Pilot Program Embeds Health Professionals in State Government

The National Academy of Medicine (NAM) has named the inaugural class of fellows in a pilot State Health Policy Fellowship (SHPF) program. Starting this month, three health professionals will spend a year in state legislative and executive branch offices in Colorado, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin as contributors to the development and implementation of state health policies and programs. 

The NAM is collaborating with the National Academy for State Health Policy (NASHP) to create this nationally coordinated fellowship to expand state health policy capacity. The SHPF model is based on the NAM’s RWJF Health Policy Fellows program, which has been placing health professionals in federal policy making offices since 1973.  

“It is evident that many, if not a majority, of health policies are made and implemented at the state level and have significant impacts on health outcomes — we have seen this play out around COVID-19 and reproductive health services,” said NAM President Victor J. Dzau, in a statement. “This first-of-its-kind fellowship addresses an unmet need in developing a pipeline of talent at the state level and focusing on state health policy with the capacity for interstate training and knowledge sharing.”

The NAM will partner with organizations in each participating state to administer the fellowship: the University of Colorado Eugene S. Farley Jr. Health Policy Center; the University of Pittsburgh Health Policy Institute; and the Advancing a Healthier Wisconsin Endowment at the Medical College of Wisconsin. Each organization is also providing funding to support the fellowship in its pilot year. Additional support is being provided by the University of Texas System.

Inaugural fellows include: 1) Brandi Freeman, M.D., M.S., associate professor of pediatrics and the Vice Chair for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion for the University of Colorado Department of Pediatrics and attending physician at the Child Health Clinic at the Children’s Hospital of Colorado; 2) Meredith Hughes, J.D., M.P.H., assistant professor in the Department of Health Policy and Management at the University of Pittsburgh School of Public Health. She received both her law degree and Master of Public Health from the University of Pittsburgh; and 3) Rachel Bernard, M.D., M.P.H., medical director in the COVID Response Bureau at the Chicago Department of Public Health and assistant professor in the Department of Medicine at the Medical College of Wisconsin in Milwaukee.

By placing health professionals in state government offices, the SHPF program will provide subject matter expertise and context to local policy deliberations. In turn, fellows will learn to participate fully in state policy and political processes and obtain the skills and knowledge necessary to influence policy throughout their careers. 

Following orientation and training provided by the NAM in Washington, D.C., SHPF fellows will serve as health policy advisers in gubernatorial offices, state legislatures, or other public offices. Fellows will share what they learn across state contexts throughout the fellowship year and form a cohort to foster continued growth and support for program alumni.

“The resources and experience of the NAM, the cohort nature of this program, and the contacts and context provided by the state partners make this a unique opportunity for exceptional mid-career health professionals,” said Gregg Margolis, director of the NAM’s Health Policy Fellowships and Leadership Programs, in a statement. “We are grateful to our state partner organizations for seeing the incredible potential in this effort and look forward to the SHPF program becoming a permanent part of the NAM fellowship portfolio.”