Hi friends,
We're already at the halfway point of the 2026 Bipartisan Learning Communities (BLC) Congressional Fellowship, if you can believe it. Since our last program update in May, the fellows have kept up a steady pace of learning and community-building.
One thing I’ve noticed is that our classes have different personalities. The first class was populated by a group that was open to new experiences. They were our pioneers. This year, we’re seeing a class of fellows who joined a proven program who are making the most of their time: showing up ready to ask questions and take notes, and leveraging every chance to learn and grow in their careers on the Hill.
We’ve witnessed that in the ways the fellows are molding this fellowship into something completely their own. In addition to learning from our experts and events, they’ve built on last year’s fellowship strides in working together. They’ve turned to each other as resources that they can call first when seeking a second point of view on an issue or a piece of legislation, thereby strengthening their peer network across the aisle, across chambers, and across delegations.
"I've made connections I wouldn't otherwise have made if the Alliance fellowship hadn't set the table. I'm grabbing coffee with my fellow cohort members outside of our regular sessions, and they're sending me opportunities happening in their own offices."
– Jerdashia Scott, Legislative Correspondent, Office of Rep. Jim Clyburn (D-S.C.)
The beauty of it is that that’s the fellowship working exactly as intended. Back when we partnered with RWJF in 2024 to make this investment, we set out to offer more than greater health policy knowledge or professional development. We’re handing these fellows a much longer-term opportunity: the connections and relationships that will launch them into creating a community of next-generation leaders in health policy.
Hear from the Fellows themselves through interviews with these impressive rising stars about their experience building relationships across the aisle, learning from the experts who shaped landmark health policy, and staying connected to a growing alumni community.
The most exciting development on my radar is what’s next: as each class finishes successful years of the Alliance Fellowship, the ranks of our alumni grow. In November, we will have more than 50 alumni, and the Alliance team is developing and seeking sponsors for new kinds of programming to ensure that this group’s learning together continues. We are exploring programs that build on some of those the alumni found most useful and compelling in their fellowship years, including leveraging real-world examples, workshopping, and experiential learning.
If your organization is interested in supporting continuing education for BLC alumni, we'd love to talk. Connect with us.
In large part, this fellowship program’s impact has to do with the high level of trust the fellows and their offices have in the Alliance to deliver expert-led, nonpartisan, stakeholder-neutral education that helps them do their job more effectively.
During our midpoint evaluation, we asked our fellows who they trust most for information. They ranked the Alliance ahead of federal agencies, industry, and media. As someone who has studied media and public opinion for years, I find the eroding levels of trust in media and industry disheartening, but not surprising, as so many academic voices have documented the current landscape as a “trust recession.” What we find is that legislative staffers have precious few resources they feel they can rely on.
We also see that the Alliance’s educational efforts are filling a GIANT gap, and holding fast to trust while it ebbs in other institutions. There are three reasons I see that fuel that trust and set the Alliance apart:
First, the Alliance’s matchless 30-year track record of educating policymakers; the historic investment in the BLC Fellowship for the professional development of these congressional staffers; and the careful two-phased, stakeholder-informed approach to our educational programming.
"I've appreciated the candid conversations we had with experts. It was refreshing to hear them cut through the political noise and share both their honest insights into crafting landmark health legislation and tips for staffers to navigate the complexities of health policy with confidence."
– Kaitlyn Mullen, Legislative Assistant, Office of Rep. Julia Letlow (R-La.)
Of course, none of this happens without RWJF's partnership. A big thank you for their continued support and commitment. A philanthropic partner that recognizes the importance of building competency, confidence, and collaboration in our next generation of leaders is rare to come by, and we are so grateful for their vision.
Scroll on for a full recap of what's happened since our last update.
Claire Sheahan
President and CEO
Alliance for Health Policy
Recent Updates:
In May, BLC alumna Abigail Chance, a staffer with the House on Ways and Means Committee, participated in the Alliance’s thought leader workshop as part of the 2026 Signature Series on Health Care Payment. Findings from this exercise were published in the Series Report.
Fellows participated in Expert Office Hours with the leaders who wrote the Affordable Care Act, the Medicare Modernization Act, and the Inflation Reduction Act — a rare chance for fellows to hear the history straight from the people who lived it.
Fellows connected with senior Alliance leaders and Board and Emeritus Council members over small-group table conversations for the first Dinner & Dialogue event of the year.
This year's Fellow cohort and 2025 alumni mixed it up together for the first time during a joint happy hour, marking a major milestone for our growing fellowship community!
At our second Dinner & Dialogue event, Fellows were joined by 2025 alumni and senior health policy leaders for candid, off-the-record conversations on health policy leadership.
In August, Fellows participated in a day-long workshop that allowed them to explore the frameworks leaders use to navigate complexity and approach challenges they encounter on the Hill.
Before doors opened for the Alliance’s congressional briefing on MACRA, Fellows and alumni were invited to an exclusive conversation with the briefing’s featured experts, including policy leaders who negotiated the landmark legislation firsthand.
In Case You Missed It:
Meet the 2026 Fellow Class
Find out more about the current cohort of 30 congressional fellows.
2025 BLC Recap Video
Get a behind-the-scenes look at the 2025 BLC Fellowship experience.
2025 BLC Impact Report
Discover top-line findings from the 2025 BLC Fellowship year.
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