Harkness Fellowships in Health Care Policy and Practice 2024

Alongside their research, Fellows engage in a series of leadership development activities, gain an in-depth understanding of the U.S. health care system and policy landscape, and build a robust network for cross-national exchange and collaboration.

Fellowship Seminars

• Throughout the year, Harkness Fellows participate in a rich program of seminars organized by the Commonwealth Fund. The following is a representative sample of Harkness seminars.
  • Orientation: Held at the Commonwealth Fund headquarters in New York City, the orientation seminar introduces Harkness Fellows to each other and the Fund and delves into current delivery system and health policy issues in the United States.
  • Communications and Public Narrative Training: Communication skills are key to effective leadership. Harkness Fellows engage in a series of interactive trainings that address a variety of topics, including crafting a public narrative, writing and placing op-eds, and speaking to policymakers.
  • Washington Federal Health Policy: Designed to give Fellows a firsthand understanding of how health policy is developed and implemented, this seminar is an opportunity for dialogue and exchange with key policy actors. Fellows are immersed in current issues on the health and social policy agenda through meetings in Washington, D.C., with members of Congress, experts in Medicare and Medicaid policy, leaders of political advocacy organizations, and political strategists.
  • State Health Policy and Innovation: U.S. states are laboratories for evidence-based policymaking and innovation. This seminar takes a deep dive into a select date and is an opportunity for dialogue and exchange with policy leaders and healthcare innovators. The Harkness Fellows have an immersive learning experience focusing on
    • the state’s health policy development and implementation process,
    • innovative approaches to meeting the health and social care needs, and
    • the private sector’s role in the innovation of healthcare delivery. In recent years the seminar has been held in the San Francisco Bay Area and Colorado, and in future years could take place in other locations conducive to state-level health care exploration.
  • Biweekly Meetings and Leadership Conversations: Throughout the year Fellows participate in a series of virtual biweekly meetings designed to build community among the class and delve into hot topics in health policy and care delivery. These meetings (as well as the seminars described above) also include conversations examining the core concepts of leadership. Fellows meet influential people in U.S. health care and hear their thoughts on what is takes to be an effective leader. Speakers, who are drawn from care delivery organizations, government, industry, and academia, are asked to share insights from their professional experiences.
  • Final Reporting: Toward the end of the fellowship year, Fellows present their learnings to Commonwealth Fund staff and other health policy experts, in preparation for returning home and disseminating their findings more broadly.

Award Information

• The fellowship award provides dedicated research funding and a monthly living stipend (approx. USD8,000), plus round-trip airfare, support for relocation, health insurance coverage, and payment of U.S. federal and state withholding taxes. An additional family supplement is provided to Fellows accompanied by a partner and/or children under the age of 18. Exact terms of the award may vary by country.
• Fellows are encouraged to seek salary support from their home-country employer, particularly if they are coming from a for-profit organization. In some cases, Fellows may opt to arrange paid leave from their home institution (in lieu of receiving the monthly living stipend) to maintain their current income. If partial salary support is provided by a Fellow’s home institution, it will be supplemented by the Commonwealth Fund to meet the amount of the monthly living stipend.

Eligibility Criteria

• Harkness Fellowships are designed for midcareer professionals who are committed to advancing health policy and practice in the Commonwealth Fund’s principal areas of interest: improving health insurance coverage, access to care, the quality and efficiency of care delivery, and advancing health equity.
• All applicants must:
  • Be established residents of Australia, Canada, France, Germany, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Singapore, or the United Kingdom and eligible to receive a J1 Research Scholar Visa. In addition, applicants must be committed to continuing their career in the country from which they are applying.
  • Show significant promise as a policy-oriented health care leader. Fellows come from a variety of backgrounds: government/policy, health services research, clinical practice, health care management, and journalism, among others.
  • Have a demonstrated expertise in health policy issues and a track record of informing health policy through research, policy analysis, care delivery, or clinical leadership.
  • Propose a research project that is relevant to both the U.S. and their home country and is focused on creating policy or system-level change.
  • Have the relevant education and work experience to carry out the proposed research and take full advantage of the fellowship experience.

For more information, visit The Commonwealth Fund.