Why did the Fellowship Program change?

In 2005, after ten years of operating our fellowship program for health journalists, the Kaiser Family Foundation began a review of our U.S. health journalism programs to take into account changes in the news business and the health beat. The question was not whether to maintain our Fellowship program, but what form this should take. Following our review, we are combining the Kaiser Media Fellowships in Health and the Kaiser Mini-Fellowships into a single new program. 

This new program will maintain the most successful elements of our U.S. health journalism programs, while incorporating changes to make the fellowship more flexible for journalists wanting to apply, but needing to juggle newsroom responsibilities.

We hope that this more flexible program will make it easier for a broader group of journalists to participate – such as senior editors, newsroom managers, as well as television reporters and producers and online journalists – who are currently unable to leave their newsroom jobs for the lengthier fellowships our programs entailed previously.

What has changed?

There are three basic elements to our new Kaiser Media Fellowships in Health Program:

• Fellows now have the option of undertaking a fellowship project for up to nine months—but shorter fellowship projects will now be possible, with a minimum one-month research/reporting project. All Fellows, regardless of the length of their projects, will take part in the group site visits and meetings during the course of the year.
  
• Research/reporting projects are more sharply focused on U.S. health policy and financing issues such as prescription drugs, health insurance coverage, the uninsured, Medicare, Medicaid, health care costs, and racial and ethnic disparities in care. We want to focus the fellowships program a bit more sharply to address the original reason we established it ten years ago—to help improve reporting and educate the public on complex U.S. health policy issues (The Foundation now operates separate programs on global health reporting).
  
• The number of fellows participating in the program each year has increased from five to as many as 10.

What stays the same?

Most other aspects of the program remain the same. In addition to undertaking an in-depth research/reporting project, Fellows continue to participate in up to five program site visits during their fellowship year and in substantive seminars with health policy experts and leaders. The fellowship program site visits and events provide journalists with the opportunity for in-depth learning about specific topics in health policy. 

Participating journalists still also attend the annual program for Kaiser Fellows held at the Poynter Institute for Media Studies in St. Petersburg, FL, for an intensive three-day program on computer-assisted reporting focused on health-related databases.

As before, we invite a number of other health journalists to join the Fellows for these site visits and events.

What types of site visits and events do you typically have?  What are some of the past topics?

Site visit topics vary greatly, but focus mainly on U.S. health policy issues such as the post-Katrina health issues in the Gulf Coast and the VA health care system.  From time to time, we conduct site visits outside of the States to examine issues with direct relevance to the U.S. Our August 2004 site visit to Canada, for example, focused on prescription drug pricing, and our May 2003 site visit examined Brazil’s response to HIV/AIDS and the lessons to be learned for the U.S.

Past programs have focused on prescription drug pricing and access to medication, safety net services and care for the uninsured, and cultural barriers to health care.  Fellows are consulted in planning for site visits briefings, and are asked to contribute suggestions about site visit topics and locations (see the Site Visits and Events page for more details on fellowship meetings).

Will the program continue to begin in September? How much time will the fellowship require during the year?

Yes. The fellowship year still starts in September and continues through to the following September.

Applications for the fellowships are due in March of each year; shortlisted applicants are interviewed by the national program advisory committee, and the Kaiser Fellows are selected in May/June each year.

All Fellows participate in the program site visits and group meetings that are held at intervals throughout the fellowship year. These vary in length from a couple of days to a week, for a total 4-5 weeks in any calendar year. In addition, each Fellow works on their own reporting projects. These vary in length from a minimum of one month to a maximum of nine months.

How much is the fellowship stipend and what does it cover?

All stipends are awarded on the basis of length of fellowship and project need, for up to $50,000 for a nine-month fellowship. Applicants need to submit a budget outline and an estimated timeframe for their project, and the Kaiser Media Fellowships Program, in conjunction with the National Advisory Committee, awards each Fellow a stipend that takes this into account.

In addition to the stipend, the fellowship program also covers project expenses, including travel, laptop and telephone/internet. Academic coursework is an option, although not required.

What is the shortest length of time for a fellowship?

The program has a minimum one-month research/reporting project. In addition, Fellows are required to participate in the five fellowship program site visits and events, for a total time commitment of about two months during the fellowship calendar year.

Can I participate in the program and still continue to work as a reporter?

Yes—subject to agreeing the specific details with your editor/news director/news organization. There is no bar on Fellows continuing to report during their fellowships. 

