The Residency Fellowship in Health Policy: 18 Years of Teaching Social Mission in Health Professions Education: Q&A and Discussion

Proposal: We will describe The Residency Fellowship in Health Policy (RFHP) as an exemplary program teaching social mission to physicians in training. RFHP develops physician leaders equipped with the knowledge, skills, and networks to address challenges facing the physician workforce in the modern healthcare delivery environment. A program description follows. The presentation will center upon submitted discussion questions.

Context: Health policy has been inconsistently integrated into medical training in the United States despite increasingly complex regulation in the modern era and calls for training in systems based practice by accrediting bodies. Surveys of residency graduates have evinced a feeling of limited knowledge and inadequate preparation on key policy topics like government insurance programs and health systems. Evaluations have demonstrated that these topics can be integrated into traditional medical education without sacrificing preparation for clinical care.

Background: Since 2005 and initially led by Fitzhugh Mullan, MD, the George Washington University has offered a health policy course for residents. The goal of this rotation is to provide residents with an understanding of health policy and its implications for medical practice and health care in the United States. Offered twice each year, the program now boasts more than 18 years in operation, over 35 sessions delivered, and over 800 physician graduates. The late Dr. Mullan’s legacy program is carried on by Assistant Professors Guenevere Burke, Natalie Kirilichin, and Jamar Slocum.

Description: By the end of the three-week immersive fellowship, participants are able to analyze key aspects of U.S. health policy through participation in intensive seminars taught by national experts in their respective fields. Core content areas include healthcare access, financing, regulation, quality, disparities, workforce, and law. Participants also witness health policy-making first-hand through daily site visits to Congress, Federal Agencies, think tanks, professional associations, Federally Qualified Health Centers, local health departments, media outlets, and more. In these settings, participants have the opportunity to meet with the policy leaders driving today’s critical debates firsthand. The course is punctuated by journal clubs, workshops, and weekly reviews. It culminates with group presentations wherein participants demonstrate their policy problem-solving skills in simulations which mirror real-world challenges.

Outcomes/Evaluation: The program is effective in providing needed knowledge and building leaders. A survey of graduates revealed that the majority are using health policy in their daily work, and a substantial portion reported that the program transformed their careers. Most have gone on to academic practice, and many have assumed leadership positions.