The fellowship experience is substantially enriched by program seminars and other activities organized by the Fund during the year.

• September 2009: Orientation for New Fellows. Held at The Commonwealth Fund in New York City, the four-day orientation features an in-depth seminar on the U.S. health care system and current health policy issues, as well as site visits to exemplar health care provider organizations. See the attached Orientation agenda from September 2006.
• September 2009: Qualitative Research Methodology Workshop. A two-day workshop on effectively conducting qualitative research, which covers topics such as designing a qualitative study, developing a qualitative instrument, addressing bias and sampling issues, and verifying conclusions.
• November 2009: International Symposium on Health Care Policy. The Commonwealth Fund's Annual International Symposium, held in Washington, D.C., brings together Health Ministers and leading health policy-thinkers from Australia, Canada, Germany, the Netherlands, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, and the United States. The meeting is a unique, invitation-only policy forum that fosters high level cross-national exchange and showcases international innovations.
• February 2010: Washington Policy Briefing. A three-day briefing held on Capitol Hill with key stakeholders—including members of Congress and senior government officials, think tank researchers, political strategists for the Republican and Democratic parties, lobbyists, and prominent journalists—to highlight the U.S. political process and current issues on the health and social policy agenda. See the attached Washington Policy Briefing agenda from 2006.
• February 2010: Leadership and Influence Workshop. Fellows participate in a dynamic workshop that will examine the core concepts of leadership. The workshop provides an opportunity to learn from the real world experience of invited guest speakers who are U.S. health care leaders drawn from government, politics, health care organizations, and academia.
• May 2010: Canadian Policy Briefing. Fellows travel to Canada for a four-day briefing on the Canadian health care system with Federal and provincial health policy officials, and innovative leaders from the provider, research, and regulatory communities, to gain a valuable frame of reference for cross-national comparisons. See the attached Canadian Policy Briefing agenda from 2006.
• June 2010: Final Reporting Seminar and AcademyHealth Annual Research Meeting. Fellows present project findings to the Fund and leading health policy experts. The seminar is held in conjunction with the annual AcademyHealth Research Meeting.