WCRF International Fellowships

In September 2009 WCRF International awarded six fellowships to outstanding applicants, based on their experience to date, to attend a two-week international course in Nutritional Epidemiology held at Imperial College London. These six WCRF Fellows came from Mongolia, Australia, Hong Kong, UK and the Netherlands. These fellowships were created in order to develop and help encourage new scientists to pursue a career in the area of food, nutrition, and physical activity.

The International Course is a unique course in Nutritional Epidemiology that consists of a mixture of lectures, computer tutorials, small-group paper-critique sessions and discussion sessions with leading experts and faculty members from Imperial College London, WCRF International, the National Institutes of Health, USA, and other institutions from around the world.

The two-week course is aimed at those who have experience in epidemiology at postgraduate level (MSC or PHD level). It is an advanced and interactive course teaching a solid grounding in the knowledge and skills that are required to work as a nutritional epidemiologist. By the end of the course, participants will be able to critically evaluate results from nutritional epidemiological studies, evaluate a diet-disease association and be aware of current developments in the field.

Following the success of the pilot course, WCRF International will be awarding another six fellowships in September 2010 to cover the course fees of £1,950 per place. In future years we would like to increase the number of fellowships awarded. We would also like to offer future financial support to the WCRF Fellows so that they can continue to develop their interests and careers by interacting with other researchers and experts in the field.

Post-course feedback

The comments received following the first two-week course held in September have been very positive. Below are just a couple of comments from those that were awarded WCRF fellowships in 2009.

‘‘I found the International Course in Nutritional Epidemiology both instructive and enjoyable. It coupled a diverse group of students from all over the world with wide-ranging areas of expertise, to a stimulating forum for debate of issues specific to nutritional epidemiology. Not only were the fundamentals taught by leaders in this field, but through class discussions and group presentations we were able to work through more complex issues in a supportive and encouraging environment. Attendance would not have been possible without the generous support of the WCRF. I have made friends and contacts here with peers and potential mentors that will be extremely fruitful to my research career in the future.’’
- Dr Christina Dahm, WCRF Fellow 2009

‘‘This course gave me the opportunity to consolidate and refresh my existing knowledge in nutritional epidemiology, providing me with a greater understanding as well as up-to-date information on important areas within this field. I left the course feeling very motivated and inspired with new ideas and improved approaches and techniques to apply in my current work and research within the area of cancer and nutrition.”
- Ms Genevieve Buckland, WCRF Fellow 2009

If you have any questions or would like to receive more information about supporting one of the 2010 WCRF International Fellowships, please do not hesitate to contact our Major Gifts Fundraiser. Thank you.