Sujith Ramachandran. Photo by Kevin Bain/Ole Miss Digital Imaging Services
Sujith Ramachandran to spend next year in Washington, D.C.
by Natalie Ehrhardt
The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the National Academy of Medicine have named University of Mississippi pharmacy professor Sujith Ramachandran as one of only seven RWJF Health Policy Fellows.
Ramachandran is an associate professor in the Department of Pharmacy Administration, research associate professor in the Research Institute of Pharmaceutical Sciences and assistant director of the Center for Pharmaceutical Marketing and Management. He is the only 2024-25 fellow from a pharmacy school.
The recognition took Ramachandran by surprise.
“I am so amazed at the caliber and the accomplishments of the previous fellows that it is still surreal to me that I was selected for this incredible opportunity,” he said.
The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation is a philanthropic organization committed to improving health and health equity in the United States. The National Academy of Medicine conducts and administers the fellowship, with funding support from the foundation.
The fellows program supports the foundation’s vision for building a culture of health by creating a strong and diverse leadership in health policy to advance health and health equity. The nonpartisan program is located in Washington, D.C., where Ramachandran will spend the next year, as the fellowship requires a full-time commitment.
“In an election year, the intersection of health policy, politics and public health become front page issues,” said Gregg Margolis, director of the fellows program. “But we know that health policy decisions impact the lives of every American in every year.
“Our 2024-25 cohort of fellows will impart their expertise in health and health care to the nation’s capital and provide new and needed perspectives to policy conversations occurring at the highest levels of government.”
Yi Yang, chair of the Department of Pharmacy Administration, called Ramachandran a “rising star” as a health outcomes researcher with a focus on research that has the potential of informing or changing health care policy.
“An experience participating in this fellowship provides a unique opportunity for him to broaden his perspective, deepen his understanding of health policy, and contribute to the transformative changes needed to eliminate health care disparities in Mississippi and the nation,” Yang said.
Ramachandran will actively participate in the policy process in congressional or executive branch offices of his choosing and leverage this leadership experience to promote policies, practices, and systems changes that advance health and health equity.
“Dr. Ramachandran’s selection as a fellow is a remarkable achievement, highlighting his exceptional expertise and dedication to shaping impactful pharmaceutical policies that benefit patients and communities,” said Donna Strum, dean of the Ole Miss School of Pharmacy. “As the only pharmacy faculty member to receive this honor in many years, Dr. Ramachandran brings a unique and invaluable perspective to the fellowship.”
Through the program, Ramachandran will meet with national leaders well-versed in health, health care policy, health equity, social determinants of health and structural racism; think tanks and interest groups; key executive branch officials; and members of Congress and their staffs.
