Greenwall Fellowship in Bioethics

The next call for nominations will open in March 2025.

The overall purpose of the Greenwall Fellowship in Bioethics is to provide talented, early-career bioethics scholars with the opportunity to experience and participate in evidence-based healthcare or public health studies and policy-making process that improve the care and access to care of patients in domestic and global health care systems. The Greenwall Fellowship in Bioethics enables young investigators to participate actively in the work of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (the National Academies) and to further their careers as future leaders addressing bioethics issues in clinical care, biomedical research, and public policy. Supported through an endowment from the Greenwall Foundation, the program especially welcomes nominations of historically underrepresented candidates.

The Greenwall Fellowship is part of the NAM Fellowships for Health Science Scholars program. See all opportunities >>

Current Fellow

Kavita Shah Arora, MD, MBE, MS

Kavita Shah Arora, MD, MBE, MS

2021-2023 Greenwall Fellow

Dr. Arora is an Associate Professor and the Division Director for General Obstetrics and Gynecology at the University of North Carolina – Chapel Hill. Her clinical, research, and education interests center around reproductive justice and ensuring evidence-based and equitable reproductive health policy, with a focus on contraceptive disparities. Dr. Arora currently serves as the Chair of the national ethics committee of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists and on the Governing Council for the Young Physicians Section of the American Medical Association. She has also served on the national ethics committee of the American Medical Association and on the Board of Directors of the American Society for Bioethics and the Humanities. She has authored over 70 peer-reviewed publications and has been funded by the Society for Family Planning, HRSA, and the NIH.

Dr. Arora received her BS with a minor in Philosophy from the Pennsylvania State University. She graduated with both an MD from Jefferson Medical College and a Master’s Degree in Bioethics from the University of Pennsylvania. She completed her residency in Obstetrics and Gynecology at McGaw Medical Center of Northwestern University. She subsequently completed an MS in Clinical Research at Case Western Reserve University.

Past Fellows

Rachel Fabi, PhD

Rachel Fabi, PhD

2019-2021 Greenwall Fellow

Neal Dickert, Jr., MD, PhD

Neal Dickert, Jr., MD, PhD

2017-2019 Greenwall Fellow

Brendan Saloner, PhD

Brendan Saloner, PhD

2015-2017 Greenwall Fellow

Fellowship Description

The Greenwall Fellowship in Bioethics is awarded for a two-year period. During this time, the fellow is expected to continue to work at their main academic post, while being assigned to a health- and medicine-related board of the National Academies. The boards are:

  • Children, Youth, and Families,
  • Food and Nutrition,
  • Global Health,
  • Health Care Services,
  • Health Sciences Policy, and
  • Population Health and Public Health Practice.

The fellowship requires a 10- to 20-percent commitment of time for two years, and includes attendance at a one-week orientation to health policy, the NAM Annual Meeting in October and the meetings of the assigned board. Domestic travel expenses are covered for participation in approved fellowship activities. Additionally, the fellow will participate actively in the work of an appropriate study committee or roundtable, including contributing to its reports or other products. Studies that would enable the potential for the fellow to contribute to the value of integrating medicine and public health will be identified.

This experience will introduce the Greenwall Fellow to a variety of experts and perspectives, including legislators, government officials, industry leaders, executives of voluntary health organizations, scientists, and other health professionals. In addition, each fellow will be assigned to an NAM member who will serve as a senior mentor during the two years of the fellowship.

A flexible research grant of $25,000 is awarded to each Greenwall Fellow, which will be administered through the appropriate department in the fellow’s home institution to advance the fellow’s professional and academic career. This grant is not intended for use as a salary offset for the fellow, and no indirect costs are allowed.

Eligibility

Nominees for the Greenwall Fellowship in Bioethics must:

  • Be nominated by a member of the NAM
  • Hold an M.D., D.O., J.D., Ph.D., or an equivalent degree, with completion of post-graduate work two to ten years prior to the award
  • Have demonstrated interest in, focus on, and scholarship on addressing bioethics issues in clinical care, biomedical research, public health, or public policy
  • Be able to dedicate 10 to 20 percent of time to the fellowship for two years
  • Be endorsed by the department chair, institute director, or equivalent
Selection Criteria

Nominees will be evaluated by an NAM-appointed committee based on their professional qualifications, scholarship, and quality of professional accomplishments as evidenced through publications and research grants, and relevance of current field of expertise to the work of the NAM.

Nomination Packet

A complete nomination packet must be submitted electronically through the online nomination system at https://fellowship.nam.edu/ and will include the following documents:

  • A nomination letter from a member of the NAM
  • Three (3) letters of reference
  • A supporting letter from the candidate’s department chair, institute director, or equivalent
  • An up-to-date curriculum vitae
  • A brief one-page bio
  • A one-page personal statement

Timeline

Fellowships will be awarded in odd years.

  • March 2025 | Call for nominations opens 
  • June 2025 | Nomination packets are due at 3:00pm ET 
  • July 2025 | Awardee is notified 
  • September 2025 | Fellow orientation week at the NAM is held 
  • October 2025 | Fellow is introduced to the Membership at the NAM Annual Meeting 

Program Administration

Inquiries about the Greenwall Fellowship in Bioethics should be directed to:

Yumi Phillips
Program Officer
Health Policy Fellowships and Leadership Programs
National Academy of Medicine
500 Fifth Street, NW
Washington, DC 20001
Phone: (202) 334-1506
Email: yphillips@nas.edu

The Greenwall Fellowship in Bioethics was established in 2015 through an endowment from the Greenwall Foundation.


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