SDOH & Place Fellowship 2026 Applications Open!
January 9, 2026 Herop Lab
The SDOH & Place Fellowship is a part-time virtual program of the SDOH & Place Project, sponsored by the Healthy Regions & Policies Lab at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, with funding in part from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. Throughout this program, Fellows will learn how to develop a social determinants of health (SDOH) place-based visualization (e.g., asset map, story map, thematic map, or dashboard) based on a human-centered design (HCD) framework and participatory design principles. Fellows will additionally contribute to the SDOH & Place community toolkit’s design, a core component of the SDOH & Place Project.
Information Session
When: Friday, January 23rd, 2026 at 12 PM CST
Where: Virtual, over Zoom. Register Here.
Need help with your application? Come join the virtual information session covering expectations for the SDOH & Place Fellowship in more detail, recommendations for writing your project proposal and how to craft your application, and the expectations of ambassadors of the SDOH & Place Fellowship Program should you get accepted.
Also in this session will be information regarding our new, upcoming, Summer Design Fellowship lead by our Senior Designer, Shubham Kumar! More information on that fellowship soon to come!
If you can’t make this information session, don’t worry! You’ll be able to view this year’s session on our YouTube after the session is complete: https://youtube.com/@healthyregionspolicieslab?si=mj2LE894kFz79lwt.
The Program
This program has six virtual modules that will enhance Fellows’ design and technological skills, enabling them to create compelling place-based visualizations using SDOH data. The program features an introduction to human-centered design (HCD) and participatory design principles. HCD and participatory design principles emphasize social and spatial equity by advocating for the development of user-friendly applications in collaboration with the communities that will use them, rather than simply for them. Furthermore, given that a substantial portion of SDOH and place-related data is geospatial in nature, our program highlights essential skills in spatial data wrangling, place-based visualizations, and spatial analysis. Upon completing the program, Fellows will be capable of developing their own application or prototype, which they may potentially refine within the context of their SDOH projects.
Fellows will be introduced to a range of free and/or open source GIS technologies to enhance their design, analysis, and data communication skills. Fellows can choose from technologies that range from no-code options like StoryMapJS and uMap, to those that require coding such as R and MapBox GL, in order to create compelling place-based visualizations to communicate their SDOH findings and health initiatives.
If you’d like to see examples of previous work completed by Fellows of the SDOH & Place Fellowship, you can watch last year’s cohort present their prototypes at the 2025 SDOH & Place Project Symposium here, or read about their work on the Symposium Blogpost here.
Who We’re Looking For
We are seeking individuals in the field of health equity, regardless of their experience level. We welcome individuals who are part of larger organizations and have the time and enthusiasm to bring their data visualization projects to fruition. Given that this Fellowship is a collaborative initiative, we are particularly interested in individuals who can provide their current expertise within the field of health equity. Ideal candidates will have some experience with basic statistical software and database filters (e.g., Excel and Google spreadsheets) and simple web-mapping applications (e.g., Google Maps and Tripline). Above all, we highly value individuals who are determined to advance their skills in these areas—and bring their work in health equity—to a higher level.
Prospective candidates already have a general novel project in mind for their realm of health equity, but they might need more skills or knowledge to get started. These potential ventures could encompass diverse place-based visualizations and equity objectives, such as creating a resource map of healthy food options for a community-based group, translating research findings on pollution impacts in a neighborhood, or producing a story map to advocate for health initiatives within vulnerable populations. Moreover, these projects may be enhanced, expanded, or adapted with the assistance of the Healthy Regions and Policies Lab team during the program.
Finally, we would like to note that a large part of this Fellowship will involve learning and improving the individual’s skills in place-based social determinants of health data visualizations. As such, this Fellowship is closed to those who already have expert-level knowledge in the development of these geo-spatial applications. If you would like to be involved in the SDOH & Place Project, but are ineligible for the Fellowship, explore our website for options, or send us a message through our contact us page.
