Core Program Components for Both Tracks

Mentorship

Mentoring constitutes an important component of the program, and will be provided through a range of sources:

1. The Program Director will serve as a "meta-mentor" for both fellowship and overall career mentoring.
2. Each fellow will be paired with a National Advisory Board (NAB) member or other national expert who will serve as the fellow’s primary policy mentor, assisting them in linking with appropriate colleagues and policymakers (both inside and outside of government), and building related networks.
3. Each residential fellow will have a site-based mentor at his/her placement.
4. The NPO will organize "mentoring pods" comprised of two to three mentors and two to three fellows for co-mentoring, support, feedback, and shared learning built around a team policy project.  These pods will also have regularly scheduled conference calls.
5. "Coaches" will be identified to assist fellows in developing needed skills (e.g., communicating to policymakers and the media, negotiation skills, etc.).
6. The NPO will provide transitional/post-fellowship mentoring to all alumni fellows. In addition, through involvement of alumni in ongoing fellowship activities, current and alumni fellows will be part of a network of peer mentors.
   
   

Individualized Learning Objectives and Plan

Each fellow (both residential and non-residential) will develop a set of individualized learning objectives and plan in collaboration with the NPO. The plan will include the individual’s goals for the fellowship year as well as for his/her future career development. The NPO will work with each fellow to outline the steps required for reaching his/her goals and to ensure effective and long-term use of the fellowship experience. The NPO will regularly review this plan individually with each fellow throughout the program to help identify ways to assist the individual in meeting his/her goals.

Health Policy Orientation

Each fellow will participate in the "Health Policy Orientation: Behind the Scenes of Decision-Making in Washington" which is a program organized annually in October by AcademyHealth. The three-and-a-half day orientation offers an in-depth introduction to the key players, formal and informal policymaking processes, and critical health policy issues. The program includes presentations by well-known experts, interactive panels and group discussions, hands-on tutorials, and a congressional site visit.

American Political Science Association Congressional Fellowship Program Orientation and Other Activities

Fellows will also participate in the American Political Science Association Congressional Fellowship Program which includes a three-week intensive orientation in November focusing on the legislative process and current congressional affairs.  Other American Political Science Association Congressional Fellowship Program activities in which fellows are encouraged to participate include: a trip to the Member’s district (for residential fellows placed in Congress), a weeklong visit to the Canadian Parliament, and the bi-weekly Wilson Seminar Series on legislative processes. Travel expenses for trips to the Member’s district and Canadian Parliament can be reimbursed by the NPO.

Aging Policy Orientation

Fellows will also participate in a one-and-a-half day Aging Policy Orientation which will take place in Washington, D.C. following the AcademyHealth Health Policy Orientation. Topics to be covered in this orientation will include but not be limited to some of the major challenges in health care for the aging.

Weekend Workshops and Team Projects

The NPO will organize two intensive weekend workshops for all fellows, which will be held over a two-day period in either Washington, D.C. or New York City.  These workshops will be experiential and team-oriented and will focus specifically on policy substance and skill building.

Fellows in each mentoring pod (see Mentorship #4) will collaborate on a team project through which they can implement the skills developed during their fellowship experiences. The projects will address critical and/or timely health and aging policy issues and will result in the development of dissemination products that can be used by key decision makers (e.g., journal articles, op-ed pieces, policy briefs, papers for presentations at health policy meetings). Under the guidance of their pod mentors, fellows will jointly determine the format of the team project and identify one or more target audiences for the dissemination product. The team projects will be discussed and presented at the Annual Leadership Retreat (see below).

Webinars

The NPO will organize a series of web-based seminars (webinars) for all fellows throughout the year. The webinars will be conducted by experts on designated topics of importance and interest to the fellows and will further reinforce the information and skills learned during the Aging Policy Orientation and weekend workshops.

Annual Leadership Retreat

At the end of each fellowship year, the NPO will host a two-day Annual Leadership Retreat for current fellows and alumni, NAB members, mentors, colleagues from placement sites and invited experts. The retreat will serve as a high-profile venue within which the current fellows can present their fellowship work.

Alumni Activities

The NPO will provide post-fellowship support by maintaining an alumni network, organizing alumni meetings, and offering ongoing mentoring. The alumni network will be strengthened through various mechanisms, including a fellowship website and a listserv that will enable fellows to share ideas on current issues in health and aging policy.

Competitive Second-Year Support

Fellows from both tracks will have the opportunity to apply to the NPO for second-year financial support (at a lower level) for: (1) adapting components of their fellowship work to the state or local levels; (2) maintaining connectivity with the fellowship network; or (3) extending their fellowship work to encompass non-governmental organizations.

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