Fellowship in Regulatory Science, Innovation, and Health Equity
As FDA aspires to strengthen health equity in clinical research and across all its activity, the Agency also strives for strengthened diversity within its workforce, including those engaged in regulatory science. Regulatory science is a niche sector, with insufficient racial and ethnic diversity in the labor pool. Within the US, science and technology professions have a noticeable underrepresentation of people of color, particularly in biotechnology.1
This reality limits the hiring pool and the beneficial aspects of having a diverse working team. Recently, a handful of universities have added regulatory affairs as a field of study, but the FDA regulatory science component is often not fully addressed. Many regulatory science professionals learned about the elements of FDA regulation through an apprentice-type experience, learning from more experienced colleagues and mentors.
Fellowship Goal:
The Foundation’s Fellowship in Regulatory Science, Innovation, and Health Equity provides a hands-on learning opportunity for professional school graduates.
Our approach and subject matter emphasis facilitates growth at two levels: encouraging natural interactions with the potential for lasting professional relationships to develop with FDA staff and industry regulatory science professionals, while advancing regulatory science efforts within the Foundation’s work.
Howard University, a historically black university and one of the nation’s leading research universities, assisted with the design of the Fellowship program and the selection of the 2023/24 Fellow. The school will continue to support future recruitment of students and alumni across Howard University health sciences programs and divisions, including Howard University Hospital and the Colleges of Dentistry, Pharmacy, and Nursing and Allied Health Sciences.
About the Fellowship
This is a full-time, compensated position, working from the Foundation’s headquarters in Washington, DC. The 2023/24 Fellow, Kendra Getaw, PharmD, began with the Foundation July 2023, directly engaging in Foundation projects.
The Fellowship in Regulatory Science, Innovation, and Health Equity is supported by BeiGene, Burroughs Wellcome Fund, and Roche Diagnostics.
About the Reagan-Udall Foundation for the FDA
The Reagan-Udall Foundation for the FDA is a nonprofit organization created by Congress to advance the mission of the FDA to modernize medical, veterinary, food, food ingredient, and cosmetic product development, accelerate innovation, and enhance product safety. We value diversity in our team and believe an inclusive workplace yields more meaningful outcomes—for our work, and for the FDA.