Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Grant Supports IAPHS Conference, Mentoring Program

The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) has provided a generous grant to the IAPHS to support its upcoming conference and a new one-on-one mentoring program. The grant will help support catering, travel, and other costs for Pushing the Boundaries of Population Health Science: Social Inequalities, Biological Processes, and Policy Implications, October 3-5 at the National Academies of Science, Engineering and Medicine in Washington DC. The grant also includes funding to support travel to the conference for five individuals participating in RWJF’s Leadership Development, Research, Evaluation and Learning, and New Connections programs.

The grant also enables IAPHS to initiate a major new professional development program. The Board has set a high priority on building activities that provide skills, support, and guidance for early-career professionals dedicated to interdisciplinary science and science that can effectively inform health policies and practices.  The new funding will support the October launch of a pilot program to match individuals who seek mentoring with appropriate mentors and to support the continued interaction and success of these pairs.  It will also provide partial support for professional development lunches at the October meeting.  (Further information about the new mentoring program and other elements of the IAPHS plan for professional development will be available over the summer.)

The Foundation’s support enables IAPHS to continue to offer the outstanding programs featured in the first three population health conferences organized under the auspices of IAPHS.   These conferences, organized under the leadership of Michelle Frisco and Dorothy Daley, were fully supported by RWJF. In 2018, support for the conference will also come from the National Academy of Medicine Roundtable for Population Health Improvement, sponsorships from the Department of Health Policy and Management at George Washington University and the RWJF Health Policy Research Scholars Program, and registration fees as well as RWJF’s generous funding.

The funding from RWJF extends from June 2018 through January 2019.  The grant positions IAPHS to expand and solidify its role in supporting and advancing interdisciplinary population health science, a key contributor to the knowledge base needed for the RWJF Culture of Health initiatives. IAPHS is deeply grateful for the Foundation’s support.