NYC Health + Hospitals Launches Application for Clinical Leadership Fellowship 2027-2028

NYC Health + Hospitals Launches Application for Clinical Leadership Fellowship 2027-2028

Fellowship provides a one-year opportunity for post-residency graduates to gain experience in healthcare administration

Seven physicians begin the fellowship on July 13

Application deadline for next year's fellowship is October 20

Jun 24, 2026

NYC Health + Hospitals today announced the opening of applications for the Clinical Leadership Fellowship, a one-year program to develop the next generation of clinical leaders in health care quality improvement, population health, and administration. The fellowship is open to post-residency physicians and combines both academic and hands-on experience, participation in leadership meetings, and a final project on quality improvement or population health. Fellows gain the skills needed to advance strategic leadership initiatives while working alongside decision-makers at the nation's largest municipal health care system. Applications for next year's fellowship are due by October 20 and will be reviewed on a rolling basis. A video featuring alumni of the program is available here.

Previous fellows have played critical roles in NYC Health + Hospitals' initiatives:

• Creating and implementing workflows to support our system during the COVID pandemic
• Expanding Virtual ExpressCare telehealth services and launching the telehealth abortion access program
• Optimizing MyChart messaging to improve communication between patients and their care teams
• Implementing a new referrals system to improve the quality of telehealth consults and increase access to specialty care
• Improving clinical services at Medical Respite to reduce ED visits and hospitalizations
• Improving access to diagnostic mammography to increase successful completion rates
• Improving the pediatric-to-adult transfer of care for patients with sickle cell disease through a community health worker pilot

"The Clinical Leadership Fellowship is designed to prepare the next generation of physician leaders to address some of health care's most pressing challenges," said Dr. Ted Long, Senior Vice President and Chief Medical Officer for Clinical Services and Population Health at NYC Health + Hospitals. "Through direct mentorship, systemwide collaboration, and hands-on experience, fellows gain important skills to improve care delivery and advance systemwide initiatives. The program empowers physicians to grow as strategic thinkers and effective leaders while making a tangible impact across our public hospital system."

"The Clinical Leadership Fellowship has become a vital foundation for advancing quality improvement leadership across NYC Health + Hospitals," said Hillary Jalon, Senior Vice President and Chief Quality Officer at NYC Health + Hospitals. "The program equips emerging physician leaders with the skills to analyze care delivery, lead multidisciplinary improvement efforts, and implement data-driven strategies that enhance patient safety, clinical outcomes, and the overall patient experience. Fellows play a critical role in fostering a culture of continuous improvement across our health system."

"The Clinical Leadership Fellowship represents a meaningful investment in the future of safety-net health care leadership," said Dr. Sewit Teckie, Senior Vice President and Chief Medical Officer of Clinical Affairs and Business Strategy at NYC Health + Hospitals. "Our fellows engage with complex operational and strategic challenges while contributing to initiatives that improve care for diverse communities. This unique opportunity fosters leadership growth, innovation, and a deeper understanding of public health care. Many CLF graduates have stayed on at NYC Health + Hospitals and are respected, impactful leaders in our system. We congratulate our current class of graduates on this achievement and look forward to their future careers!"

"The Clinical Leadership Fellowship is designed to prepare the next generation of physician leaders to tackle some of the most pressing challenges in healthcare," said Dr. Nichola Davis, Vice President and Chief Population Health Officer at NYC Health + Hospitals. "Participants are immersed in real-world initiatives that focus on advancing health equity, strengthening preventive care, and improving outcomes for underserved populations. By partnering with multidisciplinary teams and contributing to innovative care models, fellows build the leadership experience and strategic perspective needed to drive lasting impact across our health system."

Dr. Neha Sikka, class of 2026, said, "I applied to the Clinical Leadership Fellowship to learn how a safety net health system sustains itself. Through the fellowship, not only did I learn the ins and outs of the system, but I gained hard and soft skills in leadership, data, quality; was inspired by leaders in different departments; worked on programs that positively impacted our patient community; and ultimately launched myself into a rewarding career at NYC Health + Hospitals."

