For almost 20 years, this fellowship has offered pharmacists an opportunity to gain insight into health care policy analysis and development through immersion in the congressional environment. Over the year, fellows are mentored in legislative evaluation, policy development, research, and writing. Applications for the 2025-2026 Healthcare Policy Fellowship are due by January 31, 2025.

About the Healthcare Policy Fellowship Program

The 14-month fellowship program, the only one of its kind in the nation, is a joint initiative led by the Government Affairs teams at ACCP and ASHP and the faculty at the VCU School of Pharmacy. The program provides active mentorship and hands-on experience within Congress and offers fellows a unique opportunity to serve as a staff member in Congress to develop skills in issue prioritization, policy, legislation evaluation, research, writing, and advocacy.

Launched in 2006, this prestigious program offers a unique, yearlong health care policy learning experience in the US Congress. This provides pharmacists with an opportunity to gain insight into health care policy analysis and development through immersion in the congressional environment. The fellow program begins in July with a 1-week orientation that includes a congressional overview, then 3 weeks each with ACCP’s and ASHP’s Government Affairs offices, followed by 12 months on Capitol Hill.

During their congressional placement, fellows are typically responsible for researching and writing briefs on health care issues, assisting with policy analyses, and drafting memoranda, floor speeches, and questions for panelists at congressional hearings, as well as planning, organizing, and contributing to the senator’s or representative’s office policy and management issues for the year.

Past and Current Fellows

This year’s fellow, Mikayla Harris, Pharm.D., joined the office of Sen. Lisa Murkowski. Senator Murkowski has served the people of Alaska in the Senate since 2002, where she has earned a reputation for her ability to work collaboratively and across the aisle to reach effective policy outcomes. For policy issues directly affecting the clinical pharmacy profession, Senator Murkowski serves on the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee and as vice chair of the Senate Indian Affairs Committee. She also holds a powerful position on the Senate Appropriations Committee.

When asked why she pursued the fellowship and what she’s learned so far in the experience, Harris stated:

I was originally drawn to the fellowship because of my passion for driving meaningful change through policy. During pharmacy school, I had several experiences that highlighted the influence policy has on patient outcomes. These experiences instilled my desire to build a career where I could positively impact health care policy and provide a meaningful voice for pharmacy and pharmacists in the broader legislative landscape.

This fellowship has grown my understanding of the policy process and enabled me to be involved in a wide array of policy topics. By meeting with constituents and stakeholders and writing various memos, I have been able to hone both my written and verbal communication skills. These experiences have allowed me to meaningfully contribute to the decision-making processes within the office.

After their service in the program, past fellows have gone on to engage in a variety of important roles in health care policy and government:

• Amanda Ferguson, Pharm.D., is currently the Senior Director of Federal Relations at the Healthcare Association of New York State.
• Nimit Jindal, Pharm.D., currently serves as Senior Health Policy Advisor for the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee.
• Tina Chhabra, Pharm.D., currently serves as the Senior Manager in the Office of Regulatory Operations for Neuroscience at the US Food and Drug Administration.
• Nilofar Jafari, Pharm.D., MPH, currently serves as a Pharmacy Benefits Management Clinical Informatics Pharmacist Program Specialist, US Department of Veterans Affairs.

Applications for 2025-2026 Pharmacy Healthcare Policy Fellow Program

Candidates must be:

• Graduates of an accredited school of pharmacy
• Pharmacists with at least 1 year of residency training or several years of professional experience, ideally providing direct patient care
• US citizens

Preference will be given to pharmacists with demonstrated awareness or a track record of advocacy regarding health care or social issues.

Interested candidates should visit the pharmacy Congressional Healthcare Policy Fellowship Program website for more information and instructions on submitting an application. For more information, click here.