The USC Institute on Inequalities in Global Health is excited to offer a USC student the opportunity to join the third iteration of the SDG Leadership Academy in summer 2022.
This year’s SDG Leadership Academy will provide a remarkable opportunity for a select student! Activities will include contribution to a book chapter for a series on the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and support for a series of activities relevant to USC IIGH’s work on the SDGs and the impacts of COVID-19 relief and recovery efforts on inequities and inequality.
The SDGs address a broad range of social, political, and economic obstacles to more equitable and sustainable development. While originally formulated for national governments, Los Angeles stands at the forefront of a localization movement in its city-wide efforts to align its plans and goals to the SDGs. The book chapter and related work will focus on the range of SDG lessons to be garnered from the Los Angeles experience.
Apply by Friday, May 6, 2022.

General Information
USC will be selecting one USC student to collaborate with USC IIGH faculty and staff to draft a book chapter and support activities relevant to USC’s work on the SDGs and the impacts of COVID-19 relief and recovery efforts on inequities and inequality.
The chapter will appear in an edited volume focusing on the agenda of SDG Goal 16 to advance peaceful, just, inclusive societies through case studies in a handful of cities and communities, through the lens of higher education institutions. This work will help advance understanding of sustainability using a local-global approach informed by city-level data, analyses, and practice, bridging the divide between domestic and international work on reducing inequality and inequity.
The position will run from June 6–Aug. 12, and the student will work virtually with USC IIGH faculty and staff, totaling 20 hours a week.
Please note the following:
- The student chosen to participate will receive a stipend of $3,500.
- In your application, you are highly encouraged to provide detail on the skills you bring, including substantive and methodological competencies, as they relate to this project.
- This opportunity will be remote and you are not required to be located in Los Angeles for the summer period.
Learning Outcomes
Students can expect to achieve the following through participation:
- Impact policy-making by bringing global norms to bear on urgent local issues.
- Gain skills and work experience in research and research writing.
- Co-authorship of a published book chapter.
- Gain a deeper understanding of the Sustainable Development Goals and the efforts of national and local leaders towards achieving these ambitious targets.
- Engage in collaborations between USC and external partners working in global and local policy.
Application Materials
- Letter of motivation
- Curriculum Vitae
- Writing sample
- The name and contact for one academic reference
Questions may be directed to michelle.anderson@med.usc.edu. Applications will close on May 6.
Previous SDG Projects
USC IIGH has been working with the city of Los Angeles over the last several years in a committed partnership. For example, in the fall of 2018, supported by USC’s Office of the Provost, IIGH offered a practicum that brought together students from across the university to bring a human rights analysis to work occurring around homelessness in support of the Office of the Mayor of Los Angeles. In the summer of 2020, students from USC and three other universities took part in a ten-week internship program to support the Mayor’s office on topical projects ranging from LGBT+ data, communication, and storytelling to addressing biodiversity loss. The 2021 SDG Leadership Academy was an extension of this partnership. Students from USC and Carnegie Mellon collaborated on research that utilized the SDGs as a mechanism to measure the positive and negative impact of COVID-19 relief and recovery funds on social justice and equity, as well as to understand the implications of policy and potential solutions in the context of Los Angeles and other cities.
Learn more about previous SDG projects at the links below:
- Article: Classroom Walls and City Hall: Mobilizing Local Partnerships to Advance the Sustainable Development Agenda (2021)
- Un(Just) Recovery: Addressing COVID-Related Inequalities in Los Angeles (10/25/2021)
- 2021 SDG Leadership Academy begins summer project focused on a #JustRecovery post-COVID (7/19/2021)
- The SDG Leadership Academy: Students And the City of Los Angeles Work Towards A Sustainable Future (9/11/2020)
- SDG Leadership Academy: Update (6/17/2020)
- Revising National SDG Targets for the City of Los Angeles (5/2/2019)
- Training in Malaysia connects health and human rights (11/5/2018)
- New practicum seeks sustainable solutions for LA’s wicked problems (6/29/2018)
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