Health Policy Research Scholars is a program of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, led by Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health.
“HPRS complements my doctoral program through the well-rounded support we get from leadership coaching to specialized training on policy making and research methods. Additionally, it provides us with access and resources to building relationships with change makers and experts in the health and policy fields.”
PhD Student, Social Work
Smith College School for Social Work
Doctoral students from a variety of disciplines—such as urban planning, political science, economics, anthropology, education, social work, geography, and sociology—who are committed to using policy change to advance population health and health equity.
But don’t get hung up on our name, because we’re not just looking for students who do health policy research. We’re looking for doctoral students whose research has the potential to impact health and well-being: The economics student examining how the marketplace drives decisions that create barriers to good health. The engineering student studying systems that better support wellness. The agriculture student who pursues research while keeping an eye on how it impacts long-term health. The goal of the program is to train doctoral students to use their discipline-based research training to advance health equity to build a Culture of Health, one that enables everyone to live longer, healthier lives.
We need far greater diversity in future generations of researchers and policymakers. With more voices in the conversation, policies and solutions can be more inclusive and relevant to a broader range of communities.
That’s why we intentionally designed Health Policy Research Scholars for students from marginalized backgrounds who can describe how their background identity, or lived experiences have positioned them to contribute to the goals of the program, including bringing unique and diverse perspectives to their research.
HPRS scholars gain access to the tools, insights, and diversity of mentors needed to accelerate and distinguish their research. And because we know that pursuing a graduate degree is intense and time-consuming in and of itself, we provide annual award funding to give the scholar added research funds, or simply greater financial stability.
Alumni from this program carry the unique distinction of being a graduate of a Robert Wood Johnson Foundation leadership program and become a part of a tightly knit network of visionary change agents across sectors and disciplines.
University of Maryland, Baltimore County
University of Michigan
University of California, Davis
University of Connecticut
Doctoral students from a variety of disciplines—such as urban planning, political science, economics, anthropology, education, social work, geography, and sociology—who are committed to using policy change to advance population health and health equity.
In 2025, HPRS is selecting up to 40 doctoral students who are beginning their second year in fall 2025 in a full-time doctoral program and do not expect to graduate before spring/summer 2028.
[contact-form-7 id=”1684″ title=”Share This Opportunity”]