PORTLAND, OR – December 15, 2021

Cambia Health Foundation is pleased to announce the eighth cohort of scholars accepted into its Sojourns® Scholar Leadership Program. Ten emerging palliative care leaders were carefully chosen through a rigorous selection process from a highly competitive pool. In addition, the Foundation has opened the 2022 Sojourns® Scholar Leadership Program and encourages palliative care professionals from across the country, including all disciplines and practice settings, to apply.

The Sojourns Scholar Leadership Program is designed to identify, cultivate and advance the next generation of palliative care leaders. As part of the leadership program, each Sojourns Scholar receives $180,000 in funding ($90,000/year over two years) to conduct an innovative and impactful clinical, policy, educational, health equity or systems change project in the field of palliative care. Scholars also participate with other scholars in a collaborative learning community while receiving individual mentorship to design and implement a plan that supports completion of their project as well as their growth and development as national palliative care leaders. 

“The ongoing pandemic has made us acutely aware of the importance of interdisciplinary palliative care teams, not only in terms of providing whole person care for people with serious illness, but also in addressing health disparities and fostering workplace resilience,” said Peggy Maguire, president and board chair, Cambia Health Foundation. “By supporting the development of this elite group of palliative care professionals, we are transforming the experience of people with serious illness and building a more inclusive and sustainable health care system.” 
Since the program’s inception in 2014, the Foundation’s purposeful investment in palliative care leadership has awarded more than $15 million to 84 scholars around the country.  Scholars represent different areas of the palliative care team including physicians, nurses, chaplains, pharmacists and social workers, but all are committed to improving the experience of people facing serious illness and their caregivers. 

“We are inspired by the emerging leaders across all disciplines in palliative care, and our aim is to continue to broaden the diversity of this program so that every person in the United States who could benefit from palliative care has the ability to access the services,” Maguire said. 

Listed below are the 2021 Sojourns Scholar Leadership Program Grant Recipients:  

Becca Hutchinson, MD, MPH
MaineHealth

Becky Cammy, LCSW
Sidney Kimmel Cancer Center – Jefferson Health

Billy Rosa, PhD, MBE, NP, FAANP, FAAN
Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center

David Wang, MD
Scripps Health 

Jung Kwak, PhD, MSW
The University of Texas at Austin

Khaliah Johnson, MD
Emory University School of Medicine, Department of Pediatrics

Elizabeth Dzeng, MD, PhD, MPH, MPhil, MS
University of California, San Francisco

Michelle Milic, MD
Medstar Georgetown University Hospital

Natalie McAndrew, PhD, RN, ACNS-BC, CCRN-K
University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee

Tracy Fasolino, PhD, APRN, FNP-BC, ACHPN
Clemson University


To learn more about the individual scholars, please visit the Sojourns Scholar Leadership Program page on the Cambia Health Foundation website.

2022 Sojourns® Scholar Leadership Program Call for Applications
The Foundation has opened the 2022 Sojourns® Scholar Leadership Program Call for Applications. Interested individuals must submit a Letter of Intent by March 7, 2022. After review, a select group of applicants will be invited to submit full grant applications by March 31, 2022. More information, including details about eligibility, is available on the Foundation website on the Sojourns Scholar Leadership Program page.

CONTACT 
For Cambia Health Foundation                         
Rachel Peters 
Rachel.Peters@Cambiahealth.com 
 
About Cambia Health Foundation 
Cambia Health Foundation is the corporate foundation of Cambia Health Solutions. Founded in 2007, the foundation has funded more than $80 million in grants to advance person-focused and economically sustainable health care. We support whole-person health at every stage of life to build a just and inclusive health care system for all. Learn more at cambiahealthfoundation.org and follow us on Twitter: @CambiaHealthFdn.