Pew’s Latin American Fellows Program Creates ‘a Bond for Life’

When the Pew Latin American Fellows Program in the Biomedical Sciences was founded in 1991, it helped build a bridge between cutting-edge science happening in Latin America and the United States. More than 30 years later, generations of young Latin American scientists have pushed scientific boundaries and established a vibrant community of researchers spanning countries and cultures.

The program—which provides support to early-career Latin American scientists to conduct their postdoctoral studies in the U.S. and offers additional funding for fellows who choose to set up labs in their home countries—exemplifies Pew’s commitment to building a collaborative and equitable scientific community that extends beyond borders. This community is on full display at the annual meeting, where fellows connect with and learn from each other alongside Pew biomedical scholars and Pew-Stewart Scholars for Cancer Research. Pew has supported over 300 fellows from 11 countries. Of those who have completed the program, approximately 70% have returned to Latin America to start their own labs.

Pew wants to continue cultivating future generations of biomedical scientists and encourage early-career researchers from across Latin America to apply for our program. As past and present fellows attest in our newest video, the program has helped enrich their careers and shape their identities as Latin American scientists.

This fellowship was the gateway for me to work in the U.S. as a scientist. When you come from a developing country, it can be difficult to receive the support to join a lab. The prestige behind this fellowship is assurance that you are a competitive scientist. As for my return to Chile, being a former Pew fellow with my own equipment to build my own lab was without a doubt the reason I was hired in South America.

-Rodrigo A. Aguilar, Ph.D., 2016 fellow, Chile
Assistant professor at Universidad Andres Bello

Thanks to the fellowship, I was able to do a longer-than-normal postdoc to discover a novel lncRNA and its mechanism of action that otherwise would be hard to unravel. Scientific resources in Latin America are scarce and, therefore, collaboration is critical. The fellows program surrounds you with a strong and vibrant community of like-minded peers. Although I’m now an independent researcher in Mexico, I know that whenever I need help, someone from the fellows community will be there. 

-Karla F. Meza-Sosa, Ph.D., 2015 fellow, Mexico
Assistant professor at Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México

It isn’t easy to get funding to do a postdoc coming from South America. By applying to the program, we can connect with U.S. scientists who open their labs so that we can take this big step in our careers. As Latin American fellows, we get to share the experiences of coming to the United States, such as moving away from our families and jumping into a new culture and a new language. At annual meetings, the environment is constructive, and feedback is always positive. Every time I go back to the lab after a meeting, I’m really excited with tons of new ideas and experiments to run.

-Guillermo Eastman, Ph.D., 2021 fellow, Uruguay
Postdoctoral fellow, University of Virginia 

The fellows program allowed me to join a worldwide recognized research lab in plant-microorganism molecular interactions. There, I was able to develop research employing cutting-edge approaches and publish work in high-impact scientific journals. At the same time, it opened doors to the scientific community and helped me improve my scientific and personal skills—essential in a field where working with people of different scientific and cultural backgrounds is required. As I prepare to return to my home country, Colombia, the additional funding will help me build a foundation for my research.

-Fausto Andrés Ortiz-Morera, Ph.D., 2019 fellow, Colombia
Postdoctoral fellow, Texas A&M University

This program has shaped my career beyond what I thought it could. Thanks to this funding, I was able to start my postdoctoral position in the U.S. and then go back to Argentina to start my lab. Being part of this program offers not only funding, but mentoring in many ways: science, personal, and career development. The Latin American fellows community is a great space to share your experiences, discuss, and learn with other people that have the same goals and challenges as you. I didn’t realize how important that is until I joined this community.

-Ana Sol Peinetti, Ph.D., 2017 fellow, Argentina
Laboratory head, Instituto de Química Física de los Materiales, Medio Ambiente y Energía

The program funding was critical for me. When I was looking for postdoctoral fellowships in Brazil, the kind of training I wanted to do would not be possible there. I needed to find a fellowship in the U.S. Now that I am part of the program, I see how important the community is. You make connections with people from so many different fields, cultures, and countries. I don’t think we have this same kind of community in any other place. Being surrounded by amazing fellows shows how the Pew program is transforming science in Latin American countries.

-Daiane Boff, Ph.D., 2021 fellow, Brazil
Postdoctoral fellow, New York University

Applying for the Pew Latin American fellows program makes you more competitive when seeking to join a high-impact laboratory in the U.S. Returning to Argentina was always part of my plan, but the support from Pew gave me the necessary boost to make this a reality. There was nothing more exciting than attending a Pew annual meeting where you feel at home surrounded by other Latin fellows doing sharp science on such a variety of topics. The Latin American fellows community is a bond for life.

-M. Eugenia Dieterle, Ph.D., 2018 fellow, Argentina
Research assistant professor, Albert Einstein College of Medicine 

Kara Coleman is the project director of and Donna Dang is a principal associate with The Pew Charitable Trusts’ biomedical programs.