The John A. Hartford Foundation blog

Health care reform offers an opportunity for those of us who care about health and aging to improve how public policy affects older adults. That’s why programs like the Health and Aging Policy Fellowship, funded by The Atlantic Philanthropies, are so important. The program helps mid-career professionals in health and aging—nurses, doctors, social workers, and others—learn how to translate their clinical expertise into effective public policy that impacts the lives of millions of older Americans.

We are proud that six of the nine 2009-10 fellows are from the John A. Hartford Foundation “family,” as were several fellows from years past. Recipients Chad Boult, Diane Meier, Richard Marottoli, and Heidi Wald are current or former grant recipients, and Steven Counsell and Margaret Wallhagen direct Centers of Excellence in Geriatric Medicine and Nursing, respectively. We congratulate them, as well as the other 2009-10 fellows, and we look forward to working with them at the annual communications workshop that we sponsor. As we wrote in our 2008 Annual Report, we need leaders if we are going to help our health care system and health policies address the needs of the growing number of older adults. Equipping talented individuals who have the desire to lead with the knowledge as well as communication, networking, and organizational skills they need to lead effectively is one of the best ways to ensure that aging issues will gain the prominence they deserve in the public policy arena.