Latest News And Community Updates

Since our inception in 1972, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) has invested in leaders to make change. For most of our history, that investment has been in individuals within healthcare and public health through training programs aligned to their fields. That shifted in 2016 with the launch of our Change Leadership Programs (CLP), which were established to develop a diverse set of leaders through multidisciplinary leadership development programs. 

As one of the CLPs, Clinical Scholars (CS) brought together clinicians from different disciplines to collaborate on pressing community problems. In recognition of the conclusion of CS, I wanted to acknowledge the program’s accomplishments. In Clinical Scholars’ seven years, 162 fellows formed multidisciplinary teams to collectively complete 44 projects tackling complex health challenges.  

I hope you all take great pride in your individual projects’ contributions to building a Culture of Health. And though we are still gathering and synthesizing information to evaluate the program’s outcomes, I hope you also recognize the following ways that you made a collective impact.  

• Achieved diversity of disciplines and geography at a level that was unprecedented in RWJF’s leadership programs. Clinical Scholars’ five cohorts reflected the diversity that we knew was necessary for RWJF’s vision of building a Culture of Health. CS fellows represented 15 healthcare disciplines and geographically, 26 states, Puerto Rico, and Washington, DC.  
• Shifted leadership development. In addition to excellent curricula, the ‘secret sauce’ of the CLPs was our convenings, the networking within and across programs, and the mentorship and coaching opportunities – the ‘extras’ that many organizations do not invest in, but which proved essential. After hearing from CS alumni how valuable these elements are, RWJF has a new perspective on leadership development. 
• Changed our view of leadership. For 40 years, RWJF’s leadership programs were focused on developing individuals to assume positional power. The CLPs dispelled our leadership myths by teaching us that there are multiple paths to power; no matter where you are in an organization or community, you can make change.  
• Modeled collaboration.Through CS, RWJF learned that it’s not only possible to work together across disciplines—but it’s critical to solving complex health challenges.  

These lessons have been invaluable to RWJF’s Leadership for Better Health portfolio, helping us think through the next generation of leadership development at the Foundation. A few weeks ago, RWJF publicly announced the Foundation’s long-term focus on dismantling one of the greatest barriers to health in America: structural racism. Although we have not finalized our future leadership investments, we are considering the leadership support we want to provide to address structural racism—keeping in mind what we have learned from the CLPs:  that we must prioritize diversity, ask leaders what they need, foster collaboration, and support leaders with lived experience in addition to those with positional power. 

I want to thank the entire Clinical Scholars community for being a necessary part of RWJF’s leadership journey. I’m grateful to the National Program Center at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill for administering this program with care, commitment, and creativity. I’m also appreciative of alumni for contributing your skills and embracing the collaboration that was core to this program.

Equally important, thank you all for sharing feedback to support RWJF’s continuous learning and growth. As part of our ongoing efforts to evaluate outcomes associated with the CLPs, TCC Group will continue to contact alumni for an interview one year and five years after your program. You can also view findings from the TCC Group’s evaluations to date on our website.

Many of you have asked to remain connected to one another, the other CLPs, and RWJF. I am pleased to know that CS has established its own alumni network, and I look forward to sharing with you in the future RWJF’s plans for a CLP alumni network. In the meantime, we will continue to send you the National Program Centers Digest. We would also like to continue recognizing CS alumni accomplishments in those emails; please submit job updates, fellowships, research awards, and other achievements to coordinatingcenter@rwjf.orgfor possible inclusion. 

I wish you continued success on your leadership journeys. 

With gratitude, 

Deborah Bae 

Managing Director, Leadership for Better Health 

Robert Wood Johnson Foundation 

Cohort 1 alum, Anjali Taneja is taking her passion to improve healthcare in her community to the political area.  She is running for House District 18 Representative in New Mexico.  READ MORE

Congratulations to Dr. David Reznik (CS 1) who was presented with the 30yrs service award at Grady Health.

Grady Service Awards - David Reznik

Thank you David for your commitment, care and dedication to your patients and your community!

Stephanie Bonne (CS4) received her FCCM credentials from the Society of Critical Care Medicine.

Lilia Cervantes, MD (CS 5) has been promoted to Professor in the Department of Medicine at the University of Colorado School of Medicine.

Congratulations to Thava Mahadevan (CS 5) and his team.   This fall, the UNC Center of Excellence for Community Health in the UNC Department of Psychiatry, held an open house and dedication event to showcase the tiny home community before individuals with mental health challenges move in. This program, in partnership with the UNC School of Social Work, the nonprofit Cross Disability Services (XDS), and Garman Homes, has been 10-years in the making and has been led by Thava Mahadevan at the UNC School of Medicine and director of XDS and Amy Wilson at the UNC School of Social Work.  Read More