Fellowship Information
Background
The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) has a history of investments that seek to build and maintain a strong and diverse leadership and workforce in health and health care, as well as to help develop specific fields. The Robert Wood Johnson Health Policy Fellowships Program provides the nation’s most comprehensive experience at the nexus of health science, policy and politics in Washington, D.C. The Fellowship is an outstanding opportunity for exceptional midcareer health professionals and behavioral and social scientists with an interest in health to experience and participate in health policy processes at the federal level. Fellows actively participate in the formulation of national health policies and accelerate their careers as leaders in health policy. Initiated in 1973, the program is funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and conducted by the Institute of Medicine (IOM) of the National Academies.
The Robert Wood Johnson Health Policy Fellowships Program seeks individuals who possess the skills and commitment to use the fellowship experience to provide leadership in improving health, health care, and health policy at national, state or local levels; who bring a depth of expertise and knowledge about health and health care to the policy-making process; and, who can offer an informed perspective on important and perplexing questions facing health policy-makers.
RWJF is committed to a program that embraces racial, ethnic and gender diversity, and we encourage applications from candidates who come from groups that historically have been underrepresented.
The Program
Up to 10 fellows will be selected for the program. Each fellowship includes a one-year residential experience in Washington, D.C., which can be augmented by extending the Washington stay through the legislative session or until December 31, 2008. The residential experience features an intensive orientation, followed by hands-on work assignments with members of Congress or in the executive branch. Fellows typically will:
- Help develop legislative proposals.
- Arrange hearings.
- Brief legislators for committee sessions and floor debates.
- Staff House-Senate conferences.
The Washington experience prepares individuals to influence the future of health care and accelerate their own career development. Fellows are able to continue their health policy activities for up to two years after the first fellowship year.
The September-to-August Washington-based program begins with an intense three-and-a-half-month orientation arranged by the IOM. This unique experience offers meetings with key executive branch officials responsible for health policy and programs, members of Congress and their staffs, and representatives of health-related interest groups. Fellows also participate in seminars on health economics, major federal health and health research programs, the congressional budget process, current priority issues in federal health policy, and the process of federal decision-making.
In November, the fellows join the American Political Science Association Congressional Fellowship Program for an overview of the national political process. The orientation period concludes in December when fellows interview for and negotiate their working assignments with Congress or the executive branch.
Work assignments begin in January and end in August, with an option for extending through the legislative term (which ends in October or early November but must conclude by December 31, 2008). During these assignments, fellows are full-time, working participants in the policy process.
Work assignments are supplemented throughout the year by seminars and group discussions on developing health policy, the general policy and governmental process, as well as media training and leadership development. Fellows also take part in meetings of the IOM and other health policy organizations, as well as cultural and social functions.
As part of the program, all fellows are asked to prepare a formal presentation on a policy-oriented research issue in which they have become involved. At the end of the Washington placement, and again at the end of the three-year period of grant support, each fellow is also required to submit an evaluation report on the program.
After the Washington work assignment, fellows return to their respective institutions, or take another appropriate position where they further develop their health policy leadership skills. Once the Washington experience is completed, fellows become part of a nationwide alumni network and typically return to Washington yearly to attend the IOM’s annual meeting and be briefed on issues and trends in health and health care policy.
Program Direction
Direction and technical assistance for this program is provided by the Institute of Medicine at the National Academies, which serves as the NPO under the direction of the RWJ Health Policy Fellowships Advisory Board.
Institute of Medicine
The National Academies
500 Fifth Street NW
Washington, D.C. 20001
Phone: (202) 334-1506
Fax: (202) 334-3862
www.healthpolicyfellows.org
Responsible staff member at the NPO:
Marie Michnich, DrPH, Director
Jovett Solomon, Deputy Director
Responsible staff members at the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation:
Michael Painter, J.D., M.D., Senior Program Officer
John Lumpkin, M.D., M.P.H., Senior Vice President and Director, Health Care Group
Paul Tarini, Senior Communications Officer
Christine Phares, Grants Administrator
Use of Grant Funds
Up to 10 grants of $165,000 each will be made in 2008. Grant funds may cover salary support at an amount of up to $94,000 for the first year (not to exceed the fellow’s salary prior to entering the program), from September 1, 2008 through August 31, 2009, plus fringe benefits at levels corresponding to the level of salary support. For up to two years following the Washington work assignment, remaining grant funds may be used for partial salary support, travel, research, conferences and networking. Sponsoring institutions may supplement both sums. In addition, fellows are reimbursed for relocation expenses within limits specified by the IOM. No additional direct costs (such as laptops or PDAs) or indirect costs are paid for during the first year of this program.
Fellows must commit 100 percent of their time to program activities during the first 12 months (which may be extended up to 16 months if an individual fellow chooses to remain in the Washington work assignment). On returning to their sponsoring organization, fellows undertake a pre-approved plan to continue their health policy leadership development. In the event that a fellow changes sponsors during the grant period, the fellow and the new sponsoring institution must prepare a plan subject to review and approval by the National Program Director.
Grants are made to sponsoring institutions and must follow the RWJF funding guidelines. Grantees must meet RWJF requirements for the submission of annual financial and narrative reports, as well as a final written report upon completion of the program.
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