The LCHC Health Justice Fellowship

LCHC’s 2026 Health Justice Fellowship Now Applications Open

The LCHC Health Justice Fellowship aims to provide leadership training and opportunities for individuals interested in pursuing a career in public health and public policy. The program is part of LCHC’s larger Latine and Indigenous Workforce Institute, and is designed to transform our State’s healthcare and public health workforce by engaging college students, recent graduates, and early-career professionals in various topics, such as mental health in communities of color, social determinants of health, and civic participation. Participants, who possess first-hand knowledge of these topics, combine their lived experiences with data-driven and fact-based learning. The fellowship also helps to develop professional skills such as job application, managing imposter syndrome, and navigating different professional institutions. In essence, the program guides aspiring leaders to become agents of change in policy and public health advocacy in California.

The Health Justice Curriculum

Building Up Future Leaders

 

The fellowship has two major curriculum components. The first component is a curriculum of monthly lessons. All fellows will have the opportunity to engage with this curriculum, which varies from topics around public health and public policy to more individualized professional development topics.

  • Social Determinants of Health

  • Community to Capitol: How Policy Works

  • The Power of Civic Engagement

  • Land the Job

  • Imposter Phenomenon

  • So You’ve Been Considering Grad School?

Professional Development

The second component is the opportunity to work within one of LCHC’s 3 main departments; the Legislative & Administrative Department, the People Power Department, or the Narrative Change Department. Fellows will work hand in hand with staff on a range of projects during the duration of the fellowship. Our staff are proud to provide 1:1 guidance and mentorship to all fellows in their department.

Find more information about our departments here.

LCHC Day at the Capitol

Advocacy in Action 

An important centerpiece of this year’s Health Justice Fellows Programming includes hands-on practice of their advocacy skills, with our LCHC Day-at-the-Capitol. 

Day-at-the-Capitol invites fellows to join LCHC Staff, Promotores, and Z-VYBE youth for a day filled with advocacy activities, including legislative visits, Decision-making, policy advocate-led speaking engagements, and bill hearings. All with the premise of advocating for policies that will advance the health of Latines in California. This immersive experience allows fellows to get one-on-one experience lobbying while networking and making connections with legislators, policy advocates, and LCHC community as a whole.

“I’ve always been interested in areas of policy, advocacy, lobbying and the world of nonprofits. I feel like I learned so much useful knowledge specifically about my interests. This internship has shaped new interests of mine, and has made my goals more concrete.”

Alfonso Gomez, 2023 Youth Programs HJF Fellow

“I essentially had no graphic design skills coming in. It became a skill. At the beginning I was learning what content creation was. By the end of the fellowship, Rob trusted me to create on my own. I had never used software like Hootsuite or word press in the past. It is a truly essential skill, WordPress and learning how to create a website design. This is one of the most solid skills I can take with me.”

Luis Paniagua, 2023-2024 Communications Programs HJF Fellow

“I enjoyed all the different skills I acquired, Angela always threw something different and it kept me on my toes. I feel like I learned a lot. I learned to work on different platforms. The workshop she supported me to create on the topic of First-Gen Med School Workshop helped, and I learned a lot. I also gathered stronger public speaking skills throughout my experiences in this fellowship.”

Veronica Herrero, 2022-2023 Youth Programs HJF Fellow