INHSU Fellowship Program supporting women who use drugs — Applications open

The INHSU Fellowship Program is a nine-month mentorship and skills-development initiative for early and mid-career U.S. researchers and practitioners working to improve health outcomes for women who use drugs. It builds practical capacity, strengthens leadership, and supports evidence-based, gender-responsive approaches in hepatitis, HIV, and harm reduction.

Women who use drugs experience some of the most persistent health inequities globally, driven by stigma, criminalisation, gender-based violence, caregiving responsibilities, and limited access to gender-responsive harm reduction and healthcare services. These inequities contribute to disproportionate risks of HIV and hepatitis C, alongside barriers to testing, treatment, and ongoing care.

At the same time, many of the professionals working to address these challenges face constraints of their own, including limited mentorship, restricted resources, and few opportunities to build specialised skills or leadership capacity. The INHSU Fellowship Program was developed to help address these gaps and strengthen the workforce supporting women who use drugs.

• The Fellowship is open to early- to mid-career U.S.-based researchers and healthcare practitioners working in hepatitis, HIV, or substance use-related health fields
• Over nine months, selected Fellows will take part in a structured learning experience combining tailored mentorship, skills development, and peer support, alongside active participation in INHSU’s global network
• The program includes a webinar series focused on gendered barriers, stigma, service innovation, research design, and knowledge translation; dedicated peer sessions for shared learning and support; and up to four one-to-one mentor meetings
• Fellows will also be required to participate in the INHSU 2026 Conference in Prague as part of a curated learning experience
• The Fellowship aims to support participants to strengthen research projects, improve service delivery, build leadership confidence, and translate evidence into real-world impact in practice, policy, or community settings.

Applications are assessed based on relevant experience, the strength of the applicant’s project or professional development goal, their commitment to applying learning to real-world change, and their ability to participate fully in the nine-month program.

Applications are now open and close on 13 January 2026. Fellows will be notified in early February, with the program commencing in March 2026.