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Children’s Health Defense (CHD) is accepting applications now for its 2024 Educational Fellowship Program. Click here to apply.
Each year, as part of its commitment to the future of the health freedom movement, CHD brings on board a class of fellows who would like to learn and grow in various CHD teams, working with the organization’s staff.
The program is open to students, recent graduates, mid-level and seasoned professionals who would like to contribute to CHD’s mission.
The 2024 Fellowship Program will place fellows on the legal, science and research, EMR & wireless, and CHD.TV teams.
Applications are accepted online and are reviewed on a rolling basis through Nov. 3, 2023.
“CHD believes that those who feel the need to effect change in their communities, to advocate for medical choice, safer technology and to protect our children from environmental toxins are uniquely positioned to join CHD through this program, to learn about our work and to contribute alongside our experienced staff,” said Miriam Eckenfels-Garcia, director of the program.
In addition to working part-time for different CHD teams, fellows form a tight-knit community and have the unique opportunity to attend weekly educational and networking seminars to learn about the different CHD departments and areas of their work.
The seminars focus on legal empowerment, scientific empowerment, and medical empowerment and provide room for reflection and discussion on some of the most pressing issues affecting the world and the medical freedom movement.
Commenting on the program, CHD President Mary Holland told The Defender:
“The Fellowship Program has been a boon to CHD. Under Eckenfels-Garcia’s skilled leadership since 2022, almost 50 fellows have contributed skills, expertise, effort and love to CHD.
“In addition to their work, they have learned about all dimensions of the health freedom movement and how to protect and defend children’s health and freedom.”
Many of the fellows have gone on to work in the broader health freedom world as writers, videographers, lawyers, scientists and students, according to Holland. And several have stayed with CHD to become staff members.
“The Fellowship Program is a marvelous two-way street, where fellows learn, grow, enjoy camaraderie and enhance one another’s learning, and where CHD reaps the benefit of their perspective, experience, dedication and hard work,” Holland said. “We look forward to welcoming another class of gifted and motivated fellows in 2024!”
The 2024 class will be the third class of fellows to join CHD. A total of 49 fellows have joined the program since its launch in January 2022, contributing to CHD and the health freedom movement while growing as professionals and enjoying a supportive fellowship community.
Liz Lopez, a filmmaker from California and 2022 CHD.TV fellow, told The Defender:
“The fellowship has been a serendipitous life-changing experience for me. I have so much pride being a member of the inaugural class of fellows, especially during this critical time in history.
“I had the opportunity to use my videography skills in a way that I never expected, helping to bring truth to the people as part of the amazing CHD.TV team.
“Ultimately, at the end of my service, what I cherish the most are the relationships I formed with some of the kindest and most generous people in the world. My life is forever changed because of the CHD fellowship and those in the CHD family with whom I’ve had the privilege of working.”
Naomi Smith, a 2023 CHD.TV fellow, said what was most important to her was that “the fellowship program gave me a community of like-minded professionals who share the same passions.”
Sue Peters, Ph.D., a neuroscientist and 2022 science fellow described the importance of creating community. “The 2022 CHD fellowship was literally an answer to a prayer for me,” Peters said. “The opportunity to belong to a community of people who had been displaced from their chosen communities, due in part to the onset of the COVID-19 vaccination mandate program in 2021, was an opportunity which permanently changed the direction of my life.”
As a developmental neuroscientist, Peters said she was in “desperate need” of a place where she could share ideas and have uncensored debate.
“Through the year-long fellowship, I learned that CHD teaches people to ask questions, through sharing information that often raises new questions, and this is the basis of the scientific process, and why I became a scientist,” Peters said.
