Capstone Project

Purpose

  • Apply skills from the 12-month fellowship to a real-world STEMM health or medicine challenge in India.
  • Demonstrate research, writing, and communication competencies.
  • Present their work to academic and professional audiences in India and the U.S.

Capstone Project Overview

  • Fellows choose a Capstone Project topic aligned with their interests and career goals.
  • Projects are developed with guidance from a Technical Research Advisor and a Program Mentor.
  • Formats may vary (e.g., research paper, grant proposal, implementation plan), but all must be feasible within the 12-month fellowship period and ethically sound.

Examples of Capstone Projects

Capstone Projects are encouraged to be creative and relevant to the fellow’s disciplinary expertise and professional goals. Examples include, but are not limited to:

  • Literature review and policy report on a pressing STEMM-related issue (e.g., science funding, digital health ethics, or climate-informed public health strategies).
  • Training curriculum designed for a health systems strengthening initiative (e.g., ethical use of AI, data privacy, or implementation science for rural diagnostics).
  • Innovative product or intervention proposal, such as a digital tool for disease surveillance or an AI-driven clinical decision aid, accompanied by a start-up pitch deck for social or health innovation.
  • Implementation plan for a STEMM-based intervention (e.g., integrating bioethics into medical education, or community-based water quality testing in rural areas).
  • Grant proposal with defined research aims, study design, and significance, targeting major national or international funders.
  • Data-driven research project, including pilot studies or secondary data analysis, using qualitative, quantitative, or mixed methods, culminating in a research report or policy brief.
  • Applied ethics research project, such as an analysis of informed consent practices in AI-powered diagnostics, or a stakeholder-informed ethical framework for digital health deployment.