Health Policy Research Scholars (HPRS) is a four-year national leadership development program for full-time doctoral students from a wide range of nonclinical, research-focused disciplines in which policy is a key lever for change. HPRS builds on RWJF’s vision of leadership as a dynamic, transformative, relational process of change aimed at repairing damage from historical and structural injustices and oppression. The program is for doctoral students who are deeply committed to research that works to advance antiracism and structural change work aligned with the health needs of the most impacted communities. HPRS supports researchers from diverse backgrounds, particularly those with lived experiences of inequity, marginalization, and oppression.

Eligibility & Selection Criteria

• Applicants must be starting full-time, second-year doctoral studies in a research-based program in fall 2025 at a degree-granting institution based in the United States or its territories. Applicants must remain full-time doctoral students while enrolled in HPRS; 
• Applicants must have at least three academic years remaining in their doctoral program and not expect to graduate before spring/summer 2028; 
• Applicants must be from marginalized backgrounds, and be able to describe how their background, identity, or lived experiences have positioned them to contribute to the goals of the program. Examples of marginalized backgrounds include, but are not limited to, first-generation college graduates; individuals from lower socioeconomic backgrounds; individuals from minoritized populations, and individuals with disabilities. 
• Applicants cannot be a recipient of a national fellowship program that prohibits participation in additional programs such as HPRS. Applicants should make sure to check the policies of other fellowships;   
• Applicants must be at least 21 years old as of September 1, 2025; 
• Federal, state, tribal, and local government employees are eligible to apply unless they are considered government officials under Section 4946 of the Internal Revenue Code; 
• Applicants must be U.S. citizens, permanent residents, or individuals granted Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) Status or Temporary Protected Status (TPS) by the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services at the time of application. As federal policy or laws change, we may need to consider adjustments in eligibility and grant terms;  
• Individual candidates for receipt of award funds cannot be related by blood or marriage to any Officer, Manager, or Trustee of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, or be a descendant of its founder, Robert Wood Johnson.