Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Health Policy Fellows Program – US

Program Details

• The fellowship requires a full-time commitment with a minimum 12-month residence in Washington, D.C., which prepares individuals to influence the future of health and its drivers in the nation.
• The fellowship begins in September with an intensive three-and-a-half-month orientation arranged by the NAM, during which time, the fellows meet with national leaders well-versed in health, healthcare policy, health equity, social determinants of health, and structural racism; think tanks and interest groups; key executive branch officials; and members of Congress and their staff. Fellows also participate in seminars on health economics; the congressional budget process; current priority issues in federal health policy; and the process for federal decision-making. The concentrated orientation is designed to prepare the fellows for immediate success in federal legislative and executive branch positions.
• The NAM will assist all fellows in setting up placement interviews. Each fellow is, however, solely responsible for selecting and securing their own placement in a federal government office in Washington, D.C., no later than January 15, 2026.
• Fellowship placements generally begin no later than January 31. During these assignments, fellows are full-time, contributing participants in the policy process with members of Congress, a congressional committee, or in the executive branch. Solely under the supervision of the office in which they are placed, fellows typically will:
  • Help develop legislative or regulatory proposals;
  • Organize hearings, briefings, and stakeholder meetings;
  • Meet with constituents; and
  • Brief legislators or senior administration officials on a range of health issues.
• Fellowship assignments are supplemented throughout the year by nonpartisan seminars and group discussions on contemporary federal policy topics, as well as media/strategic communications training and leadership development activities. Fellows prepare a formal presentation on a health policy issue with which they have been engaged. Fellows also take part in meetings with the NAM and other health policy organizations throughout the year.

Funding Information

• Amount of Award: $175,000 per fellow
• Award Duration: 12–24 months
• Number of Awards: Up to eight fellows will be selected.

Eligibility Criteria 

• Eligible applicants are exceptional midcareer professionals from academic institutions, notfor-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 discipline that affects health. 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.

For more information, visit Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.