The CHPC Early Scholars program brings together PhD students, postdoctoral fellows, and other early-stage trainees across Cornell to build community, foster professional development, and provide exposure to health policy research and resources. Through structured workshops, panels, and networking opportunities, Early Scholars will gain valuable insights into the academic and policy job markets, develop professional skills, and connect with faculty and peers across the Ithaca and Weill campuses.

The program is designed to:

• Create a supportive community among early scholars.
• Offer practical preparation for the job market, conferences, and research dissemination.
• Provide exposure to faculty, research, and policy-relevant resources.
• Strengthen connections between trainees and CHPC.

SPRING 2026 SESSIONS

• Feb 25: From Idea to Award: Early Career Grant Strategies in Health Policy
  • This session will demystify the federal grant landscape for early career health policy scholars. Led by three faculty members who have successfully secured federal funding at the trainee and early career stages, the panel will share practical guidance on identifying the right mechanisms, developing competitive proposals, and positioning your research for funding success. Panelists will also discuss lessons learned, common pitfalls, and how early funding can shape a sustainable and impactful research trajectory. Panelists include:
    • William Lodge III, Assistant Professor, Cornell Brooks 
    • Jiani Yu, Assistant Professor, Health Policy and Economics Division, Weill Cornell 
    • Yongkang Zhang, Assistant Professor, Health Policy and Economics Division, Weill Cornell

• March 11: Finding, Accessing, and Using Data at Cornell for Health Policy Research
  • This session will introduce key data and computing resources available at Cornell to support health policy research. Led by the Research Director of the Cornell Health Policy Center and a representative from Computing & Data Services at the Cornell Center for Social Sciences, the panel will highlight data assets, secure computing environments, and research support services that can help scholars move from research question to analysis more efficiently. Participants will learn how to access these resources and integrate them into their own health policy projects. Panelists include:
    • Kayla Tormohlen – Senior Research Associate, Health Policy and Economics Division, Weill Cornell, and Research Director of the Cornell Health Policy Center 
    • Florio Orocio Arguillas – Member of Computing & Data Services at Cornell Center for Social Sciences (CCSS)

Data Resources for Health Policy Researchers

Cornell Center for Social Sciences Computing & Data Services

• April 22: The Funding Landscape: Choosing the Right Grants at the Right Time
  • This session offers a big-picture view of the research funding landscape from an institutional research development perspective. Led by Cornell’s Associate Director of Research Development, the discussion will introduce different types of grants and funding mechanisms, key considerations when evaluating opportunities, and how scholars can strategically weigh tradeoffs across funding sources at different career stages. The session will also demystify the role of a Research Development Office—what it does, how scholars can work with it, and why understanding this infrastructure is valuable as students prepare for faculty and research-focused careers. Panelist:
    • Gayle Fagan, Associate Director, Research Development, Cornell Ithaca

Get Involved

We welcome PhD students, postdocs, medical students, and other early-stage researchers with an interest in health policy.

• If you’d like to learn more or join the program, please reach out to the CHPC team at chpc@cornell.edu

Current Trainees