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

The National Academy of Medicine (NAM) and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) today named the 2025-2026 class of RWJF Health Policy Fellows. Beginning in September, eight 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, D.C., 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-and-a-half- 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. After their assignment, the fellows will continue to receive support to sustain their professional development as health policy leaders.  

“Health policy is back in the forefront as our country evaluates the appropriate role that the federal and state governments play in our public health and health care system, and decisions made in the next few years will have profound implications for the health of the nation for decades to come,” said Gregg Margolis, director of the RWJF Health Policy Fellows program at NAM. “In this time of change, the voices of experienced, front-line health and health care leaders are essential. The 2025-2026 RWJF Fellows represent some of the nation’s leading experts, and we are excited to welcome them to the nation’s capital to provide fresh perspectives and new ideas for some of our most difficult challenges.”   

“For more than 50 years, the RWJF Health Policy Fellows program has placed promising leaders in congressional offices and federal agencies to gain hands-on experience at the nexus of health, science, and policy and develop innovative solutions to the nation’s most urgent problems,” said Osub Ahmed, policy officer at the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. “Fellows bring with them their expertise in health-related disciplines and a deep commitment to building a healthier and more equitable future for all. We look forward to seeing how the 2025-2026 class of fellows leverages their on-the-ground policymaking training to support RWJF’s vision for a future where health is no longer a privilege, but a right.”  

The 2025-2026 fellows are: 

• Di Fang, PhD, associate professor, Food and Resource Economics Department, University of Florida, Gainesville 

• Nathalia Jimenez, MD, MPH, professor, Department of Anesthesiology and Pain Medicine, School of Medicine, and adjunct professor, Department of Health Systems and Population Health, School of Public Health, University of Washington and Seattle Children’s Hospital, Seattle 

• Brent A. Langellier, PhD, MA, associate professor of health management and policy, Dornsife School Public Health/Urban Health Collaborative, Drexel University, Philadelphia 

• Brian Keith McNeil, MD, MBA, FACS, associate dean for clinical affairs and vice chair, Department of Urology, SUNY Downstate Health Sciences University, Brooklyn, N.Y. 

• Stephen A. Morales, MBA, founder and principal, Malmora Global LLC, Oak Park, Ill. 

• Candice Morrissey, MD, MSPH, MHEPM, FASE, professor and vice chair, Department of Anesthesiology, Perioperative and Pain Medicine, University of Utah School of Medicine, Salt Lake City 

• Unini Odama, MD, MPH, MBE, nephrologist and former vice president for medical affairs, Davita Kidney Care, Atlanta 

• Juan A. Rios Jr., DSW, LCSW, associate professor and chair, Department of Social Work and Public Administration, Seton Hall University, South Orange, N.J. 

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.

The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation is a leading national philanthropy dedicated to taking bold leaps to transform health in our lifetime. Through funding, convening, advocacy, and evidence-building, it works 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.

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