Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Health Policy Fellows

Purpose

The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) is taking bold leaps to transform health in our lifetime and pave the way, together, to a future where health is no longer a privilege, but a right. RWJF’s Health Policy Fellows program supports this vision by creating a strong and diverse leadership in health policy committed to advancing health.

Health Policy Fellows is a nonpartisan program located in Washington, D.C., that engages midcareer professionals interested in increasing their expertise in health policy. We are seeking applicants with deep experience and subject matter expertise in a discipline that influences health. Applicants should be committed to contributing to the health policy field for at least 10 years after the fellowship. The fellowship strongly encourages individuals with diverse backgrounds, ideologies, and perspectives to apply.

During their 12–24 month placements, fellows will be full-time, contributing participants in the policymaking process with either members of Congress, a congressional committee, or in the executive branch. The activities during the fellowship—developing legislative proposals; organizing hearings; meeting with constituents; briefing officials on health issues—will advance fellows’ leadership skills in health policy and their ability to influence policymaking to improve health.

Eligibility & Selection Criteria

• Exceptional midcareer professionals from academic institutions, not-for-profit organizations, or government (including military; U.S. Dept. of Veterans Affairs; U.S. Public Health Service Commissioned Corps; and state offices who are not considered government officials under Section 4946 of the Internal Revenue Code);
• Applicants must have earned an advanced degree (masters or doctoral degree);
  
• In addition, applicants must have deep experience and subject matter expertise in a health-related discipline. Examples include but are not limited to medicine; nursing; public health; law; dentistry; economics and other social sciences (especially disciplines related to factors that influence population health, such as housing, transportation, nutrition, wealth, employment, education, and environmental and community conditions); health services and social work/behavioral health; and other health professions;
• Applicants whose official job description or responsibilities are primarily government relations or advocacy are not eligible;
• Individual candidates for receipt of award funds must be U.S. citizens, or permanent residents at the time of application. Because the RWJF Health Policy Fellows are placed in assignments in the federal government, changes in federal policy or law may necessitate that RWJF consider adjustments in eligibility and grant terms, as well as placements in the program.
• Additionally, individual candidates for receipt of award funds cannot be related by blood or marriage to any Officer or Trustee of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, or be a descendant of its founder, Robert Wood Johnson.

Key Dates & Deadlines

• September 6, 2024 (2 p.m. ET), September 18 (11 a.m. ET), October 9, 2024 (11 a.m. ET), October 24, 2024 (1 p.m. ET): Optional applicant web conference calls. Registration is required. Please visit the program’s website for complete details and to register.
• November 3, 2024 (3 p.m. ET): Deadline for receipt of three reference letters.
• November 5, 2024 (3 p.m. ET): Deadline for receipt of preliminary applications.
• Mid-January 2025: Selection of finalists.
• Mid-February 2025: Deadline for receipt of full applications.
• Mid/late February 2025: Finalist interviews with advisory board.
• Late February 2025: Selection and notification.
• September 1, 2025: Start of fellowships.

Total Awards

• Stipend: $175,000 per fellow over a period of 12–24 months for up to eight fellows.
• Housing/Relocation: Fellows will be directly reimbursed for relocation and approved housing expenses through separate funds within limits specified by the National Academy of Medicine and RWJF.