Voices from our Inaugural Fellows

The Gender Equity/GBV Evidence Accelerator Fellowship Program is a year-long inaugural cohort program offering sponsored mentorship and select coursework at the Johns Hopkins University to practitioners, professionals, and scholars engaged in gender equity work, including those focused on gender-based violence (GBV), particularly in low and middle-income settings. In 2024-25, the program’s inaugural offering, 12 fellows were selected through a competitive process from over 2,000 applicants representing 120 countries. Members of the inaugural cohort share reflections on their experience with this unique, hands-on, and valuable program.

Fellowship Program Details 

Overall, my experience as a Gender Equity/GBV Scholar has been deeply rewarding and transformative. One of the primary strengths of the Fellowship program is its emphasis on practical, hands-on learning. Another key strength is the collaborative environment fostered by the program. The program’s mentorship structure is also a standout feature. In addition, the interdisciplinary nature of the program is a major strength…the Fellowship offers a strong emphasis on leadership development. It challenges participants to think critically about their role as change-makers and provides the tools to build resilience and adaptability. 
Lusine Aslanyan, Lead researcher, the Coalition to stop Violence Against Women, Yerevan, Armenia

 

My experience as a Gender Equity/GBV Scholar has been extensively enriching. The fellowship’s design was exceptionally well-developed, emphasizing on practical and applicable skills and knowledge. The program’s emphasis on practical and real hand on applications ensures that scholars gain skills which are not only important and valuable academically but also directly impactful and applicable in real-world situations and for community where they are most needed.
Tein Wan, Gender coordinator, Oxfam in Myanmar

One of the greatest strengths of the Fellowship program is how engaging and interactive it is, even as a distance-learning program. The mix of structured courses like the summer program and interactive elements like seminars and office hours has made this fellowship a rich learning experience. As a Gender Equity/GBV Scholar, my experience has been transformative. When I first joined, I was quite new to the gendered nuances of research and gender analysis, and I had limited exposure to GBV-specific research. This program has truly been an eye-opener, enriching my understanding on so many levels. 
Omera Naseer, Public Health Physician, National Institute of Health, Pakistan

The fellowship has been an unquantifiable pleasant experiences, full of new knowledge and skills. Some of the strengths of the program are the focus on combined knowledge-, skills, practice and policy-based and the interactive/participatory learning method. 
Ayodeji Adebayo, Lecturer, Dept. of Community Medicine, College of Medicine, University of Ibadan, Nigeria

The program's outline is extremely well-thought. The fellowship is rich yet does not feel heavy to balance with our respective workloads. The program's strength is its step-by-step process building up to the final brief as well as the assistance provided by the center's team every step of the way including the mentorship component. 
Nada Zeineb ben Jema, GBV Program Officer, UNFPA, Tunisia Country Office

I’ve deeply appreciated the supportive and collaborative community within the fellowship, where sharing diverse perspectives on gender equity has expanded my approach and built lasting professional relationships. However, what I appreciated the most is the fellowship’s access to specialized resources, workshops, and expert mentorship which has been invaluable for deepening my research and advocacy skills.
Tricia Basdeo-Gobin, Regional Director, The Caribbean Male Action Network, Trinidad & Tobago

This experience has been both challenging and exciting, offering a comprehensive, evidence-based, and practical foundation in gender and GBV research that has significantly advanced my career aspirations as a gender researcher and consultant….[the program has] empowered me to approach complex gender issues with a refined, impactful perspective, bringing me closer to my goal of making a meaningful difference in the field.
Abigael Malelu-Gitau, Research Assistant for East Africa Levy, LTD, Kenya