Yale University, Bush Center in Child Development and Social Policy

Graduate and Postdoctoral Training

Through its fellowship program, the Yale Bush Center gives young researchers the opportunity to conduct research and to apply research findings to the formulation of social policy. Fellows learn about current policy issues affecting children and families, gain an understanding of how policy is made, and develop the skills necessary to work effectively in the policy arena.

Most participants in the fellows' program affiliate with the center while pursuing graduate degrees at Yale. Other fellows are postdoctoral fellows, advanced undergraduates, and research assistants at Yale. In recent years, approximately 50 fellows have been active each year. The fellows represent several disciplines: psychology, law, management, public health, social work, and pediatrics. The mix of backgrounds represented among fellows and faculty allows for valuable interdisciplinary exchange and collaboration. The length of time that individuals affiliate with the [Page 1156]Bush Center varies from 1 year to as long as 6 or 7 years.

Fellows have opportunities to participate in research with center faculty who conduct studies on various topics related to child development. The center faculty comprises 40 scholars in psychology, medicine, social work, public health, management, and law. The training program also includes the center's weekly Social Policy Luncheon series, a laboratory course on child development and social policy, regular fellows' meetings, and an annual trip to Washington, D.C. The luncheon series brings speakers from academia, government, community organizations, service agencies, and the media to Yale to discuss their research and its policy implications. Participants in the laboratory class examine the policy process and selected issues in child and family policy. Fellows' meetings focus on the applications of empirical research in the policy arena. The trip to Washington, D.C., orients fellows to the policy-making process through meetings with congressional staffers, advocacy groups, think tank employees, and officials in the executive branch.

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