Public Policy

Science Policy Fellowship Program

Learn to Advocate for HF/E by Becoming an HFES Science Policy Fellow

The HFES Science Policy Fellowship (SPF) program provides a valuable opportunity for HFES members to learn how to successfully advocate for human factors and ergonomics on the national stage.   SPF Participants will receive extensive training in public affairs, advocacy and outreach to be provided by Lewis-Burke Associates and the HFES Government Relations Committee during the HFES Annual Meeting. They will also participate in an annual spring Capitol Hill Day in Washington, D.C., including a Hill visit training session and a policy-related speaker prior to the visit day.  They will be invited to attend monthly conference calls with Lewis-Burke and the HFES Government Relations Committee covering ongoing events and opportunities for HFES to engage in policy decisions.

Following an initial one-year term in the SPF program, each program graduate will commit to two years of service in an outreach capacity. They will create a customized plan that may include continued participation in the Capitol Hill day and interactions with policymakers in DC, working at the local/state level, serving on the GRC or a subcommittee, and other forms of outreach developed by each participant. HFES SPF participants and graduates will form the basis of a future brain trust with expertise in outreach creating a pipeline of politically engaged and knowledgeable members within HFES.

The application period opens in February each year.

2023 - 2024 Science Policy Fellows:

  • Gretchen Macht, University of Rhode Island

2022 - 2023 Science Policy Fellows:

  • Tim Arnold, Veterans Health Administration
  • Emily Howard, The Boeing Company
  • Ram Maikala, National Safety Council
  • Sara Riggs, University of Virginia
  • Katie Tippey, Willow Tree Apps

2021 - 2022 Science Policy Fellows:

  • Katie Jurewicz - Oklahoma State University
  • Molly Liechty - Leidoes Corporation
  • Monifa Vaughn-Cooke - University of Maryland

2020 - 2021 Science Policy Fellows:

  • Michael Byrne, Rice University
  • Neil Ganey, Northrop Grumman
  • Cindy Miller, Harley-Davidson

2019 - 2020 Science Policy Fellows:

  • Michael Clamman, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Highway Safety Research Center
  • Jessica Howe, MedStar Health National Center for Human Factors in Healthcare
  • Sarah Parker, Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine, Center for Simulation, Research and Patient Safety
  • Kelly Steelman, Michigan Technological University
  • Neal Wiggermann, Hill-Rom

2018 - 2019 Science Policy Fellows:

  • Caroline Cao, Wright State University
  • Holly Handley, Old Dominion University
  • Carissa Harris Adamson, University of California at San Francisco