Who We Are
The Healthy Regions and Policies Lab, located at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, is a dynamic research hub that employs cutting-edge techniques in GIScience, public health, and statistics to investigate, comprehend, and advocate for healthier communities. We’re experts in measuring the social determinants of health as community context and developing open resources. Recent initiatives include:
- The US Covid Atlas: a comprehensive map that monitors the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on diverse communities throughout the United States.
- The ChiVes Project: an innovative tool designed for mapping and accessing data on environmental metrics in Chicago, developed with a research coalition.
- We also spearhead the Opioid Environment Policy Scan & lead the Geospatial Program at the JCOIN Methodology and Advanced Analytics Resource Center at the University of Chicago to improve understanding of the community context of the opioid epidemic and access to medications for opioid use disorder.
Our latest undertaking, The SDOH & Place project, reinforces our commitment to enhancing health equity and adds to our growing portfolio of projects.
Time Commitment
The SDOH & Place fellowship is a part-time virtual program that will span from April 24th to July 31st, 2026. The total time commitment required from Fellows is about 40 hours split into the following:
- 2-hour virtual workshops held on the following dates:
- Friday, April 24th from 10 AM- 12 PM CDT
- Friday, May 8th from 10 AM- 12 PM CDT
- Friday, May 22nd from 10 AM- 12 PM CDT
- Friday, June 19th from 10 AM- 12 PM CDT
- Friday, July 17th from 10 AM- 12 PM CDT
- Friday, July 31st from 10 AM- 12 PM CDT
- 5 hours of individual practice per session topic (learning & practice)
- 10 hours of development time to finalize and share the prototype
In addition, all fellows will be required to attend a 2-day conference in Chicago, IL from September 23rd to September 25th to share and review their final prototypes. Travel stipends will be provided.
Stipend
All Fellows will be given the following for the development of their project:
- $5,000 for the development of the proposed project
- Travel funding to attend the 2-day conference in Chicago, IL, from September 23rd–September 25th, 2026
**Stipend Eligibility** At this time, we are only able to provide stipends & travel funding for U.S. based applicants. See a complete list of eligibility details here. If your immigration status is not on the list, we will unfortunately be unable to admit you to the SDOH & Place Fellowship program.
How to Apply [Application Form open as of Jan. 12th @ 12 AM CST]
The Fellowship application can be accessed at: go.illinois.edu/SDOH-26-APPLY.
In addition to a completed application, the following items are required and will be attached to each application:
- A 500-word MAX statement detailing the proposed SDOH and place-based equity project to be developed.
- Provide availability for each workshop. Priority will be given to those who can attend all workshops.
- Be able to attend the 2-day conference September 23rd to September 25th.
- Provide a Resume/CV detailing work in health equity. No experience in data dashboard development is required.
- One letter of recommendation.
Applications are due on Saturday, February 28th, 2026 at 11:59 PM CST. The program will start with the first Workshop on Friday, April 24th, 2026. If you have any additional questions, please contact our Research Coordinator, Marc Astacio-Palmer (mastacio@illinois.edu).
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
What does it mean if I am not accepted into the Fellowship?
Acceptance into the fellowship is mainly based on the following factors:
- Strength and novelty of the project proposal: Our application review team should be able to clearly tell what the project is, and how the applicant plans to develop to project. We recommend applicants follow the SMART goal format for their proposals. In addition, you should be certain that your project idea has not already been done by someone else.
- Feasibility of completing a project prototype within the timeframe of the program: Sometimes we do review proposals that we believe are truly excellent, but due to the time constraints of the program we must reject them as we believe they will not be able to complete the project prototype, or get the data for it, in time for the Symposium that concludes the program. Please note, that prototypes are not the completed project, but rather its first draft.
