About the Fellowship

ABOUT PHILIPPE VILLERS

Philippe Villers is the co-founder of Families USA. In 1981, he and his wife founded the organization (initially called The Villers Foundation). He has served as its President and as a member of the Board of Directors since the inception of Families USA. He is deeply committed to the organization’s mission of achieving guaranteed access to high-quality, affordable health care for all Americans. 

Mr. Villers also serves on the ACLU President’s Committee, on Amnesty International USA’s Executive Directors Council, and on the boards of Cambridge Innovations; Mercy Corps; GrainPro, Inc.; United Villages; and the Institute for Global Leadership at Tufts University. He was a founder of Computervision Corporation (a Fortune 500 company for many years); Automatix, Inc.; and Cognition, Inc. and has been a guiding force in innovative and successful high-tech corporations for more than 25 years. Mr. Villers holds an AB with honors from Harvard and an MS in Mechanical Engineering from M.I.T.

FELLOWSHIP DESCRIPTION

The Villers Fellow works as a full-time policy analyst in Families USA’s Health Policy Department. Designed to provide the fellow with a national perspective on health care justice work, the fellowship will be based in the Families USA office in Washington, D.C. and will afford the fellow the opportunity to learn about a range of health care justice issues. The Villers Fellow’s primary responsibilities involve conducting primary and secondary research on a range of health care issues, including Medicaid, Medicare, the State Children’s Health Insurance Program (SCHIP), prescription drugs, and the private insurance market, as well as writing and contributing to publications that are relevant to current health policy debates. 

The fellowship will last one year, from August 2008 through July 2009, and fellows will receive a compensatory package that includes an annual stipend of approximately $35,000 and excellent health care benefits. One Villers Fellow is selected each year.

QUALIFICATIONS & PROCEDURES

Candidates seeking consideration for the Villers Fellowship must demonstrate a commitment to social and health care justice work following their year of hands-on experience as a fellow. Additionally, in order to further the development of future leaders, Villers Fellows must commit to mentoring at least one person at some point over the course of their careers.
 
While there is no bias in favor of any specific academic discipline, a college degree is preferred. There is no minimum GPA to qualify for consideration. Please follow the application directions carefully.

To apply for the Villers Fellowship for Health Care Justice, candidates must submit the following:

• What you must submit: a completed application form; a response to one essay topic; and a resume.
• What others must submit on your behalf: an official copy of your most recent college or graduate school transcript (not required for applicants who have not been in school since January 2005) and three letters of recommendation from academic, professional, and/or other  references who can attest to your community involvement.

All materials must be postmarked or received by January 15, 2008.
Application materials that are postmarked after that date will not be considered. 
If selected as a finalist, the applicant’s references will be contacted. 

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