BUILDING EXPERIENCED COHORTS: 1974-2025
Redefining Who Leads in Health
INTRODUCTION
Expanding Eligibility
Since 1973, the Health Policy Fellowship has evolved its eligibility criteria for participants. Initially open only to academic medical faculty at select institutions, the program has gradually expanded to welcome professionals from economics, nonprofits, behavioral health, and government.
The timeline shows how eligibility criteria has expanded over five decades, reflecting a broader understanding of who shapes health in America.
1973: Defining Eligibility in Academia
In 1973, eligibility for the Fellowship was limited to faculty from 114 academic health centers and institutions with medical schools. Applicants were nominated by the CEO of their institution, with only one candidate allowed per school. The process was intentionally selective, requiring letters, interviews, and a commitment from the institution to reintegrate the Fellow’s expertise after the program. This narrow scope focused on mid-career academic leaders and helped manage the program’s early scale. The Board noted that eligibility could be reconsidered if the program proved successful.
A 1973 Board memo outlined the original eligibility model, highlighting early selectivity and a narrow definition of who could shape health policy:
“The line obviously had to be drawn somewhere in accordance with definable and understandable criteria, and it was on this basis that the decision was made to set the parameters of the program in terms of academic health centers and other institutions with medical schools—a total of 114 institutions. It was considered highly probably that the mid-career academic faculty members who would most benefit from the fellowship experience would be found in this group of institutions.”
1975: Expanding to Include the Social Sciences
The 1975 program brochure shows the first expansion in eligibility to health professionals in the social sciences. Institutions were still allowed to submit only one nomination each, with the selection process remaining centralized through the Institute of Medicine.
View full 1975 program brochure.
1983: Welcoming Economists into Health
The 1983 brochure marked the first explicit inclusion of economics as an eligible field. Fellows continued to be drawn from mid-career academic faculty in health-related disciplines.
The 1983 brochure reflects the Fellowship’s acknowledgment that economic expertise is critical to national health policymaking.
View full 1983 brochure.
2002: Expanding Beyond Academia
| The 2002 brochure marked a shift beyond academia, allowing nonprofit organizations to sponsor applicants. |  |
| View full 2002 brochure. |
20??: Everyone Has a Stake in Health Policy
| The Fellowship has moved far beyond its original academic clinician roots. Today’s applicants come from public health, nonprofit leadership, government agencies, and academic institutions. Unlike earlier years, candidates now apply directly rather than being nominated by a sponsoring organization. |  |
GOOD INTERPRETIVE TITLE FOR WHY APPLIED
INTRO INTERPRETATION