Overview
Nutrition scientists and practitioners with an interest in the application of scientific evidence in policy-making. Candidates must have a university degree in health or social sciences with an interest in nutrition interventions for public health and be willing to be registered as authors in a Cochrane Group.
Applications from women and nationals of low- and middle-income countries are particularly encouraged.
In this program, you will:
- develop and/or update your technical skills and knowledge in systematic reviews of nutrition and nutrition-sensitive interventions
- build understanding of the process for global policy-making in nutrition and evidence assessment and its challenges
- complete hands-on training in the development of Cochrane systematic reviews on a topic of immediate global health relevance in nutrition and public health
- develop confidence with the review methods and foster development of professional networks with fellow participants and faculty
Applications are submitted via our online portal, managed by Academic Jobs Online. The 2025 application is closed.
An overview of our application process includes submitting:
- Curriculum Vitae
- Reference letters, which may be summerinstitute [at] cornell.edu (submitted by referees directly) or uploaded by the applicant on the writers' behalf through our online system. These letters should specifically address your research and technical skills and your readiness for the Institute.
Questions? Contact summerinstitute [at] cornell.edu (SummerInstitute[at]cornell[dot]edu).
Once you are accepted to the institute, you will receive notification and further details about registration in March. We will require you to register for the program, including completing payment. Your acceptance letter will provide detailed instructions.
Briefly, the registration steps are:
- Complete the registration process through Cornell Conference Services using the link provided in your acceptance letter.
- Be ready to provide payment at the time of registration. Direct payment questions to: summerinstitute [at] cornell.edu (SummerInstitute[at]cornell[dot]edu)
- Complete a short biography for the directory and register for a Cornell University NetID following the directions in your acceptance letter.
- On or about May 1, you will be invited to complete one pre-institute information session to learn how to access materials, discuss review topics and hear more about the plan for working in groups.
- Once systematic review groups are assigned, you are encouraged to meet at least once before the program starts to form connections and discuss the systematic review status.
Registration fees
The $2,000 registration fee covers the following:
- advance preparation materials
- materials used in first week of Institute (asynchronous content)
- all course instruction
- access to Cornell’s library resources
- access to Cornell’s Statistical Consulting Unit advisors
- access to the institute’s virtual platform
- two coffee breaks per day, the welcome tour, the opening reception and the institute dinner
As described below, participants from low- to middle-income countries (LMIC) and upper-middle-income countries (UMIC) will be considered for a scholarship only if they meet the delineated criteria (please review the criteria and be sure that you address these criteria in your cover letter). For participants who are directly affiliated with institute partners, further discounts will apply. You should indicate your affiliation in the application.
Estimating the cost of housing and meals
Housing and the majority of meals are not included in the registration fee, except for the events listed above.
Housing is available in the Cornell townhouses located on the North Campus, approximately a 15-minute walk distance from our site. The housing cost for 2025 is $129.25 per night per single bed in a shared townhouse. Each townhouse has two bedrooms, a bathroom, a living/dining room and a kitchen. All townhouses are close to dining options on Cornell’s North Campus, specifically Morrison Hall, Cornell’s newest and highly acclaimed eating establishment offering a wide range of options.
Participants are not required to stay in campus housing, but most participants opt for campus housing given its proximity to our institute meeting space, ease of arrangement and access to the dining facilities. You may instead choose from hotels or other housing options in Ithaca, but you must carefully consider transportation options to and from campus.
Participants typically use campus dining facilities for meals, which are very economical at an approximate cost of $40/day to cover breakfast, lunch and dinner. The North Campus townhouse accommodations also have cooking facilities.
Participants are responsible for their own transportation costs, including airline tickets, taxis or buses.
Scholarships
A very limited number of scholarships for participants from low- and middle-income countries are available to help cover registration, travel, accommodation and other expenses associated with participating in the institute.
Funds are limited, so you must also take responsibility to explore partial or full funding options from other sources, such as your institution or available grants.
Scholarship eligibility
We will consider individuals for a scholarship if they meet the following criteria, which should be addressed in your cover letter:
- Permanent residents (living and working in) in low-, lower-middle- and upper-middle-income countries as defined by the World Bank.
- Able to attend the entire Summer Institute 2025. Ensure that the dates do not conflict with any other commitment you may have and that your employer agrees to release time to allow you to attend the institute and to continue working on systematic reviews at some level after completing the program.
