Mayday Fellows-Application

Application

Mayday Pain & Society Fellowship:
A Media and Policy Initiative

In 2004, Mayday established the Mayday Pain & Society Fellowship: A Media and Policy Initiative, a fellowship program to train physicians, nurses, pharmacists, social workers, basic, translational and clinical scientists, policy experts and legal scholars in the pain management community to go beyond their own professional pursuits to become leaders and advocates for change in the pain field in the United States and Canada. The Fellowship seeks those applicants who have the capacity, time and passion to become players in the field, and foresee significant impact from their advocacy efforts to improve the lives of people in pain.

The Mayday Pain & Society Fellowship will begin accepting applications on Thursday, March 1, 2012. The deadline for applications for the 2012-13 program is Friday, June 15, 2012. You must submit:

Your completed application
A letter approving your participation in the program from your immediate supervisor or chairperson. The letter should include confirmation that you can devote 10 percent of your time to the Fellowship, and provide supporting background about your candidacy for the Mayday Pain & Society Fellowship.

Finalists will be involved in a phone interview with the Mayday Fellowship Advisory Committee members. Fellows will be selected by the Committee in August 2012.

Download application forms below.

The Mayday Fund, a New York City-based foundation dedicated to alleviating the incidence, degree, and consequence of human physical pain, is interested in providing new leaders in the field with tools that will enable them to reach the broader public and key stakeholders with messages about pain management and the need for improved pain treatment and care. Mayday established the Fellowship to train dozens of leaders, and provide them with intensive training and five months of coaching in media, policy and leadership. Fellows must be available for a three-day training session to be held in Washington, D.C. on October 21-24, 2012. Following completion of the session, each Fellow will be required to spend 10 percent of their time working closely with Burness Communications for five months (November 2012 – March 2013) to develop their own outreach strategy and implement elements from the strategy.

Possible strategic goals include:

Advancing the pain management field in your institution or within your profession
Educating patients and the public about treatments for acute and chronic pain
Translating new science to the public
Educating the public about alternative treatments to pain medications
Developing improved pain management curriculum or trainings
Educating policymakers about the need for improved pain management
Improving the legal environment for effective pain management

Examples of tools for reaching goals could include:

Writing opinion editorials and guest blog posts; providing commentary
Connecting with local and national media
Meeting with or testifying before Members of Congress or state legislators
Inviting media, policymakers or regulators into your institution or to special forums
Establishing a public relations committee within a professional society
Establishing a fellowship, training program, or lectureship on pain in your institution
Creating a grassroots advocacy campaign through social media
Developing a story bank of pain patient profiles

Fellows must meet the following criteria:

Be a health care professional, legal, policy or ethics expert, and/or a behavioral, biological or social scientist. Priority will be given to researchers and practitioners from academic institutions who are able to give time and passion to advocacy work. The application is open to persons at different stages of their careers. Employees of pharmaceutical and medical device companies are not eligible.
Be affiliated with or a member of a United States or Canadian organization, agency or institution—such as academic institutions, government agencies, or private clinical practices, such as hospitals and nursing homes.
Demonstrate expertise in pain in any of the following areas: clinical practice, research, education, law, policy, and ethics.
Commit 10 percent of your professional time to the Fellowship which means:
- Attending three day training in Washington DC on October 21-24, 2012
- Utilizing five months of one-on-one coaching with a public relations representative to pursue media and policy outreach possibilities
- Continuing to pursue advocacy activities beyond the training and coaching period to the best of your ability.
- Staying connected to all Mayday Fellows through the Mayday Fellowship listserv to seek opportunities to advocate and collaborate for improved pain treatment and care.
Be passionate about self-development as a leader and educator on pain with the public, the media and policymakers. Must be committed to making an impact in the pain field.
Speak on behalf of your work or organization, and will not represent The Mayday Fund or Burness Communications.


MAYDAY FELLOWS APPLICATION [PDF]	MAYDAY FELLOWS APPLICATION

Questions? Please read our frequently asked questions.

Please visit success stories from previous Fellows.

There are no tuition costs; travel, seminars, and communications coaching will be covered by the Mayday Fund.