Health Policy Research Scholars

Introduction & Purpose

At the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF), we are working to advance health equity, helping to build a world where health is no longer a privilege, but a right. RWJF focuses on identifying, illuminating, and addressing barriers to health, particularly those caused by structural racism and other forms of discrimination and oppression, including sexism, ableism, and prejudice based on sexual orientation. Our goal is to help improve the health of everyone in the United States by placing wellbeing at the center of every aspect of life.

Health Policy Research Scholars (HPRS) is a four-year national leadership development program for full-time doctoral students from a wide range of nonclinical, research-focused disciplines in which policy is a key lever for change. HPRS builds on RWJF’s vision of leadership as a dynamic, transformative, relational process of change aimed at repairing damage from historical and structural injustices and oppression. The program is for doctoral students who are deeply committed to research that works to advance antiracism and structural change work aligned with the health needs of the most impacted communities. HPRS supports researchers from diverse backgrounds, particularly those with lived experiences of inequity, marginalization, and oppression.

HPRS offers training in the health policy process, approaches to systems change, and how to craft an actionable research question that can inform solutions to health inequity—as well as mentorship and career and leadership coaching. HPRS is a community of eight cohorts of research leaders—drawing on both lived and professional experiences—who are advancing health equity and making impactful societal change. Up to 40 scholars will be selected for the 2025 cohort, which will be the program’s final cohort.

Are you a doctoral student who shares this vision for leadership and a future where all people have a fair and just opportunity to thrive? Are you ready to take the next step in your leadership journey? We encourage you to explore the Health Policy Research Scholars program, highlighted in this call for applications.

Eligibility & Selection Criteria

• Applicants must be starting full-time, second-year doctoral studies in a research-based program in fall 2025 at a degree-granting institution based in the United States or its territories. Applicants must remain full-time doctoral students while enrolled in HPRS; 
• Applicants must have at least three academic years remaining in their doctoral program and not expect to graduate before spring/summer 2028; 
• Applicants must be from marginalized backgrounds, and be able to describe how their background, identity, or lived experiences have positioned them to contribute to the goals of the program. Examples of marginalized backgrounds include, but are not limited to, first-generation college graduates; individuals from lower socioeconomic backgrounds; individuals from minoritized populations, and individuals with disabilities. 
• Applicants cannot be a recipient of a national fellowship program that prohibits participation in additional programs such as HPRS. Applicants should make sure to check the policies of other fellowships;   
• Applicants must be at least 21 years old or considered legal adults in the state in which they reside as of September 1, 2025; 
• Federal, state, tribal, and local government employees are eligible to apply unless they are considered government officials under Section 4946 of the Internal Revenue Code; 
• Applicants must be U.S. citizens, permanent residents, or individuals granted Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) Status or Temporary Protected Status (TPS) by the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services at the time of application. As federal policy or laws change, we may need to consider adjustments in eligibility and grant terms;  
• Individual candidates for receipt of award funds cannot be related by blood or marriage to any Officer, Manager, or Trustee of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, or be a descendant of its founder, Robert Wood Johnson.  

*Refer to the full Call for Applications for additional details.

Key Dates & Deadlines

January 14, 2025 (2–3 p.m. ET) 

An informational webinar was held on January 14, 2025. You can listen to the recording here.

March 11, 2025 (3 p.m. ET) 
Deadline for receipt of full applications, including references. 

May 2025  
Semifinalist interviews via web conference. 

Mid-June 2025  
Notification of finalists selected for program. 

July 9, 2025
Deadline for receipt of finalist supplemental applications.

September 1, 2025 
Program begins. Award funding initiated for program participants. 

September 3, 2025
Participant announcement.

September 2025
Required onboarding meetings for scholars and mentors. 

September 29, 2025 (3–4 p.m. ET)
Orientation webinar for scholars and mentors.

October 2025  
HPRS Fall Institute, Baltimore, MD (in-person attendance required for program participants).  

October 2025
Year 1 course begins.

June 2026  
HPRS Summer Institute, Baltimore, MD (in-person attendance required for program participants).

Total Awards

Number of scholars in the 2025 cohort: Up to 40

Grant funds from RWJF will include:

• Award funds: $30,000 per year for up to four years or until recipient completes their doctoral program (whichever is sooner).
• Administrative fee: Home institutions receive an administrative fee of $1,000 per year ($4,000 in total) added to the grant amount to cover the administrative costs of managing the award.  

*Refer to the full Call for Applications for additional details.