The University of California at Berkeley (UCB) and San Francisco (UCSF) campuses are renowned for the quality of their teaching and research programs.  Seven different units on the Berkeley and San Francisco campuses sponsored the Scholars Program: the UCB Departments of Economics, Political Science, and Sociology; the UCB Richard and Rhoda Goldman School of Public Policy; the UCB School of Public Health; the UCSF Institute for Health Policy Studies; and the UCSF Institute for Health and Aging. 

The Scholars Program was structured around three seminars and a dual mentor concept.  The Health and Social Science Research Seminar focused on the disciplines of economics, political science, and sociology with applications to health policy.  The American Health Care System Seminar gave the Scholars an overview of the health services industry and current issues in health policy.  The Health Policy Research Seminar allowed Scholars an opportunity to invite guest speakers from their discipline, as well as provided a forum for Scholars to present their research to program participants and faculty.  Scholars also had the opportunity to attend advanced graduate courses at UCB and UCSF.  Each Scholar conducted health policy studies in conjunction with two Mentors, one from the Scholar's home discipline and another from a professional school at UCB or UCSF, with the Mentors possessing extensive experience in health policy research.  The dual mentor concept stemmed from recognition that health policy study requires the application of social science methodology and an in-depth understanding of health care.

Over 70 UCB and UCSF faculty served as Mentors for the Scholars.  The Program organized input from health policy leaders such as chief executive officers of hospitals and insurance companies, medical society leaders, state and local government officials, and policymakers from the public and private sectors.  Scholars determined their own research agendas after consulting with their Mentors and Program Faculty.  There also were opportunities for interaction with scholars from other postdoctoral training programs, including the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Health and Society Scholars Program.  Resources available at UCB and UCSF included outstanding libraries, a statistical laboratory, and computing facilities.

Richard Scheffler, Ph.D., served as program director from 1993 to 2003. He co-directed the Program with John Ellwood, Ph.D., from 2003 to 2005, at which point Ellwood became program director and served until 2015. Ann Keller, Ph.D., directed the Program in its final year.