The Harvard LEAD Fellowship (Learn, Engage, Advance, Disrupt) is a year-long leadership program run by the Harvard Global Health Institute together with the Department of Global Health and Population at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. It is built for experienced global-health professionals who are based and working in a low- or middle-income country and plan to return there after the fellowship. Fellows keep their jobs through a virtual fall curriculum of executive coaching and faculty mentorship, then spend six weeks in residence at Harvard in Cambridge, Massachusetts, in the spring. The stated aim is to sharpen these leaders’ own skills and equip them to mentor future female leaders in global health. Fellows to date have come from 18 countries, with representation from Africa, Asia, Eastern Europe, and South America.
Benefits & funding
- Housing during the six-week in-residence period at Harvard
- Flights to and from Cambridge, Massachusetts
- Course fees for the executive education course
- Daily per diem for food and transportation, plus a living stipend for the time in the United States
- Visa fees covered
- 1:1 executive leadership coaching to build a personal growth and leadership plan
- 1:1 mentorship with a Harvard faculty mentor
- Private leadership masterclasses led by Harvard faculty, plus leadership workshops, team-building, and public speaking opportunities
Eligibility
- Currently based and working in a low- or middle-income country, with plans to return there after the fellowship
- A minimum of a master’s degree in a relevant field
- Full-time work in the field of global health with at least 10 years of professional experience beyond education; work completed as a university student does not count
- Substantial leadership experience already behind the applicant, plus demonstrated potential for more
- Full support of the employer, plus a champion inside the organization who serves as a reference
- Able to take a leave of absence from the home institution for the six-week in-residence period in April 2027
- Able to obtain a J-1 visa for travel to the United States and to live in the Boston–Cambridge area for those six weeks
- No participation in a full-time fellowship lasting four months or longer during the two years before arriving at Harvard
- Applicants from all continents, regions, disciplines, sectors, genders, and gender identities are welcome
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Education required
Master · PhD
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Experience required
≥ 10 yrs
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Appears to be for women “female leaders”
confirm in the requirements
We only check the criteria we have data for. Always confirm full eligibility on the official page before applying.
Application process
- 1Prepare a CV or resume and a letter of intent of no more than 1.5 pages.
- 2Write four essays of no more than 2,000 characters each: a career development and training plan, a project plan, a plan for mentoring future female leaders, and the expected impact on the applicant’s organization, field, or country.
- 3Obtain a letter of institutional commitment confirming that leave for the April residency is approved.
- 4Obtain a letter of commitment from a professional champion who will act as mentor, plus two further reference letters, at least one from current or recent employment.
- 5Submit all materials through the official online application portal, which stays open for eight weeks once a cycle begins.
Program timeline
Application deadline for the 2026–2027 cohort, 11:59 PM EST
Nov 30, 2025
Selected applicants notified
Spring 2026
The 2026–2027 fellowship year begins with the virtual fall curriculum
Sep 1, 2026
September 2026
Applications open for the 2027–2028 cohort and stay open for eight weeks; no exact date is published yet
Six-week in-person residency at Harvard in Cambridge, Massachusetts
April 2027
Fellowship year ends
Aug 31, 2027