February 2026 Apothek Dispatch
Decoding the signal: health x environment x technology
Welcome to the February 2026 Apothek Dispatch, where we decode the signal from the noise on health, environment, and technology.
This month brings an abridged edition as I spent much of February traveling in India. Though not in attendance myself, daily newsfeeds were awash in coverage of the India AI Impact Summit in New Delhi, and I’ll share my reflections below. As we pass the one-year mark since the foreign assistance freeze, we’re now able to put faces and names to those who died when life-saving programs shuttered overnight. We’ll examine the mounting health battle against ultra-processed foods and a chilling EPA rollback in calculating the human cost of pollution. As usual, we’ll close with current opportunities: jobs, consultancies, fellowships, and grants for those working at these frontiers.
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First, an Apothek Dispatch update for 2026: If you’re navigating career transitions, exploring new opportunities in global health, or seeking strategic advice on health innovation and policy, I’m now offering one-on-one consulting sessions for paid Apothek Dispatch members. Whether you need resume guidance, career coaching, or insights on breaking into new sectors, these sessions are designed to help you move forward with clarity and confidence. Paid members (monthly or annual) can book one free annual consulting session, while Founding members receive three sessions per year.
Health: Global Vital Signs and Personal Wellness
One year after the foreign assistance freeze, we can now put names and faces to the casualties of a policy executed with stunning brutality. Tim Hirschel-Burns Tim documents the story of “The People They Killed.” Individuals who died of malaria when antimalarial medications ran out after treatment programs were halted, infants starving to death or dying of malnutrition, HIV positive youth succumbing to AIDS when medication supply chains were disrupted. A foreign assistance review, or even pause, could have been implemented over one month, six months, or even a year. Instead, the abruptness of the freeze became a death sentence for hundreds of thousands of people around the world. Similar disruption ripples through India’s tuberculosis programs, where patients who depended on USAID-supported efforts now face an uncertain future with their supportive care interrupted.
Meanwhile, a more insidious dietary health crisis unfolds in households worldwide. The Guardian profiles five families across Uganda and Nepal struggling to keep their children away from ultra-processed foods in environments seemingly designed to make healthy choices impossible. Their struggle reveals how individual health decisions are increasingly constrained by food systems optimized for profit rather than nutrition.
Environment: Climate Risks and Planetary Solutions
We now live in the era of the “climate husher,” facing deliberate efforts to render invisible the human and planetary costs of environmental degradation. A few key points of evidence from the past month: the EPA will no longer calculate the economic benefits of lives saved when setting pollution limits and reporting from Davos revealing global concern for the US’s retreat from climate action.
Yet there are glimmers of hope. The Energy Information Association reported that 99% of new US electricity capacity in 2026 will come from solar, wind, and storage.
Technology: Innovation and Evolving Frontiers
National coverage in India and global reporting on the India AI Impact Summit in New Delhi revealed a disappointingly anemic event, marked more by a display of VIP culture (paywall article) than by new initiatives launched or breakthroughs discussed.
Pageantry aside, the summit concluded with the launch of the New Delhi Declaration, a non-binding framework signed by 91 countries aiming to establish global norms for “inclusive and trust-based” AI deployment. The declaration’s lack of enforcement mechanisms and focus on aspirational goals suggest that it is unlikely to meaningfully shape the AI safety practices of the corporate players dominating this space.
Opportunity Signals
“My Heart, so precious, I won’t trade for a hundred thousand souls, yet your one smile takes it for free.”
-Jalal ad-Din Rumi … [Something for Valentine’s day ❤️]
For RIF’d public servants from the foreign affairs community, the DACOR Bacon house is offering free “privileges of the house” that includes access to events at member pricing, the ability to reserve guest rooms, and “stop by/in” rights to the house during business hours.
Looking for a co-working space in DC? Former Gov and Eaton House are providing a weekly co-working space for the former government and military community on Tuesdays from 9a-5p. This is also a chance to connect with colleagues from Career Pivot for resume review or a mini-coaching session. Sign up here. [EXTENDED THROUGH JULY 2026]
A month-long art exhibition titled “Remembering USAID Through the Arts“ will take place in March 2026 at the Compass Atelier. The exhibit will showcase works that tell the story of USAID employees, implementing partners, and their families who dedicated themselves to saving lives and global cooperation. For anyone seeking more information on themes, submissions, and registration, see this prospectus document.
