PROVIDENCE, R.I. [Brown University] – PSTC Predoctoral Trainee Adedotun Ogunbajo has been selected for the competitive 2018-2019 U.S. Policy Communication Training program offered by the Population Reference Bureau. As part of the program, Ogunbajo will participate in a week-long workshop in June at the Bureau in Washington, DC.

Following the workshop, participants continue with practical application and mentoring during the 2018-2019 academic year. They are expected to prepare two policy communication products such as a policy brief, blog, or op-ed based on their dissertation or other research results and will receive feedback from PRB staff to help improve their work.

Ogunbajo, a second-year doctoral student in Brown’s School of Public Health in the Department of Behavioral and Social Sciences, researches the intersection of substance use, mental health, and HIV risk among racial and sexual minority communities in North American and Sub-Saharan Africa. His dissertation project will address these issues among Nigerian men, with his primary data collection beginning later this year. 

“I had seen the opportunity listed in the PSTC announcements, decided to apply, and was selected,” Ogunbajo said. “I just want to express my gratitude to my academic advisors, Dr. Matthew Mimiaga and Dr. Katie Biello, for their guidance and support and to the PSTC for all the opportunities afforded me as a trainee.”

The U.S. Policy Communication Training Program aims to train “researchers to bridge the gap between research findings and the policy development process” and to “influence policy and practice through effective communication.” The program is made possible by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services—National Institutes of Health (NIH) Eunice Kennedy Shriver Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD). Priority is given to applicants who are current or previous trainees of NICHD-supported population centers in the United States, including the PSTC.

Participants who successfully complete the one-week training and all writing assignments by the end of the program year will become eligible to apply for a travel stipend to present their research at a policy-oriented meeting or conference.