Kolker Fellowship for Global Health Security and Diplomacy

The Jimmy Kolker Fellowship for Global Health Security and Diplomacy has been established at the Institute for the Study of Diplomacy in the Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service at Georgetown University in recognition of Ambassador Kolker’s 30-year diplomatic career with the Department of State, including as a health diplomat.  Ambassador Kolker played a unique role in strengthening the Department of State’s engagement on global health, both through his vision for the Bureau of Global Health Security and Diplomacy and having mentored generations of health diplomats.  He has been instrumental in establishing a community of practice for health diplomats.  Whether as U.S. Ambassador to Burkina Faso and Uganda, Deputy Global AIDS Coordinator, or as Assistant Secretary for Global Affairs at the Department of Health and Human Services following his time in the Foreign Service, Ambassador Kolker has shown a deep commitment to building sustainable and long-lasting engagement to advance global health security. Ambassador Kolker is an affiliate of the Georgetown Center for Global Health Security and Diplomacy.

The first Kolker fellow will be selected for the 2025-2026 academic year. This page will be updated with guidance as the application opens.

Georgetown’s Institute for the Study of Diplomacy (ISD) explores global challenges and the evolving demands of diplomatic statecraft in the global health realm to better understand the nexus of theory and practice, and to enhance and expand an appreciation of the role of global health security policy as a critical element in national policy formulation and implementation. The Kolker Fellowship is a year-long fellowship available to State Department employees dedicated to this mission. The fellowship year is designed to further the academic and professional development of the fellow and contribute to the programs of the Institute, the School of Foreign Service, and the University.