Emerging Leaders Fellowship

AACAP's Emerging Leaders Fellowship

Overview

The American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry (AACAP) has a significant commitment to promoting mental health equity and inclusivity among its members. The goal of AACAP’s Emerging Leaders Fellowship is to support AACAP in strengthening its leadership pipeline and overall workforce development efforts across the organization. In 2027, this two-year fellowship will offer mentorship and leadership experience in the following AACAP areas:

AACAP Board
JAACAP
Program Committee

Responsibilities

Through the Fellowship, Fellows will work with an assigned mentor who is a member of the AACAP Board, JAACAP masthead, or the Program Committee. Fellows must attend AACAP meetings related to their component (i.e., Annual Meeting, Board Retreat, Program Committee Meeting, JAACAP Meetings). Fellows must actively participate in AACAP’s Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging (DEIB) Committee by regularly attending the virtual committee meetings and attend at least one virtual Diversity and Culture Committee and Caucus meeting per year. Upon completion of the fellowship, the Fellows must collaboratively complete an article for AACAP News or JAACAP about their experiences as fellows. Semi-annual progress reports will be reviewed by the fellowship co-chairs.

Examples of Experiences Include:

AACAP Board Fellows: Creating organizational statements and activities related to belonging and inclusivity and sits on the Board as a non-voting member. The opportunity to support activities of the Presidential Theme and engage with a host of related AACAP Committees to assess and monitor AACAP’s Workplan to Promote Health Equity.

JAACAP Fellows: Building peer review skills with the support of JAACAP’s senior editors, serve as a member of the JAACAP health equity subcommittee, participate in a mentored scholarly project focused on health equity in children’s mental health, and learn about scientific publishing.

Program Committee Fellows: Building peer review skills for Continuing Medical Education (CME) programs with support and mentorship from members of the Program Committee. The Program Committee is responsible for selecting all Annual Meeting programming each year. In addition, the Fellow would be a part of the Program Committee’s Subcommittee to evaluate inclusion initiatives, ensure that the Annual Meeting program is representative of AACAP’s population, and guide presenters in incorporating important concepts and themes into their presentations.

Fellowship Application & Deadlines

An applicant may apply for the JAACAP, Program Committee, or AACAP Board Fellowship and will be selected for only one. The deadline is October 16, 2026. The fellowship term is January 1, 2027-December 31, 2028.

Fellowship Eligibility

At the time of application, must be at the following level of training: 4th year of general psychiatry residency, 1st year of CAP fellowship, or in the 4th year of Triple Board or Post Pediatric Portal residency.
Individuals in NIH-Funded T32 postdoctoral fellowships or equivalent are also eligible.
Must have demonstrated interest in diversity and equity.
Must be an AACAP member or have a membership application pending.
Must commit to attending the AACAP Annual Meeting throughout the fellowship term
JAACAP applicants must commit to attending the following meetings:
- Council of Science Editors Annual Meeting once during the fellowship term, which usually takes place in early May
- JAACAP masthead and assigned subcommittee meetings (virtual or at AACAP’s Annual Meeting).
Board applicants must commit to attending the Board retreat in June, throughout the fellowship term.
Program applicants must commit to attending the Program Committee Meeting in April, throughout the fellowship term.
JAACAP and Program applicants must have a demonstrable interest in pursuing a research career.

Stipend

Each Fellow will receive up to $2,000 annually to cover travel expenses for the 2027 and 2028 Annual Meetings.

Up to $2,000 will be provided to the Board fellow to cover costs associated with travel to the 2027 and 2028 June Board Retreats.

Up to $3,000 will be provided to the JAACAP fellow to cover costs associated with attending the May Council of Science Editors Annual Meeting in 2027 or 2028.

Up to $2,000 will be provided to the Program fellow to attend AACAP’s Program Committee Meeting in April 2027 and 2028 in Washington, DC.

Fellowship Application

To submit your application visit: https://aacap2.confex.com/aacap2/2026/emerging/sessions/index.cgi?object=session&template=emerging

Applications must include the following:

A personal statement (three pages or less) on how this Fellowship supports their training and career goals (i.e., may include interest and engagement in health equity initiatives, leadership experiences, interest in research, and alignment of goals with AACAP’s mission, etc.)
- Please indicate the area(s) for which you are applying (Board, JAACAP, or Program). If you are applying to more than one area, be sure to address your qualifications and interest for each one in your personal statement.
The candidate’s curriculum vitae.
Proof of training enrollment.
At least two letters of recommendation or support (including a letter from the Program Director supporting the application).