courses, in particular, have been rich in examples, becoming in this way quite useful in respect of grasping the new material. Various journalistic styles and techniques have also been studied and applied.
Besides the academic studies, the time in
My experience in
Mário Enoque Bambo of
In
As a 2001/2002 Heinz Fellow, he audited classes both in the fall and spring terms on Fundraising, Planning and Designing development projects; Planning and designing capacity building projects and HIV/AIDS prevention programs, in Public Health. He participated in conferences on HIV in
Maria Cecilia Beltrao Raposo of Brazil, 2001-02
Maria Cecilia Beltrao Raposo left
Before starting the H.J. Heinz Fellowship Program as a young and recent professional in the third sector (who came from the private sector), Maria had questions related to her field (marketing and communication) that she wanted answered considering the third sector context. These questions were basically related to: 1) Social Marketing, 2) Communication for Development; 3)Social Entrepreneurship. However, after coming into contact with the courses in the Graduate School of Public and International Affairs - GSPIA, especially Planning and Designing Development Projects, and
Thorpe Lekau of South Africa, 1997-98
Prior to her fellowship, Thope Lekau trained as a community development worker, was an activist with the ANC, and supported people
In 1998, Thope returned to
Mannika Chopra of
Mannika Chopra returned to the
During her visit, Chopra presented a public lecture entitled "Who Influences Whom:
Aloun Ndombet-Assamba, 1991-92
Throughout her work life, Mrs Assamba served both the public and private sectors and has been extensively involved in non-governmental organizations. She also served the voluntary sector through her work with United Way of Jamaica, the Jamaica Cancer Society, the Jamaican Bar Association, the Dispute Resolution Foundation of Jamaica, the Lions Club of New Kingston, and many other organizations. She has been given recognition for her outstanding achievements and contribution to society by several organizations including the Kiwanis Club of New Kingston and the Duke of Edinburgh Sixth Study Conference in Sydney, Australia. She was also named "Woman of the Year" in 1999 by the American Biographical Institute.
Representing the Caribbean on the Board of CUSO (a Canadian Development and Volunteer Sending Agency) from 1995-1999, Mrs. Ndombet-Assamba held the office of treasurer from 1997-1999, being the only non-Canadian to have held this position in that organization. She also had a number of Parliamentary responsibilities. Only recently she was Minister of Tourism, Entertainment and Culture, Minister of Industry and Tourism and Minister of State in the Ministry of Industry, Commerce and Technology. She was also as a Government Senator for five years prior to becoming Member of Parliament, serving on a number of sub-committees of the Senate. Prior to her parliamentary attachments, Mrs Ndombet-Assamba was general manager of COK Co-operative Credit Union Limited (COK) from 1994 to 2002. She also served in several other key positions throughout her 14 year tenure with that organization.
Among her other achievements is the prestigious H.J. Heinz Company Foundation Fellowship which she obtained from the University of Pittsburgh in the USA. She is an attorney by profession and received her legal training at the University of the West Indies and the Norman Manley Law School. Mrs Ndombet-Assamba was also trained by the Capital University of Columbus, Ohio, in Alternative Dispute Resolution and is a mediator and trainer in that discipline.
She is currently the General Counsel/Chief Corporate Officer of Paymaster Jamaica Limited, Jamaica’s first multi-payment agency.
Ramon Noriel of the Phillippines, 1989-90
After returning to my country in 1990, Ramon continued working with the National Economic and Development Authority of the Philippine Government, specifically in the monitoring and evaluation of projects funded by Official Development Assistance (ODA)in the Philippines until mid-2003. He also proceeded with his studies and completed a Masters in Business Administration in 1995. In the later part of 2003 up to the present, Ramon worked as Consultant on Results-Based Monitoring and Evaluation (RBME) and on Project Management involving various ODA funded projects of the Government of the Philippines and International Development Agencies such as the ADB, AusAID, IFAD, UN-FAO and WB. The consultancy engagements were in support to efforts of improving development effectiveness of projects consistent with the principles of Managing for Development Results (MfDR) and the 2005 Paris Declaration on Aid Effectiveness.
Benefits of Fellowship: "The Fellowship experience greatly broadened my knowledge and skills on the multi-disciplinary approach to development challenges in my country. My study and research, during the Fellowship, on the linkage of institutional development and program management, provided the sound foundation as I continually pursued my goals and in working with people of diverse professional background and culture."
Gilberto Morillo of
After returning from
Alumni Update
If you have already participated in the H.J. Heinz Company Foundation Fellowship Program as a past Fellowship recipient at the University of Pittsburgh, we encourage you to send us regular updates regarding your contact inforrmation and post-fellowship activities by submitting this form.