MGH Rural Health Leadership Fellowship
Call: 617-643-7289
Email: ruralmedicine@mgh.harvard.edu
Overview
Housed within the MGH Rural Medicine Program, the award-winning Rural Health Leadership Fellowship is a full-time two-year fellowship that combines clinical experience on the Rosebud Reservation in South Dakota with mentorship and support from a world-class academic institution to develop the next generation of physician leaders in rural health.
Our program is deeply grateful to our partner community, the Sicangu Lakota Oyate, also known as the Rosebud Sioux Tribe, whose values and goals have guided the development of this fellowship program since its beginning in 2016.
Mission
The Rural Health Leadership Fellowship aims to:
- Develop early-career physicians into leaders who will partner to transform health systems in rural communities.
- Provide exemplary training in clinician-led health systems transformation.
- Serve its partner communities with respect, humility, and sustainability.
- Serve as a model for meaningful partnerships for health systems transformation.
Program Structure
Key components of the fellowship include:
- A Master’s Degree in Public Health at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health*
- Clinical time in Rosebud, South Dakota at an Indian Health Service site.
- Clinical time in Boston attending on Mass General Brigham’s Home Hospital and attending on MGH’s Internal Medicine resident teaching service.
- World-class curricula in rural health equity, leadership, and advocacy.
- Funding for elective experiences including away rotations and conference attendance.
- A longitudinal, mentored capstone project tailored to fellow interests.
- Career support through extensive mentorship, leadership coaching.
- A vibrant and passionate network of academic and community-based health professionals across the nation.
*If fellows already have an MPH or equivalent degree, funding will be offered for research or other coursework.
Requirements
Fellows are required to
- Have graduated from an Internal Medicine, Family Medicine, or Medicine-Pediatrics residency.
- Hold a full Massachusetts physician’s medical license.
- Be able to practice medicine within the United States.
Curriculum
- 45-credit summer-focused Master of Public Health in Clinical Effectiveness from the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.
- 13 weeks/year clinical experience in outpatient and inpatient medicine at the Rosebud Indian Health Service in Rosebud, South Dakota.
- 4-6 weeks/year clinical experience on the cutting-edge Mass General Brigham Home Hospital program.
- 2 weeks of co-attending on the MGH Internal Medicine Residency teaching service.
- Monthly fellows’ seminars in the Rural Health Equity, Leadership and Advocacy Exchange (RELAX).
- The Wicakya Wicozani / Healings Through Honesty curriculum for healthcare workers serving the Sicangu Lakota Oyate.
- Monthly Rural Medicine Program education sessions.
- Rural Medicine Program and Partner sessions covering clinical and operational priorities.
- Protected time to develop projects tailored to the fellow’s interests.
- A mentorship team in project management, leadership development, and career strategy.
How to Apply
Applications for the two-year fellowship beginning July 1, 2027 are currently being accepted through October 31, 2026. The fellowship director may conduct a telephone interview before extending an invitation for an interview. Virtual interviews will be held in November 2026.
We manage application materials electronically. The application includes:
- A completed application form
- A CV (upload within application form)
- Three letters of recommendation, electronic or scanned, two of which are from current or past clinical supervisors*
*Please ensure letters of recommendation are sent directly from letter writers to ruralmedicine@mgh.harvard.edu.
Questions about the program or the application may be directed to the Fellowship Director Stephanie Sun at swsun@mgh.harvard.edu or Fellowship Coordinator Laura Ricci at lricci@mgh.harvard.edu. We encourage all prospective applicants to reach out to discuss how the fellowship may fit their learning goals.
- Development of a primary care-based hepatitis C treatment program
- The first Medications for Opioid Use Disorder (MOUD) program in the regional IHS
- Implementation of a Reach Out and Read program
- Development of a point-of-care ultrasound quality assurance program
- Policy and procedures on controlled substances prescribing for a local facility
- A just-in-time COVID-19 education series
- A syllabus for Indigenous Health featuring interviews of local leaders focusing on a variety of community sectors
- An ethical framework for crisis standards of care
- Improved coordination of care for people experiencing incarceration
- A qualitative study on the impact of rural health experiences on academic physicians
- Continuing education lecture series for rural health care providers
- A survey of home health services across rural America
- Exploring Medical Expenditure Panel Survey data to understand differences in expenditures based on funder
- Exploring variations in patient experience in native communities using HCAHPS data
- Together with the MGH Rural Medicine Programs, the fellowship is honored to have received the following recognition:
- Massachusetts General Hospital Pillars of Excellence Award (2024).
- National Rural Health Association, Outstanding Rural Health Program (2021).
- Disparities Solutions Center, Disparities Leadership Program Award in recognition of excellence in addressing racial and ethnic disparities in health care (2020-2021).
- Presidential proclamation declaring Aug. 24, 2019 as Boston Doctor’s Day, with honoring at the Rosebud Sioux Tribe Wacipi.
Please direct questions about the program or the application to Fellowship Director Stephanie Sun at swsun@mgh.harvard.edu or Fellowship Coordinator Laura Ricci at lricci@mgh.harvard.edu.
We encourage prospective applicants to reach out to discuss how the fellowship may fit their learning goals.
Fellowships and Faculty Contacts
Fellowship Director
Stephanie Sun, MD, MSc, MPH
Internal Medicine
Areas of focus: graduate medical education, rural community-based curriculum development, point-of-care ultrasound
Email: swsun@mgh.harvard.edu
Rural Medicine Program Director
Matthew Tobey, MD, MPH
Internal Medicine / Addiction Medicine
Areas of focus: rural primary care, addiction medicine, health care for individuals involved with the criminal legal system
Email: matthew.tobey@mgh.harvard.edu
Core Faculty
Jean Eller, MD
Family Medicine
Areas of focus: undergraduate medical education, office-based procedures
Email: jeller@mgh.harvard.edu
Yun Li, MD, MBA
Internal Medicine
Areas of focus: rural health care delivery, telemedicine
Email: yuli2@mgh.harvard.edu
Hannah Wenger
Internal Medicine
Areas of focus: health care for transgender individuals, medical ethics
Email: hwenger@mgh.harvard.edu
Greg Yungtum, MD, MPH
Internal Medicine
Areas of focus: sexually transmitted infections, food security and food sovereignty, medical anthropology
Email: gyungtum@mgh.harvard.edu