Partial funding
In an effort to fund as many people as possible to attend the institute, our preference will be to provide partial support only. Your chances of receiving a scholarship are higher if you demonstrate that you can cover part of the costs from other sources (for example, cover some of the following: travel, meals, registration or accommodation).
Persons temporarily based in high-income countries
Applications from residents of low- and middle-income countries who are currently based in a high-income country may be considered on a case-by-case basis if their stay is clearly limited to a specific period and the applicant does not receive a salary.
Decision-making criteria
Applicants will be assessed according to the following criteria. Make sure to address them in your application.
- Anticipated gains from attending the summer institute
- Ability to raise partial funds to support attending
- Letters of reference provided by people in your institution that address the relevance and the institutional value of your participation in the summer institute
What costs are covered?
Funds may be available for one or more of the following:
- Travel to and from Ithaca, New York (at the level of the most economical return fare from your location)
- Accommodation at Cornell in the townhouses during the in-person week
- Summer institute registration fee
Depending on your country of citizenship, you may be required to have either a B-2 Tourist Visa or an Electronic Travel Authorization (eTA) to enter the United States.
Participants are responsible for covering all costs associated with obtaining a visa for the institute. This includes but is not limited to application fees, processing fees, travel to the consulate or embassy and any other expenses related to visa acquisition.
We do not provide financial assistance, reimbursements or sponsorship for visa-related costs. However, upon acceptance into the course, the acceptance letter from the institute provides the information you need in support of obtaining a visa, if a visa is required.
We recommend that you begin the visa application process as soon as possible to ensure timely processing. Contact your local consulate or embassy for more information regarding visa requirements.
We will combine online training (work at your own pace) with in-person sessions on the Cornell University campus. The formal program is two weeks in length, requiring consecutive days of availability May 19-25, 2025, for asynchronous online instruction and June 15-20, 2025, for synchronous meetings and work sessions in Ithaca, New York. You should plan to arrive in Ithaca on June 14 so you can to attend an opening social event during the day on June 15, and to depart Ithaca the afternoon of June 20 or on June 21.
Prior to the institute
Dates
Early May 2025
Modality
Online asynchronous (work on your own, set your schedule)
Pre-institute overview
Prior to week 1, you will receive the introductory materials, get up to speed on Microsoft Teams, gain access to Cochrane modules, and get to know your systematic review team and review topic. This preparation is the lead-in to a productive asynchronous first week of formal training.
Week 1
Dates
May 19-25, 2025
Modality
Online asynchronous study
Week 1 overview
You will work independently to complete the Cochrane Interactive Learning Modules asynchronously. Teams are encouraged to meet periodically with the team mentor to support learning the material presented in the Cochrane modules, and several synchronous sessions will be provided to introduce Cochrane, nutrition activities in Cochrane, the WHO and to support and encourage you to work through the online materials.
Time required
Each of the eight modules will require 45-120 minutes.
Topics covered
- Introduction to conducting systematic reviews
- Writing the review protocol
- Searching for studies
- Selecting studies and collecting data
- Introduction to Risk of Bias
- Analyzing the data
- Interpreting the findings
- Reporting the review
Week 2
Dates
June 15-20, 2025 see below for suggested arrival and departure dates
Modality
In-person
Week 2 overview
This session is held in person at Cornell University, Ithaca, New York. You will get hands-on intensive training in Cochrane Methods for Systematic Reviews and the use of evidence for global policy-making. You will participate in hands-on activities, plenaries, discussions and group presentations.
Sample schedule
Saturday, June 14
Suggested arrival day
Sunday, June 15
Welcome activity and tour of the local region
Monday, June 16 – Friday, June 20
8:30 am: Daily introduction session
Session 1
10:15 am: Coffee break
Session 2
Review group meet-up
12:00: Lunch break
Session 3
Session 4
3:00 pm: Coffee break
Review group meet-up
4:15 pm: Round-up and discussion
Monday, June 16
Welcome reception
Wednesday, June 18
Institute dinner
Friday, June 20
Farewell lunch
This is the final day of the Summer Institute. Either Friday afternoon or Saturday (June 21) are the suggested departure days.
Patricia A. Cassano, Ph.D., Alan D. Mathios Professor of Epidemiology and Nutrition at Cornell. She directs the WHO Collaborating Center on Nutrition Research for Health, the Cochrane US Network Associate Center, and co-directs the Joan Klein Jacobs Center for Precision Nutrition and Health at Cornell University. Dr. Cassano is an epidemiologist with interests in nutrition and genetics, and the translation of research evidence in nutrition to policy and practice.
