Chevening Healthcare, Health Policy, and Health Reform Fellowship

The British Embassy and British Consulates-General in China work closely with a number of key Chinese institutions and top UK universities to support the professional development of mid-career fellows in key thematic sectors throughout distinct research fellowship programmes.

The Chevening Healthcare, Health Policy and Health Reform Fellowship is hosted at the University of Oxford.

The fellowship is funded by the UK Foreign, Commonwealth, and Development Office.

Programme structure

The aim of this six-month fellowship is to offer mid-career professionals the opportunity to spend time at the University of Oxford as a visiting fellow, researching an agreed topic in health and related social policy that aligns with the UK government’s Global Health Framework.

Fellows are advised that their study should benefit directly from their time in Oxford and will contribute strongly to discussion around the ongoing health and social policy reform in China.

Fellows are expected to complete a paper of up to 10,000 words in English. Research topics should align with the three key objectives outlined in the Global Health Framework or any of the following topics that support UK and China key collaboration areas in health policy:

• Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) and the ‘One Health’ approach
• Infectious disease surveillance, prevention and control
• Accelerating the lifecycle of the development of vaccines, therapeutics and diagnostics for new and emerging diseases.
• Climate change and health
• Ageing populations and ‘healthy ageing’.
• Non-communicable diseases

During their time in Oxford, fellows are hosted by the Department for Continuing Education. They receive both academic and pastoral support from the Oxford faculty, and will be entitled to attend open lectures, seminars and other academic activities on the same basis as other Visiting Fellows.

Benefits

• Full programme fees for Oxford Visiting Scholar Status*.
• Living expenses for the duration of the fellowship.
• Return economy airfare from China to the UK.
• Allowance package for research-related activities.
• Access to a programme of cultural events and activities organised by the FCDO and the Chevening Secretariat.

* Should any Visiting Fellow wish to enrol or participate in a course, activity or conference outside of what is available to Visiting Fellows,  they will be individually responsible for any and all related fees/costs.

Eligibility 

To be eligible for a Chevening Health Fellowship, you must:

• Agree to adhere to all relevant guidelines and expectations for the programme.
• Be a citizen of China, currently live in the country, and intend to return to China at the end of the period of study.
• Hold a postgraduate (PG) level qualification (or equivalent professional training or experience in a relevant area) at the time of application.
• Significant and meaningful professional experience of 5+ years of employment, or currently enrolled PhD candidate (PhD must not be with a UK/EU or USA university).
• Applicants who have previously received financial benefit from an HMG-funded scholarship or fellowship, are eligible to apply after a period of 5 years following the completion of their first HMG-funded award and are required to demonstrate their career progression from that point.
• Not hold dual nationality where one nationality is British (other than for nationals exempt from this requirement listed in the Chevening Guidance for Applicants).
• Not be an employee, a former employee, or relative* of an employee of His Majesty’s Government, or have been within the last two years from the opening of Chevening applications (including the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, all British Embassies/High Commissions, the Home Office, the Ministry of Defence, the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, the Department for International Trade and the UKVI), the British Council, a sponsoring UK university, or a staff member of the Association of Commonwealth Universities.
• Employees, former employees, or relatives* of an employee of Chevening Partner organisations are eligible to apply, but if the employment took place within the last two years, you cannot receive a Chevening Partner Award from the organisation from which you work, previously worked, or are affiliated with through relatives.

*Relatives are defined as parents or step parents, siblings or step-siblings, children or step-children, spouse, civil partner or unmarried partner (where the couple have been in a relationship akin to marriage or civil partnership for at least two years)

Application timeline

Key dates for Chevening Healthcare, Health Policy, and Health Reform Fellowship

Please note this timeline is subject to change.