CHPPP Announces Doctoral Fellows for 2012/2013

The Center for Human Potential and Public Policy (CHPPP) recently announced its Dissertation and Pre-Dissertation Fellows for 2012-2013.  CHPPP Fellowships are awarded to PhD candidates from the University of Chicago Harris School of Public Policy whose work shows particular promise in impacting the field of child and family policy research. CHPPP Fellows receive funding to offset expenses incurred during the pursuit of their doctoral degree and become an integral part of the CHPPP community of scholars.

“The CHPPP Fellowship is an investment in the next generation of public policy scholars whose work, we believe, will have a profound and positive impact on the lives of children and families,” said Ariel Kalil, Chicago Harris professor and Director of CHPPP. "Moreover, the Fellowships are a key part of our overall strategy for advancing child and family policy research at Chicago Harris."

The 2012-2013 CHPPP Dissertation Fellowships were awarded to:

• Pedro Bernal for his work examining the effects of health insurance on health care utilization.
• Alejandro Ome for his work studying the impact of the Estatuto de Profesionalziación Docente, an education reform initiative in Columbia.
• Maria Fernanda Rosales Rueda for her research on the interactions between family investments, early-life shocks, and the formation of human capital among children.

The 2012-13 CHPPP Pre-Dissertation Fellowships were awarded to:

• Elise Chor for her research on the effect of public preschool in Australia on family processes.
• Patricia Ritter for her work on women's health and well-being in Peru.

To qualify for the Fellowship, the student’s dissertation research must fall within one of the Center’s three program areas: 1) Child Development, Education, and Human Capital; 2) Poverty, Inequality, and the Human Condition; and 3) Science, Technology, and Society. Pre-Dissertation Fellows receive $2,500 while Dissertation Fellows receive $5,000.

The Fellowship helps students cover a variety of research expenses, such as travel to academic conferences. Pedro Bernal says that his Fellowship allows him to attend relevant academic conferences, like the recent Latin American Economic Association (LACEA) conference, where he is able to present his work, receive feedback from colleagues, and make connections with other researchers working on similar topics.

The Fellowship also allows students to maintain a close connection with CHPPP faculty, which is a significant benefit according to Elise Chor who said she’s “been a part of CHPPP since I began the PhD program. [The continued support from] CHPPP and [CHPPP Director] Professor Ariel Kalil is invaluable to my development.”

CHPPP Fellowships are awarded to students who are working on dissertation proposals (Pre-Dissertation Fellows), or who have passed the proposal stage and are moving toward the defense of their dissertation (Dissertation Fellows). Dissertation Fellowships are often awarded to students who were previously awarded Pre-Dissertation Fellowships, offering continuous support through critical phases of their training. 

“As a pre-dissertation fellow in 2011-2012, I had the opportunity to share my early findings with the CHPPP community, which provided me with excellent feedback,” said Alejandro Ome. “The continuity this year in the fellowship program will allow me to show my progress to a community already familiar with my work, which will make the interactions much more fluid and valuable.”

Laurel Spindel, Associate Director of CHPPP, said that beyond providing support for promising scholars, the Fellowships help strengthen and broaden the Center’s community of researchers and its impact on an increasingly important field of public policy research.  

“These awards allow CHPPP to act as an incubator for students who are working on child and family policy research, and further establishes us as a leading training program in this field, producing some of the finest experts in the world,” Spindel explained.   

Maria Fernanda Rosales Rueda said, “Being part of the CHPPP community has been very rewarding; [it] has given me the opportunity to interact with faculty and students, and receive their helpful comments.”

Patricia Ritter concurred, saying that, “Thanks to this grant, I now have the funds I need for this school year and I will be able to spend more time working on my research. But this is not the only advantage; thanks to the fellowship I am now part of an important community of researchers.”

For more information about CHPPP’s fellowships, visit the Funding Opportunities page of their website.