The Yuet Mei Chin PhD Research Fellowship supports Yale School of Public Health doctoral students conducting research on climate change and health. Launched in 2026 through the Yuet Mei Chin Innovation Fund, the program helps students develop climate-focused projects early in their research, build connections across departments, and grow a community of climate and health scholars at YSPH.
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2026
Program launched
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4
Inaugural fellows
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$4,000+
Research support per fellow, plus partial stipend
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Annual
Applications open each year
What the program supports
The fellowship funds research aligned with the YCCCH Research Vision — academic work that helps safeguard human health from the impacts of climate change. Projects are welcome from all YSPH departments and typically engage themes such as Planetary and One Health, climate and environmental justice, and real-world policy impact.
Meet the 2026–2027 Fellows
Cole B. Brookson
4th-year PhD · Epidemiology of Microbial Diseases · Advisor: Dr. Colin Carlson
Cole’s project focuses on quantifying climate effects on infectious disease dynamics and projecting how climate change will alter the frequency of historically rare epidemics.
Francisco Díaz-Collado
4th-year PhD · Environmental Health Sciences · Advisor: Dr. Kai Chen
Francisco’s project examines temperature-related mortality in Puerto Rico, including spatial and temporal differences in vulnerability to high and low temperatures.
Torre Lavelle
4th-year PhD · Epidemiology of Microbial Diseases · Advisor: Dr. Colin Carlson
Torre’s project studies environmental, agricultural, and socioeconomic drivers of influenza A/H5N1 spillover risk and geographic spread.
Mitchell Manware
2nd-year PhD · Environmental Health Sciences · Advisor: Dr. Daniel Carrión
Mitchell’s project focuses on improving heat vulnerability assessment by validating heat vulnerability indices and developing tools to inform heat adaptation planning.
What fellows gain
Beyond financial support, the fellowship connects students to a growing community of climate and health scholars at YSPH. Fellows receive:
- Research funding — $4,000 to support research, travel, or publication costs, with partial stipend support for select fellows
- A cohort community — membership in the YCCCH PhD Fellows cohort, built through networking, training, and career development events
- Center engagement — participation in YCCCH research and education activities, including Fellow social events and the annual Yale Forum on Climate Change and Health
- Renewable support — fellowships may be renewed for a second year, contingent on progress and available funding
Applications for future cohorts will open annually. Details will be posted here when the next call is announced.