Dr. Aizik Wolf Post-Baccalaureate Fellowship

About

This one-year fellowship is awarded to an exceptional College graduate to help them launch a career in human rights. It was named for Dr. Aizik Wolf, AB’77, a longtime supporter of the College. Dr. Wolf was born in Bogota, Colombia, practices neurosurgery in Miami, and regularly donates medical services and equipment to projects in Latin America.

The fellowship award supports one year of work after graduation at a non-governmental organization, government agency, or international body dedicated to human rights. The award is offered during even numbered years and includes a stipend of $60,000 for 12 months of full-time work.

We have held a competition for the fellowship since 2007, with a one-year hiatus in 2014. Past Fellows have spent their first year after graduation working in California, Chicago, India, and Mexico on issues related to labor, gender, religion, criminal justice, youth, and land conservation. 

Apply

This fellowship will be awarded in even numbered years. Applications will open again in late Fall 2023. University of Chicago College undergraduate students graduating during the 2022-23 or 2023-24 academic years who have taken at least two Human Rights courses at the University are eligible to apply. The successful applicant will demonstrate the ability to make a significant contribution to the host organization and also show a record of leadership, involvement, and commitment to human rights and social impact.

Although priority will be given to applicants who completed a Human Rights Internship and propose returning to their internship organization or working in a similar issue area, other applicants with comparable experience are strongly encouraged to apply.

Complete applications include: 

(1) Completed application form, including essay questions
(2) CV or resume
(3) Letter of support from proposed host organization 
(4) Two letters of recommendation

Host Organization Letter of Support

The application requires a letter of support from the proposed host organization. This letter should indicate the organization’s support for the applicant’s proposed project and its commitment to provide the applicant with workspace and adequate supervision. Letters should be on letterhead, if possible. 

Upon acceptance of the award the host organization, Fellow, and Pozen Center will sign an institutional agreement and work plan. 

Recommendation Letters

Each applicant is required to obtain two letters of recommendation. Letters must be uploaded directly by the recommenders themselves.

Recommendation Upload Form 

We ask that applicants please choose references who are familiar with your work and can speak to your ability to work successfully in an organization. Letters could come from a supervisor, instructor, or non-family member who can evaluate your suitability for this fellowship. 

2022 Wolf Fellow

William Jaffe

William Jaffe graduated from the College in 2022 with a major in Political Science and a minor in Human Rights. On campus, he was a member of the Transitional Justice and Democratic Stability Lab and served as a Pozen Center Human Rights Intern for the 2021-2022 academic year.

Over the course of 2022-2023, William will be serving as an Aizik Wolf Fellow at Physicians for Human Rights (PHR). This organization is a human rights nonprofit committed to using the expertise of the medical community to document and report instances of state-sponsored torture and violence. Working with its partners across the world, PHR wages effective advocacy and research to inform clinicians about their ethical responsibilities and strengthen the skills of frontline human rights defenders. 

In his role, William will continue to work on a range of projects across PHR’s departments, building on his prior experience as a Pozen Center Intern. Importantly, he will assist PHR and the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights(OHCHR) roll out the new edition of the Istanbul Protocol, the international standard for investigating and documenting acts of torture. He will draft training material for clinicians and lawyers about their new professional responsibilities and coordinate with PHR’s advocacy department to develop a social media campaign. He also plans to conduct studies of human rights abuses in Ukraine and medical treatment given to asylum seekers at the Mexican-American border, which will be published as PHR reports at the end of the year. 

Questions

Please direct any questions to Deputy Director Adam Avrushin.