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For three decades, tile Robert Wood Johnson Health Policy Fellowships Program leas enhance tile careers of outstanding mid-career academic health professionals, community Stealth leaders, and behavioral scientists. Though a unique and comprehensive orientations program clesigned acid acIministerec' by the Institute of Medicine, followed by high level work assignments in the U.S. Congress or tile Administration, almost 200 Fellows have participated in scraping fecleral health policy. Fellows, strate- gically positioned at the Plexus of health care, policy, and politics in Washington D.C., accept front line responsibilities in shaping the nation's legislation and r egulations governing health and health cat e in tire United States. Formal evaluations of the program leave demonstrates! treat tire fellow- sl~ip promotes and accelerates professional career development. I he com- missionect studies, corroborated by recent surveys and focus groups of alumni, leave repeatedly documented tire transfort~i~g nature of tile expe- rience including: ~ Attainment of subsequent leadership roles in major professional societies and voluntary health organizations; ~5 l 0 ~ cat ~ I I <,, 5 ~ I ' LO
I 7~r If,- GAL lS~S IN ~~<-A~-] · A track record ot prestigious promotions in academia and health care organizations; ant! · A lasting connection to both the picogram and fellow alumn creating an influential and powerful health policy network. Fellows leave beers frequently cited Icy members of Congress, tire Administration, and the health policy community at large as significantly improving else outcomes of I~ealtl~ policymaking process. For example, Mario PacI~eco (2000-2001) arrived ilk Washington witty a concern about obesity ilk tire Hispanic pol)ulatio~. During his Congressional assignment, Mario energetically acid effectively supported the successful passage of a~ti-obesity legislation pleat created a study of scI~ool-based vending nacI~ines Alice their effect on cl~ildI~ood nutrition. Tire scientific ant! clini- Cal expertise Fellows possess make valuable contributions to the delibera- tions that face federal policymakers. Consequently, tire demand for Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Healths Policy Fellows is high, both cluring the year in Washington D.C. amuck cluring flee years that follow. Fellows are aggressively recruited for Congressional committees and personal staff ,oositior~s on biotic sicles of tire aisle. Tizzy are also sought for assignments in the Administration, including the Office of the Secretary of Healths ant! Human Services, tire Department of Defense, ant! tire Wl~ite House Office of Domestic Policy. After completion of the DC experience federal and state agencies and professional organizations ant! associations aggressively pursue alumni for theist insights and leeway fount! abilities to serve in leaclersl~ip Blokes. Fo~- example, Lisa lkaplowitz (1996-1997) is tire current Deputy Con~nissioner of Emergency Preparedness and Response for tire Co~n~no~wealtI~ of Virginia; wirily Larry Kerr (1998-1999) serves in tire Executive Office oftl~e President of tire United States. Alumni also serve as University Presidents, Vice Chancellors, ant! Deans of Scl~ools of Medicine, Nursing and Public Healths. Wiley are Directors of State Medicaic! Programs, Department Chairs, ant! Healths Policy Directors. Alumni also continue to enthusiastically maintain their connections to Washington D.C. and some have even become official liaisons in govern- ment relations for their universities and professional societies. WI1ile many changes have come about since the Program's inception in 1973, a recent notable addition is the availability of additional financial
~~R I~ W(~3L) JOH,i\.~)N -ALE [~! IC? ~~.~S i-~PAM support to enable fellows to extend the length of their assig-nn~ents in D.C. so they can complete the legislative session in Congress. Alternatively, fel- lows may elect to use tire adclitional funds to continue a plannecl program of health policy leadership development for up to two years after tire D.C. assignment. At the enc! of the resiclential time in Washington, Fellows select two or three mentors wise will serve as coaches or advocates. Tire mentoring component is intencled to expanc! health policy leadership sI<ilIs and abilities in order to sustain engage net ilk health policy and politics at flee local, state, ancl/or fecleral levels. Tile Fellowship experience fosters valuable and effective communica- tion between academia, healths care delivery, public policy, and politics. Not only do Robert Wood Jol~nson Foundation Healths Policy Fellows serve as a vital resource to Congress, providing much needed clinical and scien- tific expertise, Riley also become members of an expanding ant! experi- enced networIc of leaders Kilo square a remarkable commitment to the improvement of health policy in tire IJ~itec! States. ~7