Dr. Stasha O'Callaghan, class of 2023 and now Assistant Vice President Clinical Affairs and Business Strategy, said, "Pursuing the Clinical Leadership Fellowship after graduation from NYU/Bellevue EM residency was the best career decision I have made. The hands on experience and ability to get involved in high level healthcare system strategy and quality improvement right out of residency training was key to helping me grow as a physician and clinical leader. I knew I felt passionately about the NYC Health + Hospitals system, but getting to work with amazing mentors like Adrienne Birnbaum and David Silvestri as a new attending really showed me that growing in this system was where I wanted to focus my career. I was able to design and implement a telehealth medication abortion program, lead a number of Emergency Department access initiatives, do my EPIC Physician Builder course, and learn the basics of Quality Improvement in a setting that was a refreshing mix of independent and structured. I have only continued to grow and progress at NYC Health + Hospitals since my fellowship year, and I credit CLF with that trajectory!"

The curriculum includes fundamentals of leadership and administration, population health approaches to improving outcomes, team facilitation and change management, fundamentals of quality improvement and the science of quality measurement, developing and implementing quality improvement initiatives, designing safe systems, and building a "just" culture.

The 2025 - 2026 class of fellows begins their fellowship on July 13. The fellowship class includes the following participants:

• Vanessa C. Mareno, DDS, MPH is a 2026-2027 NYC Health + Hospitals Clinical Leadership Fellow at NYC Health + Hospitals/Jacobi. She will also conduct her clinical practice in general dentistry at several dental outreach clinics within NYC Health + Hospitals/Jacobi.
• Yvonne Lei, MD is a 2026-2027 NYC Health + Hospitals Clinical Leadership Fellow in the Office of Clinical Services and Population Health. She will conduct her clinical practice as a primary care physician at NYC Health + Hospitals/Gouverneur.
• Alexander Levine is 2026-2027 NYC Health + Hospitals Clinical Leadership Fellow at NYC Health + Hospitals/Bellevue, where he will also practice as a hospitalist and primary care attending.
• Grace Mosley, MD PhD, is a 2025-2026 NYC Health + Hospitals Clinical Leadership Fellow in the Office of Quality & Safety. She will conduct her clinical practice as an emergency medicine physician at NYC Health + Hospitals/Harlem.
• Dipal Nagda, MD, MPH is a 2026-2027 NYC Health + Hospitals Clinical Leadership Fellow in the Office of Population Health. She will conduct her clinical practice at NYC Health + Hospitals/Elmhurst.
• Kelly Goo, MD, MPH is a 2026-2027 NYC Health + Hospitals Clinical Leadership Fellow in the Office of Clinical Services and Population Health. She will conduct her clinical practice as a primary care internal medicine physician at NYC Health + Hospitals/Gotham Health, Broadway.
• Charlotte Ruby, MD is a 2026-2027 NYC Health + Hospitals Clinical Leadership Fellow at NYC Health + Hospitals/Bellevue. She will conduct her clinical practice as a primary care pediatrician at NYC Health + Hospitals/Bellevue.

The program is open to physicians who have completed or are on track to complete a residency program accredited by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education prior to July 1, 2027. The application deadline is October 20, 2026. Applications will be reviewed and interviews conducted on a rolling basis. To apply, visit https://www.nychealthandhospitals.org/clinical-leadership-fellowship/.

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About NYC Health + HospitalsNYC Health + Hospitals is the largest municipal health care system in the nation serving more than a million New Yorkers annually in more than 70 patient care locations across the city's five boroughs. A robust network of outpatient, neighborhood-based primary and specialty care centers anchors care coordination with the system's trauma centers, nursing homes, post-acute care centers, home care agency, and MetroPlusHealth-all supported by 11 essential hospitals. Its diverse workforce of more than 46,000 employees is uniquely focused on empowering New Yorkers, without exception, to live the healthiest life possible. For more information, visit https://www.nychealthandhospitals.org.