How to Apply to the Dental Public Health Research Fellowship

2026‒2027 Program Year

Step One: Before Applying

Before applying for this fellowship, please ensure that you meet the following eligibility criteria:

  1. I have a dental degree (D.D.S. or D.M.D.) from a U.S. dental school accredited by the Commission on Dental Accreditation or a Canadian dental school accredited by the Commission on Dental Accreditation of Canada. Or I hold a dental degree from a country outside the U.S. or Canada, but my transcripts and degree have been evaluated by a U.S. credentialing agency and deemed equivalent to a D.D.S. or D.M.D. awarded by an accredited U.S. or Canadian dental school.

  2. I have obtained a Master of Public Health (MPH) or a comparable degree from an accredited school of public health in the United States or Canada.

    Note: If you are currently enrolled in your master’s program, you should be on track to complete your degree by May 2026.

  3. My graduate public health curriculum included courses in biostatistics, epidemiology, healthcare policy, behavioral sciences, and environmental health.
  4. NIH welcomes foreign nationals with the exception of individuals from this list.

If you meet all these criteria, proceed to the next step.

Step Two: Collecting Required Application Materials

Required application materials are as follows:

  1. Completed and signed application form
  2. Current CV
  3. Unofficial dental school transcripts and a copy of your dental degree (official transcripts will be required if you are accepted into the program)

    Note: If you obtained your dental degree from a country other than the U.S. or Canada, a course-by-course evaluation report from a U.S. credentialing agency is required. Examples of accepted credentialing agencies include the following:
  • Educational Credential Evaluators, Inc. (ECE)
    P.O. Box 514070
    Milwaukee, WI 53203-3470
    Telephone: (414) 289-3400
    Website: https://www.ece.org
  • World Education Services (WES)
    Bowling Green Station
    P.O. Box 5087
    New York, NY 10274-5087
    Telephone: (212) 966-6311
    Website: https://www.wes.org
  1. Unofficial Master of Public Health (or equivalent) transcripts and a copy of your degree, if already awarded at the time of submission. Official transcripts will be required upon acceptance.
  2. Three letters of recommendation on official letterhead from individuals who are familiar with your academic or professional background. If you are currently employed or enrolled in an educational program, one of your references must be your current supervisor or primary mentor. Collect the letters and include them with your application. Letters older than one year will not be accepted.

Step Three: Submitting the Application

All application documents must be combined into a single PDF file. The documents should be arranged in the following order:

  1. Application form
  2. CV
  3. Copy of dental school transcripts and degree
  4. Copy of the course-by-course evaluation report from one of the credentialing agencies in the U.S. (required only for international dentists)
  5. Copy of Master of Public Health transcripts and degree (if the degree has been awarded at the time of submission)
  6. Three letters of recommendation

Please note that if you do not follow the instructions above, your application will not be reviewed.

Submit your complete application to NIDCR_DPHRFP@nidcr.nih.gov by 11:59 p.m. on December 31, 2025.

You will receive a notification via email regarding the status of your application and any potential interview within two weeks of the deadline.

Last Reviewed
November 2025