Each year, SOM’s Pozen-Commonwealth Fund fellows and students in a similar program at Harvard University travel to New York City for Policy Day, where they learn to advocate for policies that will improve the systems in which they work. Below, four fellows reflect on the Policy Day experience.
Denise Anderson ’27
Four months into the Yale SOM Pozen-Commonwealth Fund Fellowship in Health Equity Leadership, I can say with confidence that the experience has been everything I hoped for and more. What’s been especially rewarding is applying classroom lessons directly to my day-to-day work at the Center for Health Equity & Wellbeing, New Jersey’s Public Health Institute.
Earlier this fall, my cohort joined Harvard’s Commonwealth Fund Health Policy Fellows for New York Policy Day, a thought-provoking and inspiring experience. We spent the morning with the Commonwealth Fund’s leadership team, including president and CEO Dr. Joseph R. Betancourt and senior vice president Dr. Laurie Zephyrin. These leaders guided us through an exploration of the fund’s work in advancing U.S. health coverage and equitable outcomes.
The afternoon took us to the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, where we discussed population health strategies, policy initiatives, and health care finance with staffers at the department. The day closed with a warm reception back at the Commonwealth Fund’s historic Harkness Library.
New York Policy Day was more than a field visit; it was a bridge between the rigor of Yale SOM’s EMBA curriculum and the fellowship’s mission to develop equity-centered leaders. The experience brought policy lessons to life, deepened professional connections, and reaffirmed that advancing health equity is truly a collective endeavor—one grounded in continuous learning, collaboration, and shared vision.