50 Years of Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Health Policy Fellows Program

The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Health Policy Fellows Program is celebrating 50 years of advancing health policy leadership.

The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Health Policy Fellows (RWJF) program offers the nation’s most comprehensive learning experience at the intersection of health, science, and policy in Washington, D.C. This prestigious fellowship aims to build and maintain a diverse leadership pipeline skilled in health policy. Fellows work closely with key figures in federal health policy, gaining hands-on experience that enables them to influence and improve health, health care, and health policy.

Since its inception in 1973, the RWJF Health Policy Fellows program has provided direct, impactful policy experience with influential congressional and executive offices in Washington, D.C. The fellowship is designed for exceptional mid-career health professionals, behavioral and social scientists, and others interested in health and healthcare who:

• Are committed to leveraging their fellowship experience to provide leadership in health, healthcare, and health policy at national, state, or local levels.
• Bring in-depth expertise and knowledge of health and healthcare to the policymaking process.
• Offer informed perspectives on the complex challenges facing health policymakers.

Over 300 fellows have participated in the program, gaining an insider’s view of the political process, developing critical leadership skills, and building lasting professional networks.

The fellowship is administered by the National Academy of Medicine and is funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.

Mona Rahman is the Deputy Director of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) Health Policy Fellows Program and a member of the Health Policy Fellowships and Leadership Programs team at the National Academy of Medicine (NAM). She manages the day-to-day operations of the RWJF Health Policy Fellows Program and plays a key role in alumni engagement, ensuring that the impact of the fellowship extends well beyond the fellows’ time in Washington, D.C.

Before joining NAM, Rahman had a significant career in Public Health Education, focusing on Tobacco Control. She contributed to high-profile campaigns such as the Truth Campaign (tobacco prevention) and the Become an Ex Campaign (tobacco cessation) at Truth Initiative. She also participated in the NAM/FDA Tobacco Regulatory Science Fellowship, where she worked with the FDA’s Office of Health Communication and Education at the Center for Tobacco Products during the 2014-2015 cohort. Her time at the FDA involved advising on several key tobacco prevention campaigns, including The Real Cost, This Free Life (focused on LGBTQ communities), and Fresh Empire (targeted at multicultural audiences).

Rahman holds a B.A. in Government from the University of Virginia and an M.A. in Culture and Communication from New York University. Her diverse background brings a unique perspective to the fellowship programs at NAM.

About Robert Wood Johnson Foundation

The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) was founded in 1936 by Robert Wood Johnson II, who initially endowed the Johnson New Brunswick Foundation with 12,000 shares of his Johnson & Johnson stock to assist local people during the Great Depression. After World War II, Johnson renamed the foundation in honor of his father, focusing on health and healthcare improvements. Upon his death in 1968, he left nearly all his fortune to the foundation, making it one of the world’s largest private philanthropies.

The mission of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) is to promote health equity and create a Culture of Health, where everyone has the opportunity to live a healthy life. From 2015–2023, RWJF worked with many partners to advance health, well-being, and equity, with a strong focus on addressing structural racism as a key barrier to health in the U.S. The foundation’s work has evolved to tackle the systemic inequities that disadvantage marginalized communities, ensuring that health becomes a right, not a privilege, for all. RWJF is committed to creating lasting change through policy reform, community engagement, and collaborative efforts.