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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

Nurse and professor Dr. Brenda Baker says nurses should have a “bigger footprint” in the health policy arena—the RWJF Health Policy Fellows program helped her see how big a difference she could make By Jamie Durana Four-year-old Brenda Baker stood on her tiptoes and peered through the window into the hospital nursery. Baker’s mother was…

Before joining the program, Wilmoth navigated dual careers as a professor and a Brigadier General in the Army Reserve. She also wanted hands-on experience in the policy world that would be helpful in both careers. This led her to apply for the RWJF Health Policy Fellows Program, where she landed a placement in the office of the Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives, Nancy Pelosi, during the time when the Affordable Care Act was passed. Read on to find out about Wilmoth’s takeaways from the program and why she calls the fellowship “a privilege” and “transformational.”

By Marisa Coulton Health economist Carrie Colla had been teaching at The Dartmouth Institute for Health Policy and Clinical Practice for seven years when she decided it was time for a change. She loved the work but wanted to make sure her research was getting into the hands of policymakers. “In the beginning of your…

Hear from David Keahey on how the RWJF fellowship helps clinicians have an impact on the design of policy & care systems.

He reflects on how he brought the front-line, rural clinician experience to discussions about the Comprehensive Addiction Recovery Act during his tenure as a fellow.

Dr. Andy Gettinger reflects on his experience in the RWJF Health Policy Fellows program to discuss how his expertise and passions shaped his career and advice for prospective fellows.

He reflects on how the experience allowed him to bring more attention to his passion: the field of clinical informatics.