Institute for Healthcare Improvement: IHI Fellowship Programs

2009-2010 IHI Fellows

Become an IHI Fellow!

Download the IHI Fellowship program brochure

See the information below for current opportunities and application deadlines.

Health care needs leaders with the enthusiasm, knowledge, and skills to transform the health care system and dramatically improve quality and safety.

With the generous support of the George W. Merck family and The Health Foundation, the Institute for Healthcare Improvement offers a year-long, on-site, Fellowship Program to meet this urgent need.

The IHI-hosted Fellowship Program has two goals:

Develop health care leaders with the drive, skills, and experience to spread improvement in the United States and globally
Build organizational capability to reach dramatically higher levels of performance

Fellows spend one year on-site at IHI in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Each Fellow has a structured individualized learning and work plan, including intensive training in improvement skills, weekly seminars, attendance at IHI events, assignments in IHI innovation and improvement collaborative projects, and individually tailored projects.

Fellows participate in the Summer Program in Clinical Effectiveness at the Harvard School of Public Health, which offers intensive training in measurement, epidemiological and statistical principles necessary to weigh evidence and design sound improvement projects, quality improvement principles, and mentoring in the design of projects relevant to quality assessment and improvement. Fellowships offer stipends, cover travel and tuition, and support expenses associated with individual learning plans.

Do you have more questions about the program? Be sure to click on the "Frequently Asked Questions" tab for more information.

Fellowship Program Opportunities

Who is Eligible?

The IHI Fellowship Program is made possible by the generous support of The George W. Merck Fellowship fund and The Health Foundation.

The George W. Merck Fellowship Program supports Fellows who live and work in the US
(Application deadline for the 2010-2011 fellowship year: October 1, 2009. Early application is encouraged.)

Download the Application

The Health Foundation's Quality Improvement Fellowship supports Fellows who live and work in the UK
(Application deadline for the 2009-2010 fellowship year has passed. The application deadline for 2010-2011 will be posted in the spring.)

For more information or to apply, please refer to The Health Foundation website:

The Health Foundation Fellowships

IHI also hosts The Commonwealth Fund/Harkness Fellows in those years when a successful candidate has policy and research interests that are well-aligned with the work of IHI.

The Commonwealth Fund's Harkness Fellowships in Health Care Policy supports Fellows who live and work in the UK, Australia, New Zealand, Germany, and The Netherlands
(Application deadline for the 2010-2011 fellowship year has passed: September 7, 2009)

The Harkness Fellowships in Health Care Policy provide a unique opportunity for health policy researchers and practitioners from the UK, Australia, New Zealand, Germany, and the Netherlands to spend up to 12 months in the United States conducting a policy-oriented research study, working with leading US health policy experts, and gaining an in-depth understanding of the US health care system.

For more information or to apply, please refer to The Commonwealth Fund website:

The Commonwealth Fund/Harkness Fellowships

George W. Merck Fellowships are available to those who live and work in the USA.

The Health Foundation Quality Improvement Fellowships are available to those who live and work in the UK.

The Commonwealth Fund/Harkness Fellowships are available to those who live and work in the UK, Germany, Australia, New Zealand, and the Netherlands.

Successful candidates are typically mid-career professionals who will return to a position in their home organization to lead transformative change. We would, however, consider a very strong application from a candidate earlier in their career.

Applicants and their organizations must demonstrate commitment to advancing health care quality and results.

Fellows rmust remain employed by their home organization for the fellowship year. The home organization must agree to pay the fellow's salary and benefits for the year.

Successful candidates will be very self-directed and comfortable with ambiguity.

IHI Fellows: Past and Present

In memory of former Merck fellow David R. Calkins, MD, MPP (May 27, 1948 – April 7, 2006) -- physician, teacher, colleague, and friend -- who was instrumental in developing the 100,000 Lives Campaign’s How-to Guides and worked tirelessly for the 100,000 Lives Campaign. David was a true believer in the Campaign's mission and an inspiration to us all.

