UCSF National Center of Excellence in Women's Health

Program on Reproductive Health and the Environment

Reach the Decision Makers Training Program

The Reach the Decision Makers Training Program is designed to help your organinzation directly inform the US Environmental Protection Agency on the issues that are important to your community.

Reach the Decision Makers (Reach), a project of the UCSF Program on Reproductive Health and the Environment, is an innovative science and policy training program that works to increase the number of scientists, community-based leaders, public health and health care professionals who are actively involved in informing the US Environmental Protection Agency (USEPA) of current and relevant scientific findings impacting their decisions in setting policy. Reach is designed based on the very successful “Women’s Policy Institute” of the Women’s Foundation of California. We believe Reach will help translate science into meaningful public policy that can protect reproductive health.

Year 3 of the program begins in April 2012. There will be 11 webinars with the final training occurring in November 2012. Fellows will also fly to Washington, DC in May to attend a two-day retreat that includes both training and a meeting at the USEPA. Exact dates for webinars and the Washington DC retreat are included in the application. The trainings will address issues related to environmental reproductive health science and public policy, including how to work with the USEPA, understanding science and the role of science in public health decision-making, team building and leadership, and how communities can use science to improve community health and well-being.

New this year! We encourage both individuals and pre-formed teams to apply.

Pre-formed team. This could be an existing coalition or any group of individuals who want to form a team of four to six individuals. Reach would prefer teams that include a diverse mix of community-based leaders, researchers, health care professionals, and public health professionals.

Individuals. Researchers, community-based leaders, public health professionals, and health care professionals with experience in reproductive or environmental health are encouraged to apply.

Once selected, teams will research and develop a policy project that addresses a pressing environmental reproductive health issue. Each team’s policy project will be the basis of their engagement with USEPA at in-person meetings in Washington DC in October, 2012. The purpose of the visit is to engage the agency on the team’s policy project, to learn more about the agency’s activities and to share their perspectives on environmental reproductive health science and policy. Fellows will be trained to identify the appropriate EPA office(s) and staff, set up their own meetings, and develop meeting materials. Each team will have a team mentor, as well as PRHE staff, who will help guide the team in developing and implementing their policy project.

This project is made possible through a 3 year grant from the Kresge Foundation. Each fellow will receive a $500 stipend for participating in this project. Costs associated with the training program (travel, housing, food, teleconference costs) will be covered by the program. Out-of-pocket costs to participants are expected to be minimal beyond the time commitment required for participation.

The 2012 class of 18-24 (4-6 teams) fellows will be open to participants throughout the United States. We encourage wide dissemination of this announcement so please pass this information on to scientists, community-based leaders, public health professionals, physicians, nurses and other and health care professionals who have an interest in becoming actively involved in shaping the direction of USEPA policy to improve public health.

A packet containing the application for the 2012 class, details on webinar dates and topics and information on commitment expected of fellows is provided in the link below:

Application - Word Version

Applications are due February 24, 2012.

Informational conference calls have taken place for the 2012 class. To see a recording of the webinar, please click here: https://cc.readytalk.com/play?id=7ehzir

Please join us during one of these times to learn more about Reach the Decision Makers and to have your questions answered. Please RSVP for one of these calls by sending an email to: reach@obgyn.ucsf.edu.

To have a copy of the application emailed to you, please send an email to: reach@obgyn.ucsf.edu.

If you have any questions about the program or eligibility requirements, please email reach@obgyn.ucsf.edu or contact PRHE at (510) 986-8944.