Guidance for Recommendation Letters

For Applicants

Three recommendation letters are required. These letters of recommendation must be from individuals who can comment on your professional competence and other qualities and interests that make you especially qualified to serve as a fellow. Individuals writing letters of recommendation must review the 'For Letter Writers' section below.

Applicants are responsible for ensuring that the letters are submitted to the program director at Virginia Commonwealth University by the application deadline (January 31). Applications with fewer than three letters of recommendation will not be considered.

Letters of recommendation are a critical component of the application. They must be from individuals who can comment on your professional competence and other qualities and interests that make you especially qualified to serve as a fellow. Select your references carefully. Please assure that they have ample notice to write a solid recommendation on your behalf.

For Letter Writers

Overview

It will be helpful for letter writers to review the criteria and information on the fellow program below in order to enhance the relevance of their comments.

The overarching goals of the Congressional Healthcare Policy Fellow Program is to increase the capacity of pharmacists to inform the discussions and influence the decisions of individuals and institutions that determine health care policies, and to provide scientific  knowledge and analysis to support decision-makers who are confronting increasingly complex health care and technological issues. The fellow program aims to:

• educate pharmacists on the intricacies of federal policymaking
• foster positive exchange between pharmacists and policymakers
• empower pharmacists to conduct policy-relevant research that addresses challenges facing society
• increase the involvement and visibility of pharmacists in the public policy realm

The fellow program is extremely competitive; thus it is to the applicant’s advantage if you provide the information outlined below
in a clearly identifiable fashion in your letter of recommendation.

1. How long and in what capacity you have known the candidate
2. Reference statements that comment on:
   • The applicant’s technical and professional accomplishments and relative standing of the applicant among their peers (300 words)
   • The applicant’s ability to communicate, both orally and in writing, and to interact productively with individuals and groups, especially non-scientific audiences (300 words)
   • The applicant’s maturity and judgment
   • The applicant’s interest and experience in applying their expertise to the resolution of societal issues (300 words)
   • The applicant’s professional future, including possible impacts as the result of their participation in the fellow program (250-500 words)
   • Any other comments that may be relevant to the Congressional Healthcare Policy Fellow Program application

Submission

Recommendation letters are confidential and should be submitted to the Congressional Healthcare Policy Fellow program director, Kristin Zimmerman, via email at kzimmerman@vcu.edu. Emailed submissions must indicate in the subject line the name of the applicant and the person providing the reference.