Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Health Policy Fellows 2027–2028: $175,000 Fellowship and Washington, D.C. Policy Placement

Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Health Policy Fellows 2027–2028: $175,000 Fellowship and Washington, D.C. Policy Placement

The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Health Policy Fellows program is accepting applications for its 2027–2028 cohort. It is intended for experienced professionals who understand health, health care, or the social and environmental factors that shape health and want to spend a year working inside the federal policy process.

This is a funded, full-time fellowship rather than a short course or a conventional research grant. Fellows relocate to Washington, D.C., complete an intensive orientation organized by the National Academy of Medicine, and then secure a placement in a congressional office, congressional committee, or executive-branch agency. The fellowship provides $175,000 per fellow over a 12–24-month period. Separate relocation and approved housing support can total up to $20,000 within the program’s limits.

The current call closes at 3 p.m. ET on November 3, 2026. Three reference letters are due earlier, by 3 p.m. ET on October 30, 2026. This guide explains what the program funds, what the selection committee looks for, and how a potential applicant can build a credible application before the deadline.

Key details

What the fellowship offers

The program’s central benefit is access to the federal policy process with the financial support and preparation needed to participate as a working professional. The fellowship begins in September with a three-and-a-half-month orientation. The orientation introduces fellows to national health-policy leaders, think tanks, interest groups, executive-branch officials, and members of Congress and their staff. It also includes seminars on health economics, the congressional budget process, current federal health-policy issues, and federal decision-making.

After orientation, fellows move into a policy assignment. The program describes possible work with a member of Congress, a congressional committee, or an executive-branch office. Assignments can involve developing policy proposals, drafting legislation, preparing memoranda, organizing hearings and briefings, meeting constituents, and briefing legislators or senior administration officials. The work is supplemented by seminars, group discussions, media and strategic-communications training, leadership development, and a formal presentation on a health-policy issue connected to the fellow’s experience.

The fellowship is deliberately immersive. Fellows must commit 100 percent of their time, and the program does not offer a telecommuting option. The official program information describes a minimum 12-month residence from September 1 through August 31 of the following year. A fellow may request approval to remain in Washington longer, through the legislative session or until December 31, but an extension is not automatic.

The financial package is unusually substantial for a professional fellowship. RWJF states that the total award is $175,000 per fellow over 12–24 months and that up to eight fellows may be supported. Fellows who live more than 50 miles from the D.C. area before the fellowship may be eligible for up to $20,000 in relocation and housing support. The fellowship is administered through a sponsoring-institution or National Academy of Medicine track, so applicants should read the funding terms carefully instead of treating the headline amount as a simple unrestricted payment.

Who this opportunity fits

The best fit is an established professional whose subject expertise can improve federal discussion of health or the conditions that influence health. The program gives examples including medicine, nursing, public health, law, dentistry, economics, social sciences, health services, social work, behavioral health, and other health professions. The list is intentionally broad. A candidate does not need to have held a job titled “health policy,” but the application must show a serious connection between the candidate’s experience and health, health care, or drivers of population health.

The program is aimed at mid-career professionals, not applicants who are still deciding on a first field. The current RWJF funding page requires at least 10 years of full-time work experience in addition to an advanced degree and deep health-related subject-matter experience. The program’s own FAQ notes that successful applicants often have roughly the equivalent of 10 years of full-time practice or work beyond training or residency, together with leadership activity and distinguished professional accomplishments.

This fellowship is especially suitable for someone who wants to translate professional knowledge into policy practice. A clinician may want to understand federal legislative or regulatory work. A researcher may want to work directly with policymakers. A lawyer, economist, social worker, or community-health expert may want to apply field experience to questions involving housing, transportation, nutrition, education, employment, wealth, or environmental conditions. The key is not the prestige of a title; it is the demonstrated ability to contribute in a high-stakes, fast-moving policy environment.

Eligibility requirements to check first

Applicants must hold a master’s or doctoral degree. The program treats an advanced degree as a postgraduate qualification such as a master’s degree, JD, MD, PhD, or DO. Applicants also need at least 10 years of full-time work experience and deep subject-matter experience in a health-related discipline.

Applicants must be U.S. citizens or permanent residents when they apply. A U.S. citizen who currently lives and works abroad may apply, but the program says the application portal must be accessed within the United States. Because fellows are placed in federal government offices, the funding page cautions that changes in federal law or policy could require adjustments to eligibility, grant terms, or placements.

A person whose official job description or responsibilities are primarily government relations or advocacy is not eligible. That restriction does not mean all advocacy experience is disqualifying. The program FAQ says applicants may be eligible when advocacy is part of their work but is not their primary job. Describe the actual balance of responsibilities accurately.

The individual receiving award funds also cannot be related by blood or marriage to an RWJF officer or trustee and cannot be a descendant of Robert Wood Johnson. These are specific exclusions that should be checked before investing heavily in the application.

How the application and selection process works

The preliminary application is due through the RWJF application system by November 3, 2026, at 3 p.m. ET. Three reference letters must be received by October 30, 2026, at 3 p.m. ET. The program advises applicants to track the status of each letter rather than assuming a referee has completed the submission.

Applicants selected as finalists are expected to be notified in mid-January 2027. Finalists then submit full applications by a mid-February 2027 deadline, with the exact date to be determined. Finalist interviews with the advisory committee are expected in late February, followed by selection and notification in late February. The 2027–2028 fellowship begins on September 1, 2027.

The program’s selection criteria provide a useful map for the application. The advisory board assesses professional achievements, potential for leadership in health policy, potential for future growth and career advancement, potential for significant contributions to advancing health for all Americans, interpersonal and communication skills, and the applicant’s plans for incorporating the fellowship into specific career goals. The application asks for two essays; the portal supplies the detailed prompts.