- Current skillset in developing geospatial applications: The purpose of this Fellowship is two-fold: 1) to help individuals skill-up their current research and advocacy within health equity by teaching them how to develop their own geospatial applications within a human-centered design framework and 2) to evaluate the Community Toolkit for improvements. As such, individuals who already have the knowledge and/or skills to develop their own geospatial applications are ineligible to participate in this Fellowship.
- Availability of workshop and Symposium attendance: Attendance to these interactive portions of the Symposium is necessary to the success of the Fellowship. Priority will be given to those who can attend both.
- Strength of Health Equity Background & Letter of Recommendation: Both your CV and your Letter of Recommendation should speak to your background in the field of Health Equity.
Applying to the SDOH & Place Fellowship is extremely competitive. In 2024 we had an acceptance rate of 32% and in 2025 we had an even lower acceptance rate of 24%. As the project grows, and we get more interested applicants, our ability to accept people into the program becomes ever more limited. While we wish we could accept all qualified applicants into the program, we simply do not have the budget, or bandwidth, to do so. As a result, our review team is forced to cut hairs when deciding who will be accepted into the program and many qualified individuals might end up waitlisted, or rejected from this upcoming cohort. If you happen to be rejected, please do not take it to heart, you might very well be qualified—even over-qualified—for the program. We invite anyone who wants to be a part of the project to collaborate with us, and if you have questions regarding the outcome of your application, you are free to contact us regarding our decision.
What is the program stipend, and how will I receive it?
The Fellowship stipend, and the travel stipend, falls under the financial category of a Participant Support Cost. This can be received via ACH or mailed-check and will be distributed in two parts: half before and half after the conclusion of the program. Stipends also can only be sent to the accepted individual, not organizations/institutions. Before applying, please make sure that your institution allows you to accept such a stipend, as applicants who cannot accept the stipend will be ineligible to participate in the program.
My institution will not allow me to accept the fellowship stipend, can I still participate in the program?
No. Individuals who cannot accept the stipend may not participate in the program. If you are accepted, but later find out that you cannot accept the stipend, your spot will be forfeited and given to an applicant on the waitlist. Please double-check with your institution before applying that you can accept this stipend.
What happens if I am accepted into the program but later find out that I am unable to attend the SDOH & Place Symposium in September?
All ambassadors of the program are required to present their prototype in-person at the SDOH & Place Symposium. However, we do understand that sometimes circumstances arise that make travel impossible. In the event that you are unable to attend the Symposium in-person, you may instead present online over Zoom, or submit a recording of yourself to be played in your absence. If none of these options work, you will forfeit receipt of the rest of your stipend, and may be required to return the first half of your stipend depending on the situation.
Do I have to present at the SDOH & Place Symposium in September?
Yes. All ambassadors must present at the Symposium. If circumstances change and you are unable to attend in-person, we will work with you on alternative presentation formats.
Can I have the stipend sent to my parent organization, or a charity of my choice?
No. The stipend will be given as a participant support cost, and may only be accepted by the individual participating in the fellowship.
Can I change my project during the program if I decide the project is no longer right for me?
Minor changes to your project such as the type of data visualization you are making may be changed as you go through the program, especially if you learn from the program that a different type of visualization would work better for your project. However, major changes such as project topic cannot be made as applicants are accepted based largely in part from their projects. If during the program you decide your project no longer works for you, a discussion will be held between you and the Fellow organizers to see what path forward needs to be taken.
What is the difference between an Ambassador and a Fellow?
When applicants are first accepted into the program they are recognized as “Ambassadors to the SDOH & Place Fellowship program.” Upon completion of the program, Ambassadors will graduate to “Fellows of the SDOH & Place Fellowship.”
I’m ineligible to participate in the Fellowship Program, but I would still like to be a part of the SDOH & Place Project, how can I get involved?
There are multiple ways to get involved in the SDOH & Place Project, such as writing or reviewing an SDOH Research Guide, presenting at the Symposium as a guest speaker, and more! If you would like more information on how to get involved, explore our website, or send us a message through our Contact Us page.
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