IHI Fellowship Program

The IHI Fellowship Program is designed for worldwide health care professionals in quality and safety roles who are looking to take their strategic, operational, and thought leadership skills to the next level.

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Take Your Quality and Safety Leadership Skills to the Next Level

Ideal candidates for the IHI Fellowship Program have strong foundational knowledge and experience in quality, safety, and quality improvement capability. Candidates seek to hone their knowledge and skills to effectively institute impactful change and achieve organizational goals in today's complex health care environment.

Application Information

IHI Fellowship: A 14-Month Program

The Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI) Fellowship Program, offered to select health care professionals worldwide, is designed for those in quality and safety roles who are looking to take their strategic, operational, and thought leadership skills to the next level.

The 14-month program will support a closely-knit cohort of participants from around the globe and will include smaller affinity groups. It offers a unique virtual learning opportunity, and includes experiential learning through the leadership of strategic, impactful work within participants' home organizations. This work within home organizations will help to firmly cement the strategic improvement knowledge and new ways of thinking gained throughout the program.

Ideal candidates will have strong foundational knowledge and experience in quality, safety, and quality improvement capability. They will seek to hone their knowledge and skills to effectively institute impactful change and achieve organizational goals in today's complex health care environment.

View a recording from our most recent informational call

IHI Fellow Gillian Smith discusses how the IHI Fellowship Program has been valuable to her.

Class picture of fellows from the IHI Fellowship Program — Class Picture of IHI Fellows

Fellowship participants:

Bring new ways of thinking and innovative ideas for improving the quality of patient care, reducing harm, and patient-centered outcomes back to their organization
Make a direct impact on their system while pursuing a strategic project with metrics tied to strategic organizational goals
Deepen their knowledge in quality and safety science
Learn how to lead system changes in quality, safety, and culture, including how to engage, influence, and impact culture change

Support and networking opportunities include:

A dedicated mentor providing continuous feedback and support
Access to and guidance from renowned IHI leaders and faculty, including health care quality and safety experts, and innovative leaders who have improved systems in other industries
A lasting and meaningful global network of peers and faculty, allowing for an exchange of advice, ideas, and support in the long term (this includes an exclusive alumni network)
Senior sponsorship and active engagement from your home organization’s executive team, including quarterly sponsor progress check-ins

Learn more about applying for the IHI Fellowship Program

Additional Information

Background on the IHI Fellowship Program

Improving health care is IHI's mission, its promise, and its daily work. IHI aims to improve the lives of patients, the health of communities, and the joy of the health care workforce by focusing on an ambitious set of goals adapted from the Institute of Medicine’s six improvement aims for the health care system: care that is safe, timely, effective, efficient, equitable, and patient-centered.

IHI works with health professionals throughout the world to accelerate the measurable and continual progress of health care systems toward these bold objectives, leading to breakthrough improvements that are truly meaningful in the lives of patients.

IHI has extensive experience providing effective, in-depth professional development for health care leaders, clinicians, and managers through our fellowship programs. The vast majority of IHI Fellows consider their fellowship experience transformative for them, both personally and professionally.

IHI Fellowship alumni have gone on to lead organizational, national, and international work to improve care for patients and their families. Increasingly, this cadre of leaders is shaping the discussion around health and health care in the UK, the US, and beyond.

We believe this is an area where investment by leading health care organizations would yield dramatic results in terms of increased leadership and improvement capacity to benefit the populations they serve.

2022–2023 Fellows

IHI Fellowship Alumni

The IHI Fellowship Alumni Network is a growing group of committed health care leaders who have the shared experience of the IHI Fellowship and who continue to offer mutual support in the hard work of improving care for patients. Alumni come together for networking and continued connection with IHI twice a year, at the National Forum in the US and the International Forum in Europe. Alumni have started a tradition of organizing an annual all-alumni meeting to come together to solve problems and further explore their aims as a group.

Fellows alumni are connected with each other and with current fellows via an active listserv. Fellows use the listserv to prompt discussion on compelling topics, gather input on problems they are encountering with their work, and to plan for alumni meetings and events.

Past fellows include a diverse group of health care professionals, as seen below. Each brings a different skill set, educational background, and work experience.

View list of IHI Fellowship Alumni

In Memory

In memory of former Merck Fellow David R. Calkins, MD, MPP (May 27, 1948 to April 7, 2006) — physician, teacher, colleague, and friend — who was instrumental in developing the 100,000 Lives Campaign’s How-to Guides and worked tirelessly for the 100,000 Lives Campaign. David was a true believer in the Campaign's mission and an inspiration to us all.

In memory of former Health Foundation Quality Improvement Fellow Annette J. Bartley, RN, BA, MS, MPH (March 21, 1962 to November 24, 2016), a nurse and health care improvement coach for more than 30 years, which included several leadership roles in frontline clinical care and management. A beloved member of the IHI community, Annette leaves behind a legacy of kindness, compassion, and optimism.

Apply for the IHI Fellowship Program

The IHI Fellowship Program is designed for those in quality and safety roles who are looking to take their strategic, operational, and thought leadership skills to the next level.

Application Information