Salk Health Activist Fellowship

SALK HEALTH ACTIVIST FELLOWSHIP

Are you a graduate student or early-stage professional in a health-related profession passionate about health equity and social change? The Jewish Healthcare Foundation invites you to apply for this year’s Salk Health Activist Fellowship. The Fellowship will provide an opportunity to explore the past, present, and future of Medicaid, its impact on health care in Pennsylvania, and its importance to Pennsylvanians.

This interdisciplinary fellowship will bring together emerging leaders and content experts to examine how Medicaid—our nation’s largest health insurer—shapes access and quality in care. Medicaid, which covers 3 million people in Pennsylvania, is a public health insurance program that provides coverage to low-income individuals and families, including children, pregnant people, people with disabilities, and seniors. Medicaid helps cover the costs of essential medical services like doctor visits, hospital stays, prescriptions, and long-term care. Recent developments at the federal level will change the future of Medicaid and who it covers. It is estimated that 5.2 million people in the U.S will lose coverage, including 300,000 Pennsylvanians, as well as contribute to hospital closures and the access to care crisis in rural America.

Fellows will explore the program’s roots, assess how it currently operates in Pennsylvania, and develop effective cases to support Medicaid for a variety of audiences.

Through expert-led sessions, collaborative group projects, and policy discussions, participants will gain practical skills in advocacy, health policy, systems thinking, and community engagement. Fellows will collaborate with peers to become part of a growing network of changemakers committed to transforming care.

Apply now to turn your insight into impact and advocate for a more just healthcare system.

WHO SHOULD APPLY

Graduate students or early-stage professionals in a health-related profession (e.g. medicine, health policy, healthcare administration, nursing, pharmacy, social work, occupational therapy, ethics, health informatics/tech, nutrition) that are passionate about health equity and social change.

The cost to participate in the Salk Health Activist Fellowship program is fully covered for accepted applicants.

WHEN AND WHERE

Dates: Wednesdays, September 10 – November 12

Time: 4:30 - 7:00 pm

Location: 625 Liberty Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15222

The fellowship this fall will be largely in-person, and anyone unable to attend weekly in-person sessions in downtown Pittsburgh should not apply.

TO APPLY

Please complete the online application, which requests a personal statement, resume, and letter of reference. Applications due Wednesday, August 13, 2025.

QUESTIONS?

Please contact Ashlee Carter at carter@jhf.org.

VIRTUAL OPEN HOUSE

Join us for a virtual information session to learn more about this year's Salk Fellowship. You will need to register in advance. The open house will be held on Friday, August 8 from 12:30 - 1:00pm ET.

WHY PARTICIPATE?

Listen to short testimonies from past Salk Health Activist Fellows: