Health Leadership Fellows Application

The goal of the Health Leadership Fellows Program is to develop and strengthen a diverse network of collaborative leaders with organizations and systems that serve young children and older adults in western and central New York.

In an increasingly complex health landscape, traditional management alone is no longer sufficient to address the persistent challenges facing young children and older adults impacted by poverty. The Health Leadership Fellows Program is a competitive 18-month journey designed for experienced leaders ready to move beyond organizational silos and drive systemic change.

The Vision: Systems Navigation & Strategic Influence

Our Theory of Change is built on the belief that sustainable community health outcomes require a robust and diverse network of collaborative leaders. This program does not focus on technical “how-to” management; instead, it empowers senior leaders to master:

  • Systems Navigation: Analyzing the root causes and interconnected factors — policy, economics, and social determinants — that shape regional health.
  • Strategic Influence: Building deep connections and trust necessary to lead cross-sector collaborations and move the needle on population health.
  • Collective Contribution: Shifting the focus from individual organizational attribution to a model of shared regional impact.

Program Commitment & Requirements

We are seeking senior leaders with a minimum of 7 years of professional experience, with at least 3 of those years in a senior or executive role. Eligible leaders hold decision-making authority over programs and services in or for their organization.

Selected Fellows will join a diverse cohort of up to 40 participants from Western and Central New York. This intensive experience requires a full commitment to the following:

  • Primary Focus: Fellows are expected to prioritize the Fellows program as their primary external leadership development commitment during the 18-month term. Applicants currently enrolled in another intensive leadership program should discuss their situation with us prior to applying.
  • Residential Sessions: Mandatory attendance at all four residential sessions (two to three days each) throughout the 18-month term. These immersive sessions are where the cohort builds the connections, trust, and collaborative capacity that are the heart of the program.
  • Collaborative Projects: Active leadership in team-based projects designed to produce tangible health benefits for the community.

Key Dates

  • Application Deadline: June 30, 2026
  • Program Timeline: June 2027 – November 2028
  • Inquiries: Please contact sawickihealthfellows@gmail.com

"*" indicates required fields

I. Required Eligibility & Strategic Alignment

This section ensures your role aligns with the goals of the Fellows program to drive systemic change for older adults and young children impacted by poverty.

Leadership Tenure & Organizational Authority

Do you have a minimum of 7 years of professional experience, with at least 3 of those years in a senior or executive leadership role?*
Do you hold decision-making authority over programs and services delivered by your organization?*
Does your role include meaningful community-facing or population-level impact?*
This includes leaders in health equity strategy, community health, or programmatic roles regardless of department title. Roles focused exclusively on internal infrastructure (such as certain Finance, HR, or Fundraising roles) without any programmatic or community-facing scope are not eligible.

Are you currently a participant in another intensive leadership program or fellowship?
If yes, please briefly describe the program. We encourage you to reach out to us before submitting your application so we can discuss your situation together.
Capacity Acknowledgment*
If selected, I commit to prioritizing this 18-month journey as my primary external leadership development activity to ensure full engagement in collaborative projects and residential sessions.

II. Definition of Core Concepts

To ensure a shared understanding of the goals of the Fellows program, we define our core competencies below. You are encouraged to respond to essay questions using your own language and experience — you do not need to use these terms verbatim.

• Systems Navigation: Moving beyond organizational silos to understand the interconnected factors — policy, economics, and social determinants — that impact health. This requires analyzing root causes rather than treating symptoms and recognizing how power and inequity shape those systems.

• Strategic Influence: The capacity to build connections and trust to move a collective agenda forward without direct authority over all partners. This is the shift from "command and control" management to collaborative, community-centered leadership.

• Contribution vs. Attribution: We recognize that no single leader or agency can claim sole credit for changing population-level health. We focus on how leaders contribute their unique resources, relationships, and influence to a larger network — moving the needle together rather than alone.

III. Personal and Professional Information

Office Address*
Home Address*
Race/Ethnicity*
How would you describe your race/ethnicity?
Describe your current leadership role. Highlight your authority over programs and how you have used your position to contribute to community-level change. We encourage you to describe the context of your career trajectory and types of organizations led here.

IV. Essay Questions

These questions are designed to understand how you think, lead, and engage with your community. Respond in your own words and experience. You do not need to use program-specific terminology — we are interested in the substance of your leadership, not your familiarity with any particular framework.

Identify a complex health or social challenge in your region. How have you worked — or how would you work — to identify and address the underlying systemic barriers or inequities involved, rather than just the immediate symptoms? How did your organization contribute to a solution that required working across sectors or communities?

Describe a time you helped lead a cross-sector or community-level collaboration. How did you build trust among partners or stakeholders with different interests, resources, or levels of power? What did you learn about moving a collective agenda forward when you didn't have direct authority over all the players involved?

How do you integrate principles of racial and socioeconomic equity into your leadership and organizational decision-making? What specific leadership capacities do you hope to develop through this fellowship to better serve marginalized populations and strengthen equitable systems in our region?

Describe a moment when your personal experience, community identity, or background informed a leadership decision or shaped your understanding of a systemic barrier. How does that experience continue to influence the way you lead?
At this stage in your career, why is joining a diverse network of peers to engage in systems change valuable to your growth as a leader? What do you hope to contribute to the cohort — not just gain from it?

Please read and acknowledge the statement below:*
I certify that the answers supplied in this application are true and complete to the best of my knowledge. I authorize verification of all statements as they relate to the selection process. If selected as a Fellow, I agree to fully participate in the 18-month fellowship program, including: active participation in all program activities; mandatory attendance at all four residential sessions; active leadership in collaborative team projects; and permission for the program to include my name, organizational information, biographical sketch, and photo in informational and promotional materials.