News and Insights

Application opens for Presidential Leadership Scholars Class of 2026

May 12, 2025

A one-of-a-kind opportunity to join a powerful network of leaders and learn from the presidential experiences of George W. Bush, William J. Clinton, George H.W. Bush, and Lyndon B. Johnson May 12, 2025 – The Presidential Leadership Scholars (PLS) program opened applications today for its 2026 program cycle. For ten years, PLS has brought together leaders […]

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Insights

In the news｜‘My patient did not have to die the way she did’

November 28, 2023

2023 Presidential Leadership Scholar Dr. Anahita Dua is a vascular surgeon at Massachusetts General Hospital and associate professor of surgery at Harvard Medical School. She recently published an op-ed in the New York Times discussing her work advocating for a standard for treating advanced peripheral artery disease. “Medicine needs a standard for treating advanced peripheral artery […]

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In the news｜How renewing a Bush era program for Africa will help us fend off Russia and China, boost national security

November 28, 2023

2022 Presidential Leadership Scholar Dr. David Bernstein shares in a Fox News opinion piece the impact of the President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR) on health, democracy, and human rights, urging Congress to act to protect this bipartisan program. “PEPFAR, a bipartisan initiative that began in 2003 under the George W. Bush administration, is […]

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Presidential Leadership Scholar spotlight: Scott Hadland

October 13, 2023

In this Presidential Leadership Scholar spotlight, Scott Hadland, Pediatrician and Chief of Adolescent and Young Adult Medicine at Massachusetts General Hospital, discusses his passion for addressing medical and mental health needs of youth, and the lessons he learned in the Presidential Leadership Scholars program.

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Five Presidential Leadership Scholar stories we love

October 4, 2023

Presidential Leadership Scholars alumni are making a difference in the United States and around the world by applying lessons learned through their time in the program. More than 250 PLS alumni will reconnect at the George W. Bush Presidential Center this month for the 2023 Alumni Reunion. As we count down the days until the […]

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Presidential Leadership Scholar spotlight: Neil Grunberg

September 20, 2023

Please tell us a little bit about yourself and your personal leadership project (PLP). I am a Professor of Military and Emergency Medicine and Professor of Neuroscience at the Uniformed Services University (USU) School of Medicine; Professor in the USU Graduate School of Nursing; and Director of Research and Development in the USU Leadership Education […]

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Presidential Leadership Scholar spotlight: Sheril Kirshenbaum

September 19, 2023

In this Presidential Leadership Scholar spotlight, Sheril Kirshenbaum, host of Serving up Science, and Academic Specialist at Michigan State University, discusses her passion for the intersections of science, politics, and people, and the lessons she learned in the Presidential Leadership Scholar Program.

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For Dallas Fire-Rescue Deputy Chief, emergency response time is personal

September 19, 2023

This article was previously published in White Rock Lake Weekly. Imagine calling 911 with a real emergency and being told no one was available to help. Dallas Fire-Rescue Deputy Chief Steve Lopez knows personally how important emergency response times can be. His mother “was being beaten by a lot of boyfriends” when he was young. […]

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Insights

Supporting Afghans two years after the fall of Afghanistan

August 15, 2023

By Sloane Davidson 2020 Presidential Leadership Scholar and Founder and CEO of Hello Neighbor In the two years since Afghanistan’s fall, the United States has welcomed nearly 90,000 Afghans through Operation Allies Welcome (OAW), a historic government effort unseen before in this century. We as a Nation have shown inclusive wraparound support from government, private […]

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Presidential Leadership Scholar spotlight: Anita Ravi

July 27, 2023

Please tell us a little bit about yourself and your personal leadership project (PLP). I am a family medicine physician and the CEO and co-founder of the PurpLE Health Foundation (PurpLE Health). Our nonprofit organization builds health care systems for survivors of gender-based violence (GBV)– including women and girls who have experienced human trafficking, domestic […]

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Presidential Leadership Scholar spotlight: Victor Jones

June 12, 2023

In this Presidential Leadership Scholar spotlight, Victor Jones, Education Special Counsel at the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, Inc., discusses his involvement with Louisiana Act 960, how to move the needle on mental health education and support, and impactful lessons learned during his time in PLS.

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