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During her fellowship year, Michelle Dennison (right) worked in the office of former Surgeon General Jerome Adams (center). Photo: Michelle Dennison By Marisa Coulton Dr. Michelle Dennison loved her work as a diabetes dietitian in a clinic, but it was quickly burning her out.She saw that her patients were coming up against obstacles outside of…

As the RWJF Health Policy Fellows Program marks five decades, alumni and program directors reflect on the program’s impact By Marisa Coulton The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) Health Policy Fellows program enables mid-career professionals to have a lasting impact on the health policy landscape. David Keahey was a fellow from 2015-16. His most memorable…

By Marisa Coulton Barbara Incardona Damron is unstoppable. For decades, the University of New Mexico professor has made waves in the health policy world at the municipal, state, and federal level. Through the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) Health Policy Fellows program and the force of her own will, Damron has been able to fly…

Perone advocates for the health needs of LGBTQIA+ older adults By Marisa Coulton Angie Perone is one of California’s foremost elder health policy experts. She currently works at the University of California, Berkeley, where she serves as an assistant professor in the School of Social Welfare and director of the Center for the Advanced Study…

Cardiovascular and thoracic surgeon Dr. Hassan Tetteh became became a Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) Health Policy Fellow in 2012, an experience that fundamentally altered his perspective on life, politics, and medicine, he said. His path to the fellowship was far from linear, however. His journey began at the State University of New York in Plattsburgh, where he majored in biochemistry. He planned to be a doctor. But another field had captured his attention: policy.

Hear from Dr. Joseph Sakran on how the RWJF Health Policy Fellows program allowed him to build relationships and understand what’s happening where policy meets practice in this feature story.

He reflects on his time in the RWJF Health Policy Fellows program, focusing on the potential for clinicians to impact populations by getting involved with policy.

The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation 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 equity, health care, and health policy.

In this special episode, producer Anna Stoecklein is joined by Reggie Tucker-Seeley, one of the graduates from the program