Medical Justice in Advocacy Fellowship

Support your patients through advocacy. Go beyond the clinic, be a force of change within the community.

Are you prepared to make a meaningful impact in your patients’ lives? Join our cohort of health equity-rooted physicians committed to closing the detrimental health gap impacting so many lives.

The American Medical Association’s (AMA’s) Center for Health Equity, in collaboration with the Satcher Health Leadership Institute (SHLI) at Morehouse School of Medicine announces a call for applications for the inaugural AMA-SHLI Medical Justice in Advocacy Fellowship.

The inaugural Medical Justice in Advocacy Fellowship is a collaborative educational initiative to empower physician-led advocacy that advances equity and removes barriers to optimal health for marginalized people and communities.

The fellowship will mobilize physicians to be part of the next generation of advocacy leaders, driving meaningful policy and structural changes that produce equity and justice in the communities they serve.

The AMA-SHLI Medical Justice in Advocacy Fellowship is a unique, first of its kind post-doctoral fellowship designed to enhance physicians’ advocacy leadership skills to improve health outcomes and advance health equity in the areas they serve or may serve.

Using an anti-racist, equity-centered learning framework, the fellowship will provide a mentoring and training platform that will equip participants with the foundational skills, tools and knowledge to engage in institutional and political health advocacy. This will involve exploring several critical topic areas, including:

• Upstream (action-based) models of advocacy that address social and structural drivers of health
• Structural, cultural, political, and historical analysis of the production of inequities
• Sector and resource engagement required to improve community health and well-being

The implementation of the Medical Justice in Advocacy Fellowship aligns with the AMA’s strategic approach to collaborate with stakeholders to eliminate health inequities by pushing upstream and creating pathways for truth, reconciliation, and healing to remove obstacles in patient care. Under Morehouse School of Medicine’s vision of leading in the creation and advancement of health equity, SHLI aims to be the leading transformational force for health equity in policy, leadership development and research.

The fellowship is open to all physicians and residents who have a demonstrated interest in health equity and health advocacy.

Note: Internships and graduate assistantships will not count towards the professional experience requirement.

The fellowship runs from Sept. 2021–⁠Nov. 2022.

The fellows will participate in a three-day virtual learning intensive at the beginning of the fellowship and will subsequently engage in monthly learning sessions with a multidisciplinary, multisectoral group of nationally-renowned experts, scholars, researchers and current and former policymakers across all levels of government.

The fellows will also meet in-person or virtually for learning experiences. In-person experiences will be in Washington, D.C. and Chicago, Illinois.

Note:This is subject to change depending on extraneous factors impacting travel and large group in-person gatherings.

Taking a sabbatical is not required during the fellowship. AMA membership is not required for the fellowship.

Participating fellows will receive a stipend of $15,000 for their participation in the program and would be eligible for up to 28 CME credit hours.

Note: Receipt of full stipend is contingent upon program participation and completion. 

• Engagement with like-minded professionals to generate and exchange solutions towards a more equitable and healthier communities.
• Connection with health equity experts and leaders for learning and mentorship opportunities.
• Flexible, blended learning solutions that may be incorporated into the clinical schedule.
• Knowledge and skill development to establish better trust among patients and serve as patient advocates.
• Partnership with AMA and SHLI on their respective commitments to transform health inequities through a social justice lens.

The fellowship is an open competition. Submit the required documents by the deadline to be considered:

Application package

An application package includes:

• Online application with professional profile
• Candidate interest short-essay section
• Demographic profile questions
• Curriculum vitae 
• Contact information for three references who must be professional leaders, clinical leaders, community-based leaders and or organizers and others with demonstrated knowledge/experience of the applicant’s efforts towards advancing health equity.

Note: After the applicant’s application and references are received, AMA-SHLI will send a recommendation form via e-mail to the references listed. All forms must be completed by the reference for application to be complete.

Application essay questions

Please note there are three essay sections as part of this application. The questions are noted here for reference should applicant prefer to work on this prior to the final application submission.

1. What is your previous experience with health equity-based training? (250 word limit) How did this training influence your current practice? (250 word limit) 
2. What potential impact(s) does your participation in this fellowship have on the communities in which you serve? (250 word limit) 
3. What types of diversity do you bring to the program (list up to 5)? (250 word limit) What benefit(s) will your diversity bring to the cohort? (250 word limit) 

Full application packets are due by Wednesday, March 31, 2021 at 11:59 p.m. Eastern.

A committee of leaders from AMA and SHLI will review the application packets and select the finalists. Finalists will then be invited for a virtual interview with AMA and SHLI leaders.

Apply for the fellowship.

For additional information regarding the fellowship, please contact [email protected].