Health Innovators Fellowship
About
The Health Innovators Fellowship’s mission is to develop a community of energized, values-driven leaders committed to finding viable solutions to address U.S. health care’s problems.
The Fellowship offers high-performing professionals a unique experience—the ability to connect with and learn from a diverse group of peers with whom they wouldn’t ordinarily interact while refining their own values and charting a course that empowers them to take action in new ways to improve health and health care in America. Fellows come from a wide variety of industries and sectors, ranging from academic medicine to venture capital to public health and beyond.
The Fellowship and Health Equity
The Health Innovators Fellowship aims to educate, inspire and challenge Fellows to meaningfully engage their spheres of influence, leading to long term positive impact on the nation’s health care. This includes a focus on health equity. Advancing health equity embraces The Aspen Institute’s commitment to harness our creativity, energy and resources to realizing a free, just, and equitable society.
From access to care, representation in research and innovation, distribution of social determinants of health, and health system accountability, the U.S. health care system has only just begun to remediate and address historical challenges.
Deloitte estimates the health care system currently spends $320 billion in health care spending as a result of inequities, a cost anticipated to increase to $1 trillion by 2040.
Advancing Health Equity
The Health Innovators Fellowship aims to contribute to the creation of an equitable society through the following actions:
Fellows
Each year, around 150 nominees are considered for the Fellowship, with a growing and diverse pipeline. Special focus is placed on nominees who reflect the geographic, racial, ethnic, and gender diversity of the U.S., and who are advancing diversity and equity in health care. Fellows include providers, administrators, researchers, investors, and founders.
Curriculum
The Fellowship continually evolves its curriculum to include diverse perspectives and deepen conversations on health equity.
Ventures
All Fellows complete a venture to graduate. Many focus on health equity, from medical fellowships to diversifying clinical trials. Fellows are encouraged to incorporate equity into their ventures, with potential opportunities for funders to support projects that address health inequities.