What is the Champion Provider Fellowship?
The Champion Provider Fellowship is a two-year fellowship with the goal of training healthcare providers to engage in policy, systems, and environmental (PSE) change activities around obesity and dental and chronic disease prevention. The goal of the fellowship is to give providers the skills and support needed to partner with their local health department to affect policy change in their communities and throughout California.
Why should my local health department (LHD) participate in the Champion Provider Fellowship?
California is experiencing an epidemic of obesity leading to costly chronic diseases, including type 2 diabetes, dental disease, stroke, and heart disease, with low-income, underserved communities disproportionately affected. During the coronavirus pandemic, we have seen these disparity gaps widen further, underlying the urgency of addressing these issues. Through your participation in the program, your local health department will gain access to trained healthcare providers who can leverage their credibility to further your PSE change work.
What are the benefits of the Fellowship?
- Partnership with passionate, trained health care professionals who can augment your PSE efforts through verbal or written testimony at various school, city, and county boards andcommissions
- Expanded influence by working with media-trained health care professionals who can write letters to the editor, op-eds and speak to reporters on policies that support CalFresh Healthy Living Program and/or Local Oral Health Program goals and PSE efforts
- Increased access to and understanding of the medical and/or dental profession that can help broaden and enlighten your CNAPs or other regional collaboratives
- Broader medical/dental perspective of a practicing clinician who can act as a sounding board as you plan, implement and evaluate your PSE approaches
What are the requirements of the Fellowship?*
- Recommend physicians and dentists in your county who you believe would make excellent Champion Provider Fellowship candidates
- Identify your PSE change priorities for the next three years to address dental disease or obesity and chronic disease prevention in your health department’s jurisdiction
- Obtain a letter from your county’s health officer establishing their commitment for a Champion Provider Fellow in your county
- Identify a primary and secondary person on your staff who will manage the Champion Provider Fellowship activities.
- Participate in at least two (2) Champion Provider Fellowship local health department conference calls offered on a quarterly basis (4 per year)
- Meet with your Fellow at least twice over the course of the 12-month calendar year
- Attendance at a minimum of one (1) Champion Provider Fellowship training per year (Travel to be covered by the local health department.)
- Attendance at the Champion Provider Fellowship in-person onboarding in June 2025
- Participate in ongoing evaluation and provide regular reports on Champion Provider Fellowship integration into your local policy, systems, and environmental change efforts
*Any travel expenses for participation in future in-person meetings are expected to be covered by the local health department. Future travel expenses for Champion Provider Fellows will be covered by the Champion Provider Fellowship program.