IHI Senior Fellows:

Blair Sadler, JD, Faculty, UCSD Schools of Medicine and Management, La Jolla, CA, USA
James Conway, Institute for Healthcare Improvement, Cambridge, MA, USA
Steven Spear, DBA, MS, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA
Sir Brian Jarman, PhD, MBBS, FRCP, FRCGP, FFPH, FmedSci, Emeritus Professor, Imperial College Faculty of Medicine, Dr Foster Intelligence Unit, London, England
Stephen F. Jencks, MD, MPH, Health Care Consultant, Baltimore, MD, USA

2009-2010:

George W. Merck Fellows:

Omar Hasan, MBBS, MPH, FACP, Hospitalist Physician, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Instructor in Medicine, Harvard Medical School, MA
Ron Wyatt, MD, MHA, Staff Physician, Huntsville Hospital, AL

Indian Health Service Fellow:

Charles Tyler “Ty” Reidhead, MD, Chair of Chronic Care Initiative, National Chief Clinical Consultant in Internal Medicine, Indian Health Service, AZ

Health Foundation Fellows:

Elizabeth Bradbury, MSc, Associate Director of Quality Improvement, Bolton Primary Care Trust, UK
Dr. Tom Downes, MB BS, MRCP, MBA, Consultant Physician and Geriatrician, Sheffield Teaching Hospital, UK
Dr. Kevin Stewart, MB, BCh, FRCP, Medical Director, Winchester & Eastleigh NHS Trust, UK
Paul Sullivan, MB BS, MRCP(UK), MD, FRCP(UK), Consultant in Acute Medicine and Honorary Lecturer, Salford Royal NHS Foundation Trust and University of Manchester, UK

2008-2009:

George W. Merck Fellows:

Jacquelyn Hunt, RPh, PharmD, MS, Executive Director, Quality & Care Improvement, Providence Physician Division, Beaverton, OR, USA
Rocco J. Perla, EdD, MA, Epidemiologist and Clinical Supervisor, HealthAlliance Hospital, Leominster, Massachusetts, USA
Matt Stiefel, MPA, Senior Director, Department of Care and Service Quality, Kaiser Permanente, Oakland, CA, USA

Health Foundation Fellows:

Carol J. Peden MB ChB, FRCA, MD, Consultant in Anaesthesia and Intensive Care Medicine, Royal United Hospital, Bath, England
Brian Robson, MBChB, MRCGP, DRCOG, Clinical Director for eHealth, National Services Scotland, Edinburgh, Scotland
Joanne Watson, MD, FRCP, MBBS, Consultant Diabetologist and Endocrinologist, Taunton and Somerset NHS Trust, Taunton, England

Read more about the 2007-2008 Fellows

ALUMNI

2006-2007:

George W. Merck Fellows:

Younsook Lim, MD, Children’s Hospital Boston, Boston, MA
Bonnie Zell, MD, MS, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA, USA

Health Foundation Fellows:

Annette Bartley, NHS North Wales (Central), Wales
Maxine Power, PhD, Salford Royal NHS Trust Hospital, Salford, England

2005-2006:

George W. Merck Fellows:

Steven Bergeson, MD, Allina Hospitals and Clinics, Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA
Crystal Clark, MD, MPH, Bon Secours Baltimore Health System, Baltimore, MD
Stephen F. Jencks, MD, MPH, Health Care Consultant, Baltimore, MD

Health Foundation Fellows:

John D. Dean, MBChB, MD, FRCP, NHS Bolton, England
Peter I. Lachman, MD, MPH, FRCPCH, Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children NHS Trust and Royal Free Hospital NHS Trust, London
Jason Leitch, BDS, FDSRCS, DDS, MPH, Scottish Government Health Directorates, Scotland

Commonwealth Fund/Harkness Fellow:

James Mountford, MD, MPH, MA, McKinsey & Co, London, England

2004-2005

George W. Merck Fellows:

Laura K. Botwinick, University of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, USA
Sharon I. Eloranta, MD, Qualis Health, Seattle, WA, USA
Gail A. Nielsen, BSHCA, Iowa Health System, Des Moines, Iowa, USA

Health Foundation Fellows:

Noeleen M. Devaney, MSc, MPhil, FRCPsych, N Ireland HSC Safety Forum, Northern Ireland
Jonathon R. Gray, MBBCh, PhD, Wales Center for Health, Wales
Charles R. V. Tomson, MBBCh, DM, FRCP, North Bristol NHS Trust, England

Commonwealth Fund/Harkness Fellow:

Peter C. Sprivulis, MBBS, PhD, FACEM FACHI National E-Health Transition Authority, Sydney, NSW Australia

2003-2004

George W. Merck Fellows:

Joseph McCannon, Institute for Healthcare Improvement, Cambridge, MA, USA
David P. Stevens, MD, Dartmouth Institute for Health Policy and Clinical Practice, Lebanon, NH, USA
David R. Calkins, MD, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA

2001-2002

Commonwealth Fund/Harkness Fellow:

Rae Lamb, Deputy Health and Disability Commissioner, New Zealand

1999-2000

Commonwealth Fund/Harkness Fellow:

Tim Wilson, MD, PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP, London, England

1998-1999

Commonwealth Fund/Harkness Fellow:

David Probert, The Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust, London, England