Young Leaders programme 2023/2024 cycle

Important dates

• The application process is open from Tuesday 18 April to Thursday 25 May.
• The outcomes of the selection will be communicated to all candidates by mid-July.
• The programme formally starts with an in-person workshop on 15 October in Long Beach, CA, United States, the day before the 2023 World Cancer Leaders’ Summit, 16-17 October, which the Young Leaders are supported to attend.
• Regular online classes and group calls will take place from November 2023 to June 2024.
• Small sub-groups will engage in self-directed project work on a focus area during the course of the programme with the aim to produce a deliverable by September 2024.
• Young Leaders are then supported to attend the 2024 World Cancer Congress taking place in Geneva on 17-19 September 2024, where the programme culminates.

Application process

Applicants must complete an online form, submit a full CV, and provide one reference letter of support (from anyone with a professional relationship with the applicant, whether from the same organisation or not). The online application requires answering the following questions:

• Introduce yourself and describe your motivation to apply for the UICC’s Young Leaders programme. What are you hoping to gain from this experience? (max 300 words)
• Tell us more about your current role and/or areas of expertise. Why would you benefit from engagement at global cancer control level at this stage in your career? (max 500 words)
• Elaborate on your long-term professional ambitions and career goals. What is your career vision? (max 300 words)
• Describe a time you have demonstrated strong leadership or impact to advance cancer control from a public health perspective. (max 300 words)

Eligibility to apply

To be eligible for the programme, applicants must:

• Be 40 years old or younger at the time of application

• Be able to communicate in English for successful interaction at an international level

• Have worked professionally in cancer control for at least 5 years

Ideal candidate

While the programme welcomes candidates from a broad array of backgrounds and diverse areas of focus across the cancer control continuum, the profile Young Leaders would ideally have in common is that of:

• A mid-career cancer control professional with a track record of advancing cancer control from a public health perspective in their local context,
• With a multidisciplinary and collaborative outlook that goes beyond their individual area of expertise, 
• And with the ambition and potential to help drive impact in cancer control on a broader global or regional scale.

The applications are now closed.

Commitment

By applying, and if selected to the programme, candidates commit to:

• Actively engage in the programme over the course of the year (September 2023 – September 2024), setting aside the time necessary to regularly join group calls, take virtual classes and carry out sub-group project work (UICC estimates a participant will need to spend on average 4 to 5 hours a month on Young Leaders’ related activities over the course of the programme).
• Be available to attend the World Cancer Leaders’ Summit in Long Beach (USA) from 15 to 17 October 2023 and the World Cancer Congress in Geneva (Switzerland) from 17 to 19 September 2024 (with attendance at both events supported by UICC).
• Demonstrate collaborative and supportive spirit in participating in group activities and sub-group project work.
• Be responsive to programme-related administrative requests from UICC (for example in relation to travel grants, or measurement and evaluation) and open to engage in relevant UICC communication activities (e.g. blogs, interviews, social media messages, quotes, etc.).
• Generally act in good faith as a UICC ambassador, upholding the UICC’s mission, vision and values.