From: Robin Osborn [mailto:[log in to unmask]]
Sent: 16 June 2009 22:55
To: Robin Osborn
Subject: Invitation to Nominate_ 2010-11 Harkness Fellowships in Health Care Policy and Practice (4)

Dear Colleague,

 

The Commonwealth  Fund, in collaboration with the Nuffield Trust and the National Institute for Health Research SDO Programme, invites you to nominate a candidate for the 2010-11 Harkness Fellowships in Health Care Policy and Practice. Established in 1925, the Harkness Fellowships were modeled after the Rhodes Scholarships, and aim to produce the next generation of health policy leaders in participating countries.

 

The deadline for receipt of applications is September 15, 2009.   While all interested applicants are welcome to apply, we encourage nominations and appreciate your taking the time to identify potential applicants and help us to select the very best for this prestigious Fellowship program. 

 

Please complete and email the attached nomination form to the Fund as soon as possible and application materials will be emailed directly to your nominee.

 

The Harkness Fellowships provide a unique opportunity for mid-career professionals—academic researchers, government policymakers, clinicians, managers, and journalists—from Australia, Germany, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom, to spend up to 12 months in the United States conducting a policy-oriented research study, working with leading U.S. health policy experts, and gaining in-depth knowledge of not only the U.S. health care system, but also those of Fellows' home countries. The Commonwealth Fund also brings together the full class of Fellows throughout the year to participate in a series of  high level policy briefings and leadership seminars with U.S. health care leaders drawn from government, politics, health care organizations, and academia.

 

 In the United Kingdom, the Harkness Fellowships have been supported by  the Nuffield Trust since 2009, and beginning in 2010, will additionally be supported by the U.K. National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Service Delivery and Organisation (SDO) Programme.  The Nuffield Trust, with strategic focus on the reform of health systems to improve quality efficiency and equity of health care, aims to encourage the next generation of leaders in the policy community, in particular, those with rigorous analytic skills.  The NIHR SDO Programme, which funds research on service design and delivery challenges – such as service and system arrangements, teamwork, management, and leadership – aims to engage NHS managers with research.

 

Applicants must demonstrate a strong interest in health policy issues and propose a study within the scope of The Commonwealth Fund’s mission to promote a high performing health care system that achieves better access, improved quality, and greater efficiency, particularly for society’s most vulnerable, including low income people, the uninsured, minority Americans, young children, and elderly adults.

 

Once selected, the Fund will provide extensive support to successful Fellows to help them develop and shape their research proposals to better fit the context of the U.S. health system. Through its network of contacts, the Fund will help identify and place Fellows with mentors who are experts in the policy areas to be studied, e.g., at Harvard University, Columbia University, University of California at San Francisco, Johns Hopkins University, Kaiser Permanente, Veterans Health Administration, Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI), RAND, Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, and Group Health Cooperative at Puget Sound.

 

A peer-reviewed journal article or policy report for Health Ministers and other high-level policy audiences is the anticipated product of the fellowship. Harkness Fellows have published their findings in leading journals, including: British Medical Journal, Health Affairs, Health Policy, International Journal for Quality in Health Care, New England Journal of Medicine, and Quality and Safety in Health Care.

 

Building on their fellowship experiences, Harkness Fellows have moved into senior positions within academia, government, and health care delivery organizations, making valuable contributions to health policy and practice at home and in the United States. In addition, Harkness Fellows become part of a strong international network, with opportunities for ongoing cross-national collaborations and research. 

 

Each fellowship will provide up to U.S. $107,000 in support, which includes round trip airfare to the United States, a monthly stipend, travel to a program of Harkness seminars and policy briefings, project-related travel and other research expenses, health insurance, and U.S. taxes. In addition, a supplemental allowance is provided to Fellows accompanied by a spouse and/or children.  In the U.K., eligibility is open to citizens of other countries with permanent residency and five or more years tenure in the U.K.

 

The deadline for receipt of applications is September 15, 2009. 

 

For an application, program brochure, and list of suggested projects, please visit www.commonwealthfund.org/fellowships  For questions about the program, eligibility, and proposed projects, please feel free to contact Robin Osborn, vice president and director of the International Program in Health Policy and Practice (email: [log in to unmask]; tel: 212-606-3809)

 

The Commonwealth Fund is a private foundation, established in 1918 and based in New York, which aims to promote a high performing health care system that achieves better access, improved quality, and greater efficiency, particularly for society’s most vulnerable.

 

Robin Osborn
Vice President and Director
International Program in Health Policy and Practice
The Commonwealth Fund
1 East 75th Street
New York, NY 10021
Tel: 212 606-3809
Fax: 212 606-3875  

www.commonwealthfund.org