Thomas Tsai, MD, MPH (2014-2015 Fellow) has been selected as Senior Policy Advisory for the White House COVID-19 Response Team, which was established during the presidency of Joe Biden to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States. In this role, Dr. Tsai serves as the Testing and Treatment Coordinator directing the federal COVID-19 testing, therapeutics, and Test to Treat efforts.

Click here to read more about Dr. Tsai’s selection for the team.

Jing Wang, PhD, MPH, RN, FAAN (2020-2021 Fellow) has been elected to The Board of Trustees of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF), which strives to improve health and healthcare in America, especially for those most in need, and is dedicated to building a Culture of Health that provides everyone in America a fair and just opportunity for health and well-being. Jing is preparing the next generation of nurses for a digital transformation of healthcare, and her insights and experiences will contribute significantly to the Foundation’s aforementioned mission.

Click here to read the announcement of Dr. Wang’s election to the board.

Whether it’s through career progression and promotions, research, and publications, our Fellows continue to have a positive impact on the lives of older Americans via policy work at the federal, state, and community level. Please click here to see the most recent professional accomplishments of both Current and Alumni Fellows.

Health and Aging Policy Fellows work on a diverse range of aging-related issues, both in DC and nationwide – and now, virtually! Whether it’s through career progression and promotions, research, and publications, our Fellows continue to influence policies for older Americans at the federal, state, and community level. Please click here to see recent updates from our Fellows.

For their fellowship year Policy Symposium, the 2020-2021 Health and Aging Policy Fellows organized a special three-part webinar series called Fridays for Aging Policy. The series features experts who are shaping policy for the next decade on the timely and important topics of rural healthcare, health technology, and long-term care. The webinar recordings are available here:

1. Aging in Rural America: Addressing the Healthcare Shortage – Friday, September 10, 2021

2. Health Technology: Bridging the Technological Divide – Friday, September 17, 2021

3. Long-Term Care: Building Better Post-Pandemic – Friday, September 24, 2021

Dr. Jane Pederson (2018-2019 Fellow) has been appointed to the Minnesota Board on Aging (MBA) by Governor Tim Walz. The Board advises on and coordinates government plans around aging to ensure that Older American’s Act requirements are met. The MBA administers state and federal funds and also creates public awareness, encourages research on aging issues and provides technical assistance and grants to local aging organizations. By participating in board and committee meetings, MBA members work to create a collective vision that represents the best interests of older Minnesotans. Jane is looking forward to incorporating her expertise in long-term care and the learnings from her fellowship placement with the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) into this appointment.

On June 3, 2021, Angela Mattie (2019-2020 Fellow) moderated a Quinnipiac University webinar, featuring Thomas Eagen and Alison Hernandez – Fellows from her cohort (2019-2020) – to discuss the Biden healthcare policy agenda and current happenings at Capitol Hill. Following their fellowship year, all three Fellows have “paid it forward”: Angela has created a new course at Quinnipiac University called “Healthcare Policy and Politics” (HM 671), as a result of her work on Capitol Hill during her fellowship year; and both Thomas and Alison have remained on Capitol Hill as Legislative Assistants, sharing their wisdom of current healthcare policy matters of importance on the Hill during this webinar. Click here to watch the full panel discussion.

On this week’s episode of Melissa Batchelor’s (2017-2018 Fellow) podcast, This is Getting Old, Terry Fulmer (President, The John A. Hartford Foundation) and Amy Berman (Senior Program Officer, The John A. Hartford Foundation) discussed what it means to have created an Age-Friendly Ecosystem. Click here to view or listen to the full episode.