Six Health Professionals Selected for Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Health Policy Fellows Program at the National Academy of Medicine

WASHINGTON — The National Academy of Medicine (NAM) and Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) today named the 2022-2023 class of RWJF Health Policy Fellows.  Beginning in September, six health professionals will spend a year in Washington, D.C., working on health-related legislative and regulatory issues with members of Congress and the executive branch.

The fellows were chosen in a national competition for highly accomplished health and behavioral/social science professionals who have an interest in health policy.  Their experiences in Washington will enrich their understanding of federal policy formation and how federal and state governments relate to the mission of their home institutions and local communities.  The fellowship program will commence with an intensive three-month orientation, followed by a nine-month assignment in a congressional office or the executive branch, where the fellows will be involved in health-related legislation and policy development.  Following the year in Washington, the fellows will join an extensive network of alumni that continue to impact health, health care, and health policy in the nation.

“Every day for the past two and a half years we have been reminded about how public health and health care impact our daily lives and sense of security,” said Gregg Margolis, director of the RWJF Health Policy Fellows program at NAM.  “These exceptional health and health care experts will bring to Washington experience that enriches the policy process and adds a ‘front line’ perspective to policy discussions.  This amazing cohort will help shape health decisions that impact us all.”

The 2022-2023 fellows are:

• Elizabeth Cox, M.D., Ph.D., professor, department of pediatrics; director, Prevention Research Center, University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, Madison, Wisconsin
• Laura Findeiss, M.D.,chief of service for radiology, Grady Health System; professor, department of radiology and imaging sciences, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia
• Ying-Ying Goh, M.D., M.S.H.S., director and health officer, City of Pasadena Public Health Department, Pasadena, California
• Lindsey Harris, D.N.P., FNP-BC, nurse practitioner, University of Alabama at Birmingham Medicine, Birmingham, Alabama
• Kumhee Ro, D.N.P., FNP-BC, FAANP,assistant professor; director, Advanced Practice Nursing Immersion Program, Seattle University College of Nursing, Seattle, Washington
• Berlina Wallace-Berube, M.Ed., MACP, director, primary care office, department of health, Christiansted, St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands

The RWJF Health Policy Fellows program is the nation’s most prestigious learning experience at the nexus of health, science, and policy in Washington, D.C.  Since 1973, this nonpartisan fellowship has offered exclusive, hands-on policy experience with the most influential congressional and executive offices in the nation’s capital.  Over 300 fellows from across the nation have worked hand in hand with the best and brightest in federal health policy to gain an insider’s perspective of the political process, develop unmatched leadership skills, and build a professional network that lasts a lifetime.  As chancellors and deans at major academic institutions; presidents of professional societies and voluntary health organizations; leaders in local, state and federal government; and experts at think tanks and advocacy groups, fellows transform the nation’s health care policy and practice.  For more information, visit www.healthpolicyfellows.org.

For more than 45 years, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation has worked to improve health and health care. RWJF is working alongside others to build a national Culture of Health that provides everyone in America a fair and just opportunity for health and well-being.  For more information, visit www.rwjf.org.  Follow the foundation on Twitter at www.rwjf.org/twitter or on Facebook at www.rwjf.org/facebook.

The National Academy of Medicine, established in 1970 as the Institute of Medicine, is an independent organization of eminent professionals from diverse fields including health and medicine; the natural, social, and behavioral sciences; and beyond.  It serves alongside the National Academy of Sciences and the National Academy of Engineering as an adviser to the nation and the international community.  Through its domestic and global initiatives, the NAM works to address critical issues in health, medicine, and related policy and inspire positive action across sectors.  The NAM collaborates closely with its peer academies and other divisions within the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine.

Contact:
Dana Korsen, Director of Media Relations
Office of News and Public Information
202-334-2138; e-mail news@nas.edu

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