Leadership Development for the Future of Tobacco Control

Ascend 2025

Program Overview

The Institute for Global Tobacco Control (IGTC) at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health is pleased to announce the continuation of the leadership program, Ascend: Leadership Development for the Future of Tobacco Control, which will develop and enhance the skills of participants in the low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) with the largest burden of tobacco-caused death and disease.

The application period for Ascend 2025 has closed. Check back in Fall 2025 for information about future programs. 

The goal of this part-time, 11–month leadership program is to kindle a deep passion for tobacco control in these future leaders, channel their frustrations about injustices and inequities, especially those caused by the tobacco industry, and provide them with new skills and opportunities to be part of the global tobacco control community and sustain the tobacco control movement.

PROGRAM COSTS

There is no cost for the program for selected applicants. Program-related costs for the in-person workshop will be covered by IGTC.

PROGRAM DATES

February-December 2025 (part-time, 11-month commitment)

SUBMISSION DEADLINE

The application period for Ascend 2025 closed on December 1, 2024, 11:59 p.m. EST. Applicants will receive an email notification about the status of their application no later than January 30, 2025. Questions can be directed to tcleaders@jhu.edu. 

LEARNING OBJECTIVES

At the completion of Ascend: Leadership Development for the Future of Tobacco Control, participants will:

  • Have increased their understanding of key tobacco control history, topics, and issues;
  • Have acquired enhanced leadership capacity and systems thinking skills to champion effective tobacco control policies;
  • Have developed the ability to apply effective leadership principles in their daily roles;
  • Have had an opportunity to be selected for an internship, to apply program content in the real world;
  • Have built connections with national and international colleagues involved in tobacco control through the Program’s training and mentorship initiatives;
  • Have fostered a community amongst their peers, be welcomed into the global tobacco control community, and continue to stay engaged in tobacco control-related efforts.

APPROACH

The Program combines skills development and mentorship. Participants will:

  • Complete the comprehensive online course: Global Tobacco Control: Learning from the Experts and attend a session following the completion of the online course with select IGTC faculty to discuss course content and questions about tobacco control;
  • Commit to participation in monthly online learning/discussion sessions starting on April 2025;
  • Complete other assignments as determined by the Ascend team;
  • Attend an in-person workshop to be held on a selected date and country between June–August 2025;
  • Commit to participation in monthly mentorship meetings from May through November;
  • Optional: Up to 20 selected participants will be placed into a paid internship for 16 weeks (20 hours per week) with a BI grantee or partner organization;
  • Submit a final brief report at the end of the program detailing how they have applied/anticipate applying the skills gained in Ascend.

TIME COMMITMENT

The time commitment is substantial, and successful applicants are expected to complete all aspects of the curriculum in adherence with assigned schedules/deadlines. Failure to complete any aspect of the program on time will result in termination from Ascend 2025.

SELECTION CRITERIA

After an initial review of applications by the selection committee, promising applicants will be shortlisted and interviewed. Successful applicants must:

  1. Be between 18 and 30 years of age by the start of the program (February 1, 2025; applicants turning 31 during the program may still apply).
  2. Be a citizen and live in one of the Bloomberg Initiative’s ten priority countries (Bangladesh, Brazil, China, India, Indonesia, Mexico, Pakistan, the Philippines, Ukraine, and Vietnam) for the entire duration of the program; promising candidates from other LMICs may be considered.
  3. Have a public health, public policy, international relations, environmental health, medicine, nursing, pharmacy, economics or other relevant background (professionally, academically or through volunteer work).
  4. Commit to an 11-month, part-time program (February-December 2025), including online training and mentorship, an in-person workshop, and an optional internship. We expect to hold quarterly meetings in the second year of the program.
  5. Be proficient in written and spoken English.
  6. Be able to secure a valid passport for travel by February 28, 2025.