Description
Applications for the 2027-28 cohort are open until 3 PM ET on November 3, 2026.
About the Program
The RWJF Health Policy Fellows program offers mid-career professionals the opportunity to participate in the policy process at the federal level and use that leadership experience to improve health, health care, and health policy.
During an immersive year in Washington, DC, fellows become health policy experts and gain firsthand experience in the legislative or executive branch, working alongside national leaders to improve the health of the nation.
Since 1973, this nonpartisan fellowship, has prepared more than 300 leaders to use their expertise to drive meaningful, lasting change.
The fellowship requires a full-time commitment with a minimum 12-month residence in Washington, DC, which prepares individuals to influence the future of health and its drivers in the nation.
Accepted fellows will begin in September 2027.
About Orientation
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, health care and health policy; think tanks and interest groups; key executive branch officials; and members of Congress and their staffs. 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 or executive branch positions.
About Placements
Fellowship placements generally begin in January.
Fellows participate in the policy process with members of Congress, a congressional committee, or the executive branch, and function as full members of the health team under the mentorship of an experienced senior staffer. During the placement, fellows may:
- Help develop policy proposals/positions
- Draft legislation
- Prepare memos
- Organize hearings, briefings, and stakeholder meetings
- Meet with constituents
- 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 are asked to prepare a formal presentation on a health policy issue with which they have been engaged. Fellows also take part in NAM meetings and other health policy organizations, as well as in social functions.
Fellows may request approval from the national program office (NPO) at the NAM to extend the Washington stay past the 12-month residential period of September 1 to August 31 the following year, through the legislative session or until December 31.
Quick Links
- Apply: https://www.rwjf.org/cfp/hpf18
- Information and application instructions: https://healthpolicyfellows.org/become-a-fellow
- Register for a virtual Info Session: https://survey.alchemer.com/s3/8554108/RWJF-Health-Policy-Fellows-2026-Information-Sessions
- Follow us on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/showcase/rwjf-health-policy-fellows
- Subscribe for monthly updates: https://healthpolicyfellows.org/subscribe
- Email with questions: info@healthpolicyfellows.org
Requirements
Eligibility Criteria
- Exceptional mid-career 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 (master’s or doctoral degree);
- In addition, applicants must have developed deep subject matter experience in a health-related discipline and have at least 10 years of full-time work experience. 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, 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. The RWJF Health Policy Fellows are placed in assignments in the federal government. Therefore, 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.
Selection
By mid-January 2027, the advisory board will select finalists from the applicants for in-person interviews in Washington, DC, which will be held in February or March 2027. Applicants who are selected for interviews will receive details about the remainder of the process upon invitation.
To Apply
Applications for this solicitation must be submitted electronically via the RWJF online system. Visit
https://www.rwjf.org/cfp/hpf18 and use the "Apply Online" link. If you have not already done so, you will be required to register at my.rwjf.org before you begin the application process.
Only electronic applications submitted directly through www.rwjf.org/cfp/hpf18 will be accepted.
Apply: https://www.rwjf.org/cfp/hpf18
Learn more: https://healthpolicyfellows.org/become-a-fellow
Please direct inquiries to:
Phone: (202) 334-1506
Email: info@healthpolicyfellows.org
Applications close at 3:00 PM ET on November 3, 2026. Late applications cannot be accepted.
