Health Equity Academy in System Transformation

Families USA is at the forefront of a movement to build and train a corps of health equity advocates who can effectively participate in discussions and decision-making about payment and delivery reform. We launched the Health Equity Academy in System Transformation to ensure the needs and priorities of communities are included in policymaking efforts.

Health Equity Academy in System Transformation

The Health Equity Academy in System Transformation trains and provides ongoing learning opportunities, strategic guidance, and technical support to leaders from communities of color and other marginalized communities. Participants gain formidable subject matter and advocacy skills to help them become stronger advocates for transforming our health care system to serve health equity at the local, state, and national levels. The Academy will hold annual national trainings, convene regional trainings in collaboration with key partners, develop and support an ongoing learning community, and create and disseminate resources to help ensure community voices are included in health system transformation. We encourage health care advocates and non-profit health and community organization leaders to apply for the Academy.

What Will You Learn?

During the training, Academy fellows will engage in:

• Intensive, in-depth subject matter training from national experts in health equity policy, health care policy, and payment and delivery system transformation policy.
• Training on a suite of concrete policy advocacy skills and strategies, including communications and media.
• The opportunity to connect with other like-minded advocates from across the country with shared goals.

In addition, Fellows will have access to post-training opportunities, including:

• Continuing engagement with their cohort of Fellows, as well as other cohorts and experts, in a learning community.
• Ongoing continuing education and training on critical health equity and system transformation issues through webinars and other means.
• Preferential access to strategic guidance and technical assistance services through the Center on Health Equity Action for System Transformation.

Graduates of Health Equity Academy

• View the Academy alumni here.

Apply for the 2023 Health Equity Academy Fellowship

Families USA is currently accepting applications for its next cohort of Health Equity Academy Fellows. The selected fellows will work alongside a number of advocates from across the country for a year-long period and obtain useful tools and resources to effectively pursue policy advocacy, with a focus on health equity at the state, community and/or federal level. This year’s academy will include work on advocacy strategies that further advance health equity in maternal health policy.

Fellows will attend two virtual half-day trainings in July and Hill visits and a DC outing in December. Fellows will then reconvene on a bimonthly basis with a national group of state and community-based health equity advocates. The meetings will provide a platform for fellows to build useful relationships with one another and take note of specific strategies to further utilize health-equity-focused advocacy work within their own states/communities.

If you intend to participate in this fellowship as part of your advocacy work with an organization, then your application must include a letter of support from your employer/institution. The letter of support will assure Families USA that your commitments are aligned with the goals of this fellowship and that your employing institution fully supports your participation in this fellowship, including required time commitments. Letters of support can be sent to CDade@familiesusa.org with the subject line “Letter of Support – Health Equity Academies”

Applications for the 2023 Health Equity Academy Fellowship are now open. 

Apply