Selection does not end when a candidate is admitted. During orientation, the NAM helps fellows learn about possible offices and arrange placement interviews. Each fellow remains responsible for selecting and securing a federal-government placement by January 15, 2028. That means applicants should be comfortable with an element of uncertainty and should be ready to explain the policy problems on which they could contribute without insisting on one predetermined office.

What to prepare before submitting

Start with a concise professional record. Your résumé should make the 10-year experience requirement easy to verify and should show responsibility, results, leadership, and subject-matter depth. Do not rely on job titles alone. A committee member should be able to see what changed because of your work: a service improved, a program reached more people, a study influenced practice, a law or regulation was analyzed, or a complex partnership produced a measurable result.

Next, build a policy translation statement. Identify one or two health-policy questions where your practical expertise is unusually useful. Explain the people affected, the decision-makers involved, the evidence available, and the obstacle that prevents progress. This is stronger than a general statement that you care about health equity or want to serve the public.

Line up references early. Choose people who can address the selection criteria directly, including achievement, leadership, judgment, communication, and future potential. Give each reference a short briefing document with your résumé, the deadline, the program’s criteria, and two or three examples you hope they can verify. A letter that merely confirms that you are pleasant and hardworking will not use the opportunity well.

Draft the two essays around a coherent career story. The essays should connect your past work, the federal policy experience you need, and the specific contribution you intend to make afterward. The program is not asking you to promise a particular political outcome. It is asking whether you can learn quickly, work across differences, use discretion, and turn an intensive year into a durable contribution to health policy.

How to make the application credible to reviewers

Use evidence with context. State the scale of a project, your precise role, the constraint you faced, and the result. If you led a coalition, explain what decisions you made and how partners responded. If you conducted research, explain who used it and what changed. If you worked directly with communities, show how their priorities shaped the work rather than presenting them as a passive audience.

Demonstrate policy judgment without overstating policy experience. Prior federal service is not required; the program provides intensive orientation. A candidate can show readiness through careful analysis, public communication, implementation work, negotiation, or experience explaining technical issues to decision-makers. Be specific about how you listen, revise a position when evidence changes, and protect confidential information.

Address the full-time commitment plainly. Make a plan for your current employment, board positions, outside affiliations, research obligations, family responsibilities, and relocation. The FAQ says fellows must recuse themselves from board positions, association participation, societies, and fiduciary responsibilities during the fellowship, and that professional effort after orientation can create a conflict of interest. Showing that you understand these limits signals maturity.

Common mistakes to avoid

The first mistake is treating this as a scholarship for early-career students. The call requires an advanced degree, deep health-related expertise, and at least 10 years of full-time work experience. A polished résumé cannot substitute for that basic fit.

The second is writing a broad personal statement with no policy question. The fellowship is about federal legislative and executive-branch work. Give reviewers a clear sense of the policy problems you understand and the decisions to which you could contribute.

The third is ignoring the placement responsibility. The NAM supports the process, but each fellow is responsible for selecting and securing a placement by January 15, 2028. Read about the kinds of offices and assignments the program describes, and be prepared to discuss several plausible ways your expertise could help.

The fourth is waiting to request references. Letters have their own October 30 deadline, five days before the preliminary application closes. Ask early and monitor the portal.

Finally, do not assume the $175,000 is an unrestricted lump sum. The award may be administered through an eligible sponsoring institution or through the National Academy of Medicine, and the program specifies different salary, fringe, stipend, health-insurance, and housing arrangements. Read the official call and ask the program office about the track that applies to you.

Frequently asked questions

Is the fellowship open now?

Yes. The 2027–2028 call opened August 4, 2026 and closes November 3, 2026 at 3 p.m. ET. The three reference letters are due October 30 at 3 p.m. ET.

How much funding does a fellow receive?

RWJF lists a $175,000 award per fellow over 12–24 months. Up to $20,000 in separate relocation and approved housing funds may also be available within the program’s limits.

Do I need prior health-policy employment?

No. The program says prior health-policy experience is not required because fellows complete more than three months of intensive orientation. You do need substantial health-related expertise and the ability to show how your experience can inform policy work.

Can I work remotely from outside Washington, D.C.?

No. The program describes a full-time, immersive experience with a minimum 12-month residence in Washington, D.C. A remote or telecommuting arrangement is not offered.

Do I need a sponsoring institution?

Yes, the award cannot go directly to an individual. Applicants with an eligible employer or institutional relationship can apply through Track 1. Applicants without one can use Track 2, in which the National Academy of Medicine administers the award. The program says there is no preference for one track over the other.

Where can I ask questions?

The National Program Office lists (202) 334-1506 and info@healthpolicyfellows.org. Use the official RWJF page for the application system, current call documents, and any updated instructions.

Official links and next steps

Read the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Health Policy Fellows 2027–2028 funding page first. It contains the official deadline, eligibility rules, award amount, key dates, application link, preliminary application preview, full call materials, and applicant FAQ.

The program’s Become a Fellow page adds practical detail about orientation, placements, selection criteria, reference letters, conflicts of interest, and the full-time nature of the experience. Use it alongside the RWJF call rather than relying on a third-party summary.

If you fit the eligibility profile, the sensible sequence is to confirm your citizenship or permanent-resident status, verify the advanced-degree and 10-year experience requirements, identify the correct sponsoring-institution track, and ask three strong references well before October 30. Then draft the essays around one specific health-policy contribution and submit the preliminary application before November 3, 2026 at 3 p.m. ET.