Fellows are encouraged to do reporting based on their fellowship research and to experiment with different media or forms of writing.

Most—but not all—Fellows undertake projects in discussion with their news organization; and their fellowship reporting results in an in-depth series, documentary or other piece of substantive work. Applicants proposing to continue working in the newsroom on a daily basis, fitting the fellowship around their continuing newsroom obligations, are advised to propose a limited fellowship project.

Who can apply?

Any journalist, editor, or producer specializing in health reporting – or wanting to do so – is eligible, with one main restriction: applicants must be U.S. citizens, or must work for an accredited U.S. media organization. There is no age restriction, but typically Fellows are in the early to mid-career range, with at least five years experience as a journalist.

I am not a health reporter.  Am I eligible to participate?

Yes. Health reporting covers a broad range of beats and topics – health sections, the business and politics beats, columnists and editorial writers–to name a few. Selection is based on the Fellow’s potential to benefit from the program and to contribute to health journalism, and on their project proposal.

Priority is given to projects otherwise unlikely to be undertaken or completed, focusing on issues that have not been reported or are under-reported, and which have a high likelihood of being published/aired and of reaching a mass audience. Priority may also be given to those that are complex and would benefit from an in-depth study or the opportunity to travel.

How do I apply?

There is no application form. To apply, send the following materials to the program's executive director:

• Brief summary of your project
• Budget outline and estimated timeframe (see more details below)
• Resume or curriculum vitae
• Examples of recent work
• • Print applicants: Original clips or photocopies must be mounted on 8.5”x11” or 11”x17” paper. If clips are reduced in size to fit the page, they should be legible. For oversize work or series, applicants may submit an original in addition to the mounted copy. For photographs, please submit regular prints and/or photocopies – no slides.
  • Broadcast applicants: TV applicants should send VHS tapes; radio applicants please send CDs. Please label each piece with your name, program title, running time and date aired.
  • Work samples will not be returned to applicants.
• A letter of support from a supervising editor/news director (freelance journalists should send a letter from an editor, producer or colleague familiar with your recent work)

Budget outline and estimated timeframe: Applicants should describe how they would envisage carrying out their project and a broad timeline for achieving this, together with a brief sense of the likely project budget. For example, that in the first two months this project might involve travel to abc states or cities to interview abc projects or experts, at a likely cost of abc dollars.

Mail fellowship applications to:
Penny Duckham
Executive Director
Kaiser Media Fellowships Program
Kaiser Family Foundation
2400 Sand Hill Road
Menlo Park, CA 94025
Tel: 650-234-9220; fax: 650-854-4800 or 650-854-7465

Do you have an online application process or may I submit my materials by e-mail?

No. At the present time, we prefer to receive your application materials via regular mail.

What’s the history of the programs that are being combined?

Since 1993, the Foundation has supported three major programs for U.S. health journalists: the Kaiser Media Fellowships, the Kaiser Mini-Fellowships and the Kaiser Internships for Health Reporting program. Over 70 journalists have participated in the Kaiser Media Fellowships program. In addition, through 2005, 10 mini-fellowships were awarded annually to journalists to pursue shorter-term reporting projects, generally focusing on HIV/AIDS reporting in the U.S. or globally. In 2005, however, the mini-fellowship program was incorporated into the Media Fellowships program, so that there is only one fellowship program.  Separately, each summer, up to 15 young journalists are selected as Kaiser Media Interns, and experience an intensive 12-week introduction to health reporting at major news organizations around the country.

What about international journalists?

While this program is for U.S. journalists, Kaiser has assumed a new and still rapidly evolving global journalism training role, running programs for journalists initially in India, Russia and Ukraine, and southern Africa. The focus is on reporting about HIV/AIDS, TB and malaria. This work is largely supported by a grant from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation. More information is available at: http://www.kff.org/mediafellows/intl_fellowshiphealth.cfm.

What is your program for young journalists?

The Kaiser Media Internships for Health Reporting program, established in 1994, is an intensive 12-week summer internship for young journalists interested in specializing in health reporting. This program provides an initial week-long briefing on health issues and health reporting in Washington, D.C. Interns are then based for ten weeks at their newspaper/TV station, typically under the direction of the Health or Metro Editor/News Director, where they report on health issues. The aim is to create a diverse network of new journalists with an in-depth introduction to and practical experience on the specialist health beat.  More information is available at: http://www.kff.org/mediafellows/mediainternships.cfm.