The program offers two different tracks:
- Residential model: Includes a 9-to-12-month placement in Washington, D.C. or at a state agency (as a legislative assistant in Congress, a professional staff member in an executive agency or in a policy organization).
- Non-residential model: Fellows remain, for the most part, at their home institution, and focus on a project addressing a key policy issue with brief placement(s) throughout the year at relevant policy settings (as opposed to a nine-to-12-month relocation).
Fellows can engage at many levels of policymaking – global, federal, state, community – through The Health and Aging Policy Fellows Program. The fellowship experience is enhanced by our partnerships with the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), the National Institute on Disability, Independent Living, and Rehabilitation Research (NIDILRR), University of Washington, Northwestern University, and most recently with The Robert N. Butler Columbia Aging Center at the Columbia Mailman School of Public Health. By participating in the fellowship, Fellows will not only expand their own professional networks – they will also serve to strengthen the network of professionals in that community working in the field.
Fellows’ health policy placements may be global, national, state, local, or institution-based. At a National level, Fellows have typically developed placements in federal agencies and Congressional offices (in committees and subcommittees, as well as with individual members’ offices). At a Global level, Fellows have worked with international agencies (e.g., the World Health Organization, the World Bank, Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), ministries of health, labor and social affairs, funding agencies, and foundations that focus on the global shift in demographics and the related policy implications). These placements may focus on successful health policy models, may compare national policies on particular aging issues, or work on global policy recommendations with international organizations. At a State and Community level, fellows have been placed in agencies/organizations/legislative offices that focus on policy issues that directly influence the way health and social services are delivered at the state and local level given that so many policies that impact older adults are refined and implemented at these levels.
The program also has some additional specific tracks, as follows:
The Behavioral Health Policy Track enables Fellows to become effective leaders who help shape and implement behavioral health policies at the state and federal levels that improve the lives of older adults and those who care for them.
The Caregiver Policy Track enables Fellows based in and serving Western New York and Southeastern Michigan to become effective leaders who help shape and implement family caregiving policies at the state and federal levels that would improve the lives of caregivers and those they care for.
For more information about program tracks, please contact the HAPF National Program Office at hapfell@nyspi.columbia.edu.
The VA Track is a specific non-residential track for VA staff to represent the Department of Veterans Affairs as a VA/Health and Aging Policy Fellow. VA/Health and Aging Policy Fellows participate through the non-residential track of the fellowship.
It is a unique opportunity for professionals in health and aging within the VA to receive the experience and skills necessary to make a positive contribution to the development and implementation of health policies that affect older Americans. Benefits of participation in this program include formal sessions for fellows in Washington, DC and other locations addressing health and aging policy along with general career development and professional enrichment content; nationally recognized mentors to assist the fellow’s policy and career development; and participation in an ongoing community of peers and mentors to advance knowledge and practice to improve the Nation’s health and the profession.
VA Fellows must be nominated by the Office of Academic Affiliations and will be selected by Health and Aging Policy Fellows Program through a national competition based on the applicant’s commitment to health and aging issues, leadership potential, and interest in impacting policy. The program has a broad interdisciplinary focus: Fellows have included physicians, nurses, social workers, psychologists, dieticians, healthcare administrators, epidemiologists, economists, and lawyers from academic and practice settings, spanning career stages from newly minted PhDs to senior professors and community leaders. The program is open to U.S. citizens at all career stages, with a focus on those early or midway through their careers.
A paid VA appointment is required prior to starting The Health and Aging Policy Fellows Program as a VA Fellow but is not required at the time of application. Part-time VA appointments are acceptable to meet eligibility criteria. Applicants may be VA staff or trainees (e.g. Advanced Fellows).
Further information about the VA/Health and Aging Policy Fellows track may be found here.
Whereas the residential model provides fellows with a hands-on policy experience in settings that offer exposure to a wide range of policy issues, the non-residential model is organized around a specific health policy project with placement opportunities tailored to the fellows’ individual policy interests and background. Once selected, the National Program Officer Director and Associate Director (along with staff from the American Political Science Association Congressional Fellowship Program) work with each fellow to identify appropriate projects, placements, and mentors.
Fellows in all tracks participate in core program components that are designed to provide them with the knowledge and skills needed to translate their work into policy action (see Core Program Components for Both Tracks).
