Program
The RWJF Health Policy Fellows program offers mid-career professionals the opportunity to participate in the policy process at the federal level and use that leadership experience to improve health, health care, and health policy.
What can Fellows expect?
The RWJF Fellowship is comprised of two unique experiences: an immersive orientation period and a hands-on placement working as a senior advisor to an elected or appointed federal government official. Starting with an intensive three-and-a-half-month orientation arranged by the NAM, fellows have the opportunity to meet with national leaders well-versed in health, health care policy, health equity, social determinants of health, and structural racism; think tanks and interest groups; key executive branch officials; and members of Congress and their staffs. During this time, fellows participate in seminars on health economics; the congressional budget process; current priority issues in federal health policy; and the process for federal decision-making.
This concentrated orientation is designed to prepare the fellows for immediate success in the second phase: their placements in the federal legislative and executive branches.
What do Fellows do?
Fellows serve as senior advisors to key health policy decision-makers in Washington, DC. They participate in the policy process with members of Congress, a congressional committee, or the executive branch. Under the supervision of the office in which they are placed. Fellows typically:
- help develop legislative or regulatory proposals;
- organize hearings, briefings, and stakeholder meetings;
- meet with constituents; and
- brief legislators or senior administration officials on a range of health issues.
Fellowship assignments are supplemented throughout the year by nonpartisan seminars and group discussions on contemporary federal policy topics, as well as media/strategic communications training and leadership development activities. Fellows prepare a formal presentation on a health policy issue with which they have been engaged and take part in NAM meetings with other health policy organizations.
Prospective applicants should review the application guidelines before applying. Applicants will be asked to submit an updated curriculum vitae (CV) and two personal essays. Learn more about the RWJF Fellowship application.
Want to know more about what its like to be a Fellow?
Background
The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Health Policy Fellows (RWJF) program provides the nation’s most comprehensive learning experience at the nexus of health, science, and policy in Washington, D.C.
The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) is a leading national philanthropy dedicated to taking bold leaps to transform health in our lifetime. The RWJF Health Policy Fellows program, which seeks to build strong leadership and a workforce skilled in health policy, is critical to that vision.
Since 1973, this non-partisan fellowship has offered direct, hands-on policy experience with the most influential congressional and executive offices in the nation’s capital to exceptional mid-career health professionals, behavioral/social scientists, and others with an interest in health and health care who:
- Possess the skills and commitment to using the fellowship experience to provide leadership in improving health, health care, and health policy at the national, state, or local level;
- Bring a depth of expertise and knowledge about health and health care to the policymaking process; and
- Can offer an informed perspective on important and complex challenges facing health policymakers.
More than 300 fellows from across the nation have gained an insider's perspective of the political process, develop unmatched leadership skills, and build a professional network that lasts a lifetime.
The National Academy of Medicine conducts and administers the fellowship, with funding support from RWJF.
RWJF is a leading national philanthropy dedicated to taking bold leaps to transform health in our lifetime. Through funding, convening, advocacy, and evidence-building, we work side-by-side with communities, practitioners, and institutions to get to health equity faster and pave the way together to a future where health is no longer a privilege, but a right.
For more information, visit www.rwjf.org.
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.
For more information, visit www.nam.edu.
Connect with Us!
Become part of a community of leaders on our new LinkedIn Showcase page! Engage with current RWJF Health Policy Fellows, other prospective applicants, and program alumni today!