From the Treatment Room to the Policy Table, Building the Future of Health Policy One Fellow at a Time

One of the things we are most proud of from 2025 is our commitment to growing the next generation of health policy leaders. At Indigo Hill Strategies, we believe that building a stronger, more equitable policy ecosystem requires intentional investment in people. That means creating space for emerging professionals to learn, contribute, and bring new perspectives to the table. It is not optional work. It is an obligation.

From June through December 2025, we had the privilege of working with Dr. William Knight PT, DPT, SPH, CSCS. A practicing physical therapist pursuing his Masters of Public Health at The George Washington University's Milken Institute of Public Health, Will joined us with deep clinical experience and a clear desire to understand how policy decisions shape the care patients receive long before they ever enter a clinic.

We are grateful to Dr. William Knight for sharing reflections on his time with Indigo Hill Strategies and his experience as a Health Policy Fellow.

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Dr. William Knight, PT, DPT, SPH, CSCS

At Indigo Hill Strategies, the work starts from a simple premise. Public policy is one of the most powerful tools we have to improve the lives of people and communities that are often overlooked. The firm partners with organizations that serve those communities and helps them turn their goals into concrete policy strategies.

I joined Indigo Hill Strategies as a full-time physical therapist who was also pursuing an MPH. My days in the clinic are spent helping people manage pain, recover function, and navigate complicated health systems. The fellowship invited me into a different part of that same story, where legislative language, regulatory decisions, and advocacy campaigns quietly shape what care is available in the first place.

Over the past months, I have been able to see how a firm like Indigo Hill Strategies connects those dots. I watched how they help clients make sense of shifting federal and state landscapes, sharpen their message, and show up in the right rooms on behalf of the people they serve.

What follows are a few reflections on what I worked on, what I learned, and how this experience has reshaped the way I see my role as both a clinician and an emerging policy professional.

Why I pursued a health policy fellowship

I pursued this fellowship because of what I see every day in the clinic. As a physical therapist, I work with people living with acute injuries, chronic pain, and long-term health conditions. Their progress is influenced not only by the quality of care they receive, but also by policies that determine coverage, prior authorization, medication access, and the availability of nonpharmacologic options.

I wanted to understand the forces behind those decisions. Specifically, I hoped this fellowship would allow me to:

1. See how policy advocacy actually unfolds, beyond what I learn in class

2. Practice turning clinical experience and public health evidence into clear, persuasive messages

3. Contribute to work that centers patients and caregivers who are often left out of policy conversations

I was drawn to Indigo Hill Strategies because the firm sits alongside organizations that focus on aging, disability, chronic disease, and equity. It is a place where data, lived experience, and strategy are all treated as essential parts of the same conversation.

Clinicians belong in policy conversations

Before this experience, I sometimes saw policy as far removed from the clinic. Working with Indigo Hill Strategies showed me that clinical voices are not just helpful, they are essential.

My background as a physical therapist helped me:

• Ask realistic questions about how a policy would work in practice

• Notice potential unintended consequences for patients and providers

• Keep attention on function, quality of life, and long-term outcomes, not only short-term costs

Policy discussions can quickly become abstract. Bringing in clinical experience grounds those conversations in what happens when a person walks into a clinic, a hospital, or a community-based program.

In public health and advocacy, there can sometimes be a split between those who focus on numbers and those who focus on narrative. This fellowship showed me how powerful they are when used together:

• Data clarifies the scale of the problem and who is most affected

• Stories show what that reality looks and feels like for real people

The most compelling materials I helped with did both. They paired patient and caregiver stories with strong evidence and clear policy analysis so that decision makers could see both the human impact and the broader pattern.

Systems can change, but only with intent

Finally, this experience underscored that our health systems are not accidental. The way we pay for care, which services are covered, and how people with complex needs are supported all reflect choices. Those choices can be revisited.

Watching the day to day work of advocacy made structural change feel less mysterious. It is not magic. It is the result of many small, deliberate steps taken by people who are willing to stay engaged over a long period of time.

This fellowship confirmed something I felt when I first enrolled in my MPH program. There is real value in bringing clinical experience into policy spaces, especially when the focus is on aging, disability, pain, and chronic conditions. Indigo Hill Strategies made room for that perspective and encouraged me to translate it into concrete recommendations for clients and policymakers.

Looking Ahead

Looking ahead, I see my career unfolding in a way that weaves together clinical practice and policy engagement. I plan to continue working as a physical therapist, particularly with people managing musculoskeletal pain and other complex conditions, while also staying involved in advocacy that improves access to evidence-based care, advances equity, and supports people across the lifespan.

I am deeply grateful to Ryann Hill and the entire Indigo Hill Strategies team for investing in my growth as a Health Policy Fellow and for modeling what it looks like to do this work with integrity, creativity, and purpose. Their mentorship has given me a clearer picture of the kind of advocate and clinician I hope to be.

For other clinicians and students who are curious about advocacy, my invitation is simple. There is a place for you at the policy table, especially if you are willing to pair your lived and professional experience with strategy and persistence.

My time with Indigo Hill Strategies showed me that when patient stories, strong evidence, and thoughtful strategy come together, policy stops being an abstract process. It becomes a practical way to deliver meaningful change for the people we serve.

Dr. William Knight, PT, DPT, SPH, CSCS