Accepting Applications For Health Affairs’ 2023 Health Equity Fellowship For Trainees

It has been one year since Health Affairs launched the Health Equity Fellowship for Trainees (HEFT) with the intention of cultivating the next generation of health equity research leaders. Now, we are accepting applications for the Fellowship’s second cohort.

As we launch the 2023 application cycle, I am writing today to share the success that we have had with our inaugural cohort and to discuss our expectations for the upcoming year.

Health Affairs values equity in scholarly publishing and aims to advance that goal by guiding and elevating New Voices that have never published in our pages. We have therefore allocated significant staff time and resources towards just such an initiative.

Year One

In January 2022, Dr. Vabren Watts, Director of Health Equity, brought me on staff to lead HEFT as Program Manager of Equity Fellowships. We immediately began implementing the Fellowship and within a few weeks were offering orientation programming and support to our first cohort.  During this time, Fellows learned about various aspects of Health Affairs’ priorities and processes, as well as the organization’s goal for HEFT — increasing the quantity and quality of manuscripts published by researchers who are members of racial and ethnic groups which are currently underrepresented in the journal.

Preliminary data from a 2021 Health Affairs author survey shows that 12% of authors submitting to the journal identify as Asian American, 9% as Hispanic/Latino/Latina, 6% as Black or African American, 3% as multi-racial, and 1% as American Indian/Alaskan Native or Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander. White authors make up 66% of those submitting to the journal. Data on acceptance rates by racial group—as well as by gender—are in progress.

Research shows that one of the barriers to success for many researchers from underrepresented racial and ethnic groups lack of mentorship. With this in mind, we pair each HEFT fellow with multiple mentors, including experienced Health Affairs authors and editorial staff for one year as they prepare their manuscripts to be published in Health Affairs or another journal. Fellows are required to meet with each mentor for an hour every month.

Fellows also attend monthly seminar meetings designed to support their research and career advancement. Some topics include crafting equity research methodologies, responding to reviewer feedback, tracking journal citations, building resilience in the workplace, and navigating Health Affairs’ manuscript selection process.

Currently, all 2022 HEFT Fellows are on track to submit their manuscripts by the end of the year for consideration by Health Affairs or another journal. Although the inaugural cohort’s time as HEFT Fellows is coming to an end, the journal will continue to follow and support their careers where appropriate.

2023 Application And Selection Cycle

We will select the 2023 HEFT Fellows using a process similar to last year’s selection process. The Fellowship selection committee — consisting of some of Health Affairs’ editorial board members, health equity experts, and the journal’s editorial staff — will select applicants based on the following categories and parameters:

• Abstract
  • Study design
  • Methodology
  • Topic area
  • Potential for social impact
• CV and Letter of Intent
  • Applicant’s dedication to health equity and health services research
  • Leadership experience
  • Engagement with peer-reviewed health services research publications and related presentations
• Recommendation Letter
  • Support from home institution, organization, or other research-related references

New to the 2023 HEFT selection cycle is the allocation of at least two slots for applicants from minority serving-institutions – for example, Historically Black Colleges and Universities, Hispanic Serving Institutions, Asian American, and Native American Pacific Islander-Serving Institutions, Tribal Colleges and Universities or Native American-Serving Nontribal Institutions. In the past, researchers from these institutions have been underrepresented in Health Affairs. As a journal that is intentional about advancing health racial equity, we want minority serving-institutions to know that we value their contributions to health services research. We are committed to helping their trainees succeed by offering them equitable participation in our programs.

Health Affairs is delighted to be at the forefront of addressing health inequities scholarly publishing. The journal will continue to carry out the goals of HEFT. We invite early career researchers who identify as members of racial and ethnic groups underrepresented in scholarly publishing, health policy, and health services research to visit the  Health Equity Fellowship for Trainees (HEFT) site and  apply for the 2023 cohort.