Ascend 2025

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.

APPLICATION ELEMENTS

1. By November 15, 2024, 11:59 p.m. EST: Submit email address of two professional references (a recommendation form will be emailed directly to the references) using the Ascend 2025 Reference Contact Info Submission Form.
   • Your references will need to complete the online recommendation forms by December 1, 2024, 11:59 p.m. EST. Please note, if references are not submitted by then, you will not be considered for the program.
2. By December 1, 2024, 11:59 p.m. EST: Your application should be submitted online using the Ascend 2025 Application Form. Completed applications must include the following:
   1. Answers to the following questions (1,500 characters maximum per question): (1) Why do you think you are well-suited for this leadership program? How do you believe your leadership philosophy aligns with the values and mission of this program?; (2) What do you hope to learn from this leadership program that can help you effect change within the tobacco control field?; (3) What do you hope to learn from this leadership program that can help you grow as a leader?; (4) What draws you to the field of public health and tobacco control, and how does it align with your personal values?; (5) Can you describe a time when you faced a significant challenge? What steps did you take to overcome it, and what did you learn about yourself in the process?; and (6) What do you see yourself doing professionally in 5-10 years, and how do you plan to grow as a leader in that time?. Please note, AI-generated answers are not permitted, and responses will be thoroughly reviewed to ensure compliance with this policy. 
   2. CV/résumé (3 pages maximum) documenting your education, employment history, and current position and responsibilities.

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.