CHCF Health Care Leadership Program

The application for Cohort 26 of the CHCF Health Care Leadership Program is now open! Apply via the link below.

Link to Apply

The application deadline is May 29, 2026, at 11:59 PM PST, and must include all of the following items:  

• Completed online application
• Resume
• Two recommendations

If you have any questions about the recruitment process or would like to be notified when the application opens, email us. To get periodic updates about this and other leadership development opportunities, sign up for the Healthforce Center newsletter.

The program is for clinically trained health care professionals who:

• Have at least five years of leadership experience
• Live and work in California

We are committed to advancing equity and expanding access to leadership development across California.  We value diversity across disciplines, regions, racial and ethnic backgrounds, and organizational settings – and are especially focused on increasing representation from underrepresented regions and communities in the program. We strongly encourage applications from:

• San Joaquin Valley, Inland Empire, Imperial, and Northern/Sierra counties
• Clinicians working in safety-net organizations
• Black, Latino, and Indigenous health care clinicians
• Behavioral health clinicians
  
   

The California Health Care Foundation provides substantial support for the program, helping ensure participation is accessible to health care leaders across California.  Travel is not covered by the program.  Tuition is set by organization type as outlined below:

• Safety net organizations*: $6,962 per person
• Not-for-profit organizations and state agencies: $10,603 per person
• All other organizations: $12,745 per person

Tuition waivers of up to 50% are available and prioritized for leaders serving in safety-net settings and underrepresented or historically under-resourced geographies. Flexible payment options, including installment plans, may be arranged. 

Ability to pay is not a factor in selection, and tuition should not be a barrier to applying. If you have questions or if your participation in the program is dependent on financial assistance, please contact us.

*Safety net is defined as organizations that organize and deliver a significant level of both health care and other health-related services to uninsured, Medicaid, and other vulnerable populations, as well as providers who by mandate or mission offer access to care regardless of a patient’s ability to pay and whose patient population includes a substantial share of uninsured, Medicaid, and other vulnerable patients.

The program office uses the following criteria:

1. At least 70% of the patients served <200% FPL.

and/or

2. At least 60% of the patients have Medi-Cal or are uninsured. 

Examples of safety net organizations include: Federally Qualified Health Centers, member organizations of California Association of Public Hospitals, city and county health agencies, publicly operated health plans.

The CHCF Health Care Leadership Program is grounded in Healthforce Center’s adaptive leadership model, which consists of four interlinked domains — Purpose, Process, People, and Personal. Each domain consists of a set of distinct leadership competencies. Elements of the CHCF Health Care Leadership Program include onsite learning experiences, interaction with colleagues from the field, and exposure to nationally recognized faculty experienced in business, leadership, health care, and public policy. Participants are actively engaged throughout the two-year program by means of:

• Seminars: Seminars focus on the skills and competencies needed to advance in executive leadership positions. These sessions provide interactive, experiential lessons that allow clinician leaders to explore challenges and develop strong peer networks.
• Intersession activity: Between seminars, a variety of activities reinforce skills and lessons and prepare for seminars. Assignments include readings and case studies; peer group interactions; remote conferences with faculty and advisors; and tools to track development goals and share experiences and progress. Fellows are expected to devote five to 10 hours per week between sessions to program-related activities.
• Pods: These small groups help provide support, feedback, and learning opportunities throughout the fellowship.
• Coaching: Each participant receives five hours of individual executive development coaching.
• Organizational project: Participants complete leadership projects at their home organization on a topic of their choice following program guidelines.

Curriculum threads addressed in the learning seminars that help build participant skills include: self-awareness; business acumen and entrepreneurship; working with others; environmental context and systems; communication and presence; diversity, equity, and inclusion; and policy and advocacy.