AHA Announces Class of 2027 Next Gen Fellows

The national fellows class of 2027 will tackle key challenges affecting healthcare affordability, quality and safety

CHICAGO (July 15, 2026) - America's hospitals and health systems are transforming to meet the changing needs of patients and communities by developing leaders with bold perspectives and specialized skills - from technology and data analytics to population health and workforce transformation. Tomorrow's leaders must have the knowledge, skills and adaptability to navigate change and create a culture of innovation, accountability and inclusion.

The American Hospital Association's (AHA) Next Generation Leaders Fellowship, focused on empowering leaders to bring about real and lasting change in health care, announced its latest class of fellows consisting of 46 individuals, including 12 Age-Friendly Fellows supported by The John A. Hartford Foundation and five fellows supported by the Richard J. Umbdenstock Scholarship to help their communities improve access to care. There are also four Fellows from state hospital associations.

"The 2027 class will help deliver medical breakthroughs and innovations to America's hospitals and health systems," said Michelle Hood, AHA's executive vice president and chief operating officer. "The fellowship provides new opportunities to discover solutions for the challenges affecting healthcare today."

Representing a wide range of backgrounds, fellows come from 26 states and Washington, D.C., across urban, suburban and rural communities. The class has made significant contributions to their respective hospitals and health systems through a wide range of roles, including quality, medicine, operations, nursing, market intelligence, business development and geriatrics.

During the 12-month fellowship program, participants will expand their knowledge on leading change, navigating the new healthcare environment, driving transformation, improving care delivery and developing operational strategies for success.

Each fellow is carefully matched with an executive level mentor for personalized guidance. Fellows will work one-on-one with their mentors to execute a capstone project specific to a challenge within their organization.

The John A. Hartford Foundation is providing scholarships for a cohort of Age-Friendly Fellows who will participate in this year's class as part of the Age-Friendly Health Systems initiative focused on improving the care of older adults.

Learn more about the 2027 class of fellows here.

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About the American Hospital Association (AHA)

The American Hospital Association (AHA) is a not-for-profit association of healthcare provider organizations and individuals that are committed to the health improvement of their communities. The AHA advocates on behalf of our nearly 5,000 member hospitals, health systems and other healthcare organizations, our clinician partners - including more than 270,000 affiliated physicians, 2 million nurses and other caregivers - and the 43,000 health care leaders who belong to our professional membership groups. Founded in 1898, the AHA provides insight and education for healthcare leaders and is a source of information on health care issues and trends. For more information, visit the AHA website at www.aha.org.