Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Health Policy Fellows

Introduction & Purpose

The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) is taking bold leaps to transform health in our lifetime and pave the way, together, to a future where health is no longer a privilege, but a right. We fund leaders who are using strategies that are both innovative and time-tested in order to create lasting change.

The RWJF Health Policy Fellows program supports RWJF’s vision by creating a highly effective community of health policy leaders committed to advancing health across the country. The program provides midcareer professionals with the nation’s most comprehensive learning experience at the intersection of health, science, and policy in Washington, D.C. We are seeking applicants with deep experience and subject matter expertise as health professionals, behavioral and social scientists, and others with an interest in health and its drivers.

During their placements, fellows will be full-time, contributing participants in the national policymaking process in congressional or executive branch offices of their choosing. The activities during the fellowship—developing legislative proposals; organizing hearings; meeting with constituents; briefing officials on health issues—will advance fellows’ leadership skills in health policy and their ability to influence policymaking to improve health. The National Academy of Medicine (NAM) conducts and administers the fellowship, with funding support from RWJF.

Applicants should be committed to contributing to the health policy field for at least 10 years after the fellowship. The fellowship strongly encourages individuals with diverse backgrounds, ideologies, and perspectives to apply.

Eligibility & Selection Criteria

• Accomplished midcareer 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 (masters or doctoral degree);
• In addition, applicants must have deep experience and subject matter expertise in a health-related discipline. 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 must have a commitment to ensuring that everyone in the country has a fair and just opportunity to thrive and live a healthy life; 
• 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 II.
   

Key Dates & Deadlines

• (All in 2025): August 25 (11 a.m. ET), September 10 (2 p.m. ET), September 26 (11 a.m. ET), October 10 (1 p.m. ET), October 29 (3 p.m. ET)
  Optional applicant webinars. Please visit the program’s website for complete details and to register. 
• October 31, 2025 (3 p.m. ET)
  Deadline for receipt of three reference letters.
• November 3, 2025 (3 p.m. ET)
  Deadline for receipt of preliminary applications.
• January 2026*
  Selection and notification of finalists.
• February 2026*
  Deadline for receipt of full applications for finalists.
• March 2026*
  Finalist interviews with advisory board/selection/notification.
• September 1, 2026
  Start of fellowship.
   

*Exact dates to be determined.
 

Total Awards

• Stipend: $175,000 per fellow over a period of 12–24 months for up to eight fellows.
• Housing/Relocation: Fellows will be directly reimbursed for relocation and approved housing expenses through separate funds within limits specified by the NAM and RWJF.
   

For more details, refer to “Use of Funds” on page 6 of the Call for Applications.