The Health and Aging Policy Fellows Program is delighted to congratulate Rani Snyder on her appointment as President of The John A. Hartford Foundation.

This is an extraordinary and well‑deserved milestone for a leader whose vision, expertise, and unwavering commitment have profoundly shaped the field of aging. For many years, our program has been fortunate to have the partnership of The John A. Hartford Foundation as well as Rani’s strategic insight and steadfast support. Her leadership has strengthened countless initiatives aimed at improving the lives of older adults, and her influence continues to elevate the work of practitioners, researchers, and policymakers across the country.

We are excited for this next chapter and look forward to continued collaboration with Rani and The John A. Hartford Foundation under her leadership. Please join us in celebrating this significant and well‑earned achievement. Read the press release here.

Congratulations, Rani!

Health and Aging Policy Fellows work on a diverse range of aging-related issues, both in DC and nationwide. Whether it’s through their careers, research, and publications, Fellows continue to influence policies for older Americans at the federal, state, and community level. Click here to see their most recent accomplishments.

In June 2024, the 2023-2024 Health and Aging Policy Fellows (HAPF) cohort hosted the HAPF Symposium: Innovative and Integrative Solutions to Strengthen Caregiving and Healthcare Workforces for the Aging Population. National experts served as panelists during the three interactive sessions, which sparked robust conversation about the challenges of caring for older adults. This white paper provides a review of solutions for aging workforce shortages and related policy innovations and their real-world impact during the past decade. The HAPF cohort has also included policy recommendations for future consideration. Read the white paper here.

Health and Aging Policy Fellows work on a diverse range of aging-related issues, both in DC and nationwide. Whether it’s through their careers, research, and publications, Fellows continue to influence policies for older Americans at the federal, state, and community level.

Click here to see Fall 2024 updates, and here for Spring 2025 updates.

Adriana Perez, PhD, ANP-BC, FAAN (2011-2012 Fellow; Anthony Buividas Term Chair in Gerontology and Associate Professor, University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing) has been appointed a member of the Department of Health and Human Services’ Advisory Committee on Minority Health (ACMH). Her four-year term began on November 14. 2024.

The Advisory Committee on Minority Health advises the Deputy Assistant Secretary for Minority Health on ways to improve the health of racial and ethnic minority populations, and on the development of goals and program activities within the Office of Minority Health.

Click here to read the full press release from The University of Pennsylvania.

Health and Aging Policy Fellows work on a diverse range of aging-related issues, both in DC and nationwide. Whether it’s through their careers, research, and publications, Fellows continue to influence policies for older Americans at the federal, state, and community level. Click here to see their most recent accomplishments.

“More than 53 million Americans provide care for adults and children who cannot care for themselves. Whether helping an aging parent, a seriously ill spouse or child or some other special person in need, those giving care often do so at a great personal sacrifice of time, energy and income.” These are the words of Rosalynn Carter, Former First Lady of the United States, and founder of the Rosalynn Carter Institute for Caregivers (RCI). In this one statement, Mrs. Carter emphasizes the common, essential, and difficult nature of the role caregivers have in the world. For this reason, among countless others, the Health and Aging Policy Fellows National Program Office team remembers Mrs. Carter fondly, as a true trailblazer and change agent in the lives of many.

Our program Founder and Director, Dr. Harold Pincus, was profoundly influenced by his time as a Robert Wood Johnson Clinical Scholar in the late 1970s, when he had the opportunity to work with the former First Lady on the President’s 1978 Commission on Mental Health. He was so influenced by this experience, in fact, that it directly led to his development of The Health and Aging Policy Fellows Program.

From the outset of the program in 2008, Health and Aging Policy Fellows have focused on issues impacting caregivers, and numerous alumni have contributed to caregiver work and initiatives – including but not limited to Jennifer Olsen, 2021-2022 Fellow and CEO of the Rosalynn Carter Institute for Caregivers. The importance of this issue also led to the establishment of a Caregiver track within the Health and Aging Policy Fellows Program, beginning with the current (2023-2024) cohort of Fellows. Funded by The Ralph C. Wilson Jr. Foundation, this track enables Fellows based in Western New York and Southeastern Michigan to become effective advocates and 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.

Harold will always remember Mrs. Carter as “one of the most caring and approachable figures I’ve had the privilege to work with”, and as someone with genuine interest and compassion for doing work that truly makes a positive difference in people’s lives. The Health and Aging Policy Fellows Program will continue in its ultimate goal to keep this vision alive.

Health and Aging Policy Fellows work on a diverse range of aging-related issues, both in DC and nationwide. Whether it’s through their careers, research, and publications, Fellows continue to influence policies for older Americans at the federal, state, and community level. Click here to see their most recent accomplishments.

We are deeply saddened by the news of the death of Charles “Chuck” Feeney, Founder of The Atlantic Philanthropies.

In 1982, Chuck decided to devote his wealth to the service of humanity through the founding of The Atlantic Philanthropies: “I had one idea that never changed in my mind—that you should use your wealth to help people.” Click here to read The Atlantic Philanthropies tribute to Chuck. The Atlantic Philanthropies has supported the Health and Aging Policy Fellows Program from its founding in 2008.

With this support, the Health and Aging Policy Fellows Program has provided experience and skills in health and aging policy to 193 fellows, and counting, from multiple disciplines and settings. The training and experience have enabled alumni fellows to make contributions to the health and well-being of older people through policy-relevant research, policymaking at the state and federal levels of government, and health and social care delivery. These outcomes would not have happened without the care and commitment of Chuck Feeney and the Atlantic Philanthropies.

The Health and Aging Policy Fellows National Program Office, Alumni, and Fellows are immeasurably grateful for the support of The Atlantic Philanthropies, especially that of Chuck and of Chris Langston, former Program Officer with The Atlantic Philanthropies. The John A. Hartford Foundation and West Health have extended, and are continuing to extend, this legacy and the program’s reach into the future by extending the pipeline of policy experts committed to improving the lives of older Americans.