History of the Program

The Fellowships program started in 1992 as the Health Forum Fellowships.  The program was developed to help leaders expand their view of what constitutes health, and to shift focus from individual stakeholders to broad-based, collaborative efforts that result in improved population health and revitalized communities.

In 1990, with assistance from the Eastman Kodak Company, Health Forum had conducted a national study, “Bridging the Leadership Gap in Healthcare.”  The study identified six key leadership values and competencies required to transform healthcare:

  • Mastering change
  • Systems thinking
  • Shared vision
  • Continuous quality improvement
  • Redefining healthcare
  • Serving the community

In response to these findings, Health Forum developed the Creating Healthier Communities Fellowship.  The Fellowship, now in its twelfth year, has enabled more than 475 healthcare executives and community leaders to develop their leadership skills and improve the health of their communities through participation in a 15-month-long intensive educational and action-learning process.

The Fellowships program expanded in 1998 to include a Cardiovascular Health Fellowship, which promoted the identification and prevention of risk factors that lead to heart disease.  The Fellowship focused on advancing cardiovascular health from episodic disease treatment to population health management.  Over 100 Fellows completed the program during its four-year span.

The Patient Safety Leadership Fellowship began in 2002, and provides participants with the tools and methods needed to develop and implement strategies and practices to improve patient safety across our nation's health systems.  In 2004, the Health Research and Educational Trust joined the effort as a major sponsor and carries on the commitment to develop and nurture innovation across many sectors in health care.

In 2005, HRET, Health Forum, and the Institute for Diversity in Health Management (IFD) launched the Cultural Competence Leadership Fellowship.  This ground-breaking program supports leaders’ capacity to address health care disparities and create care delivery systems that respond to diverse needs of communities.