A former USAID colleague is putting together a roster of consultants with environmental sector expertise for the Inter-American Development Bank. In case of interest you can share your information here.
Fellowships & Grants:
Reducetarian Fellowship 2026: for “...undergraduate and master’s students who are eager to create a more sustainable, healthy, and compassionate world.” Includes a stipend and access to professional development, mentorship, and networking opportunities. Deadline March 15 (NYC), March 31 (Washington, DC), and April 12 (Atlanta).
Emerging Voices for Global Health 2026: Application deadline March 20, 2026. Focus will be on applicants from low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), providing an opportunity to attend the HSR 2026 conference in Dubai in the fall.
Associate Fellow (Center for New American Security): Fellowship on artificial intelligence (AI) security and stability.
American India Foundation AI Impact Fellowship: For US citizens and permanent residents or citizens of India. Program dates: September 1, 2026 – June 30, 2027.
VA Tech School of Public International Affairs: Scholarships offered for displaced federal employees.
Georgetown University School of Health: Resources (including tuition discounts) for displaced federal workers and contractors.
Senior Roles:
Senior Adviser to the Chief AI Officer, AI Initiative, Global Health Programs (PATH): Requires legal authorization to work in the UK, Deadline March 9, 2026.
Professor & Chair, Global Health (George Mason University): Open until filled.
Oracle Health Physician Executive, Patient Safety and Compliance No deadline specified.
Hive Fund: Director of Operations and Culture No deadline specified.
CHAI: Associate Director, Artificial Intelligence (AI) Programs Lead No deadline specified.
Washington University School of Public Health Call for Leadership and Faculty Positions Multiple positions open.
Executive Director (Children First) No deadline specified.
Project Director – CDC Health System Strengthening Activity (CORUS) No deadline specified.
Endowed Chair - Center for Urban Health Equity (Morgan State University) No deadline specified.
Director, Tobacco Control, Africa Region (Vital Strategies) No deadline specified.
Senior Program Officer, Digital Health and AI (12-month LTE*) (Gates Foundation) No deadline specified.
Mid-Career Roles:
Senior Program Officer- Market Shaping (R4D) Deadline February 28, 2026..
Project Manager, Africa Initiative (NRDC): No deadline specified.
Technical Advisor, Health Financing, Data.FI (Palladium): No deadline specified.
Technical Director, ACHIEVE Liberia (PACT): No deadline specified.
CHAI: Senior Associate, Artificial Intelligence (AI) No deadline specified.
UN Foundation: Policy Advisor, U.S. Climate Alliance No deadline specified.
UN Foundation: Senior Campaign Associate, Global Health Advocacy No deadline specified.
CHAI:Technical Advisor, New Vaccine Introductions, Global Vaccine Delivery Preference for location within CHAI program countries (Africa/Asia). No deadline specified.
Early Career Roles
Policy Intern (ADVI Health): Deadline March 1, 2026
Asian Pacific Institute for Congressional Studies: Congressional Intern Deadline is March 31 for Fall 2026 program.
Associate, Project Delivery, Data.FI (Palladium): No deadline specified.
Program Coordinator, Center for Global Impact (ASCO): No deadline specified.
Vegetation intern (Fairfax County): No deadline specified.
Senior Campaign Associate, Global Health Advocacy (UN Foundation): No deadline specified.
Graduate Student Intern (Evidence Action): No deadline specified.
Johns Hopkins U: Developer II (International Health) [req some comp sci skills] No deadline specified.
Clinical Research Coordinator, Department of Cardiology, Internal Medicine, School of Medicine (VCU) No deadline specified.
Program Associate, Tobacco Control (Vital Strategies) No deadline specified.
Jackson Foundation for the Advancement of Military Medicine: Program Analyst (Clinical Affairs) PMP certification preferred. No deadline specified.
Conferences / Training
Hopkins India Conference April 1-2, 2026. Call for speakers now open.
Consortium of Universities for Global Health conference April 9-12, 2026.
Planetary Health MOOC (free)
Next Steps for Nature Webinar Featuring Prof Doug Tallamy Click link for recording link! The presentation is titled “How Can I Help? Saving nature with your yard.”
Help us strengthen the signal. Share any opportunities you've found this month in the comments below.Thank you for joining Apothek Dispatch. I'm excited to share this journey with you! This newsletter is free to everyone, thanks to the generous support of fellow Apothek Dispatch members. To support the effort, subscribe or upgrade below: