PODCAST: Alumnus discusses health equity and reflects on the RWJF Health Policy Fellows program

Reginald Tucker-Seeley, MA, ScM, ScD, recently appeared on a Health Podcast Network Coffee Talk to discuss how to ensure health policy is centered in equity and the role the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) Health Policy Fellows program plays in making an impact.

During the episode, Tucker-Seeley discusses the current state of inequity in the U.S. health care system and the importance of involving people with diverse backgrounds in the policymaking process to achieve more equitable outcomes. He also reflects on how the RWJF Health Policy Fellows program provides health experts the tools needed to break into the health policy landscape and enact real, lasting change. Tucker-Seeley comments on the memorable and unique three-month orientation, which introduces RWJF fellows to the “size and scope” of the federal policymaking process. "I feel like the program gives you that breadth and depth of federal policymaking through that orientation,” Tucker-Seeley recounts of the experience.

Since Tucker-Seeley’s fellowship placement from 2017 to 2018 with Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-CA), he has become Vice President of Health Equity at ZERO — The End of Prostate Cancer, an education and advocacy organization. Previously, he was the inaugural holder of the Edward L. Schneider chair in gerontology and Assistant Professor in the Leonard Davis School of Gerontology at the University of Southern California.

Listen in on the full conversation on the Health Podcast Network website. Engage with current fellows, other prospective applicants, and program alumni today by following the RWJF Health Policy Fellows LinkedIn Showcase page.

Are you eager to make change in federal health policy? The program application period opens every fall—applications for the class of 2023 will be accepted until November 7.