2009-2010 Application Guidelines and Instructions for Candidates

Applicant Letter: Provide in your introduction your complete contact information, current affiliation, earned degrees, and summarize your post graduate experiences if appropriate.

Candidate Biosketch: Provide a brief biographical sketch of no more than 500 words that highlights your life experiences.

Candidate Statements: Provide an essay/statement that address each of the following six points:

• Rationale: Reasons for applying for the Congressional Healthcare Policy Fellow Program. Include a discussion of your major strengths and qualifications for the program. (300 words)
• Areas of Interest: Outline the policy areas or issues that you are particularly interested in.(300 words)
• Role as a Fellow: Describe how you imagine you might apply your science and pharmacy experiences during the fellow program.(300 words)
• Career Goals: State your goals following the completion of the fellow program.(300 words)
• Community Involvement: Describe your most significant community-related activity that utilized your professional expertise and explain why you consider it to be significant. (300-500 words)
• Professional Communication: Provide a sample letter to a Congressional representative on improving one aspect of the nation’s healthcare system that includes a recommendation for a specific policy position. Explain why you think the recommendation is important, what issues it raises, and why you think it should be supported. (300-500 words)

Curriculum Vitae: Provide an up to date curriculum vita. Use your CV to highlight your education, expertise, achievements and honors, and publications.

Extracurricular activities: Provide a brief statement of the activities you enjoy that extend beyond the patient care arena, lab, classroom or office. (300 words)

Conflict of Interest: Complete the COI Document after reviewing the ethics guidelines page of the fellow website.

References: Three recommendation letters are required. You are responsible for ensuring that the letters are submitted to the Fellow Program Director at Virginia Commonwealth University. Applications with fewer than three letters of recommendation will not be considered.

Letters of recommendation are a critical component of the application. They must be from individuals who can comment on your professional competence and other qualities and interests that make you qualified to serve as a Fellow. Select your references carefully. It is helpful for your references to review the criteria and information on the fellow program in order to enhance the relevance of their comments. They should also review the Guidelines & Instructions for References provided on the Congressional Healthcare Policy Fellow Program website. References should be given ample notice to write a solid recommendation on your behalf.

Recommendation letters are confidential and should be submitted to the Congressional Healthcare Policy Fellow Program Director at Virginia Commonwealth University directly via email. Emailed submissions must indicate in the subject line the name of the applicant and the person providing the reference. If access to email is limited letters can be faxed to the program director at 804-628-3991.

The Program coordinating office reserves the right to exclude incomplete or incorrectly completed applications from review—this includes applications not completed in the requested format and those that are longer than specified in the instructions. Only the information requested will be considered in the review of applications. DO NOT send additional documents. Receipt of applications and letters of recommendation will be acknowledged when received.

THE CONGRESSIONAL HEALTHCARE POLICY FELLOW PROGRAM DOES NOT PROVIDE WRITTEN OR VERBAL REVIEWS OF APPLICATIONS EITHER BEFORE OR AFTER SELECTION.

Applications will be accepted until the position is filled. Finalists will be interviewed in Washington, DC, in spring 2009, and the successful candidate will be announced shortly thereafter. If you have any questions concerning the application or selection process please contact Gary Matzke, PharmD, Fellow Program Director at the MCV/VCU School of Pharmacy directly via phone at (804) 828-1388 or email at gmatzke@vcu.edu.