RATIONALE

Family physicians are in a unique position to research the impact of disease at different life stages, to study how social relations and values shape health and disease, and to develop interventions to improve the health of individuals and populations. Yet the "law of inverse opportunity" holds--there is a dearth of well-trained family physician researchers.

Our faculty development program is designed to train primary care researchers to make significant contributions to our nation's health and succeed in an increasingly complex, competitive, and demanding health system. We provide fellows with the rigorous research training and multifaceted career mentoring they will need to compete for limited research funds and meet the demanding requirements of the rank and tenure system at research-oriented Universities. We expect our graduates to be role models for students making specialty choices and for residents who are considering careers in primary care research.

Fellows will be involved in the design, proposal, and implementation of projects of every size. Fellows will have access to mentors, data sets, projects, and programs throughout the University. With this environment and the Department of Family Medicine and Community Health's commitment to providing high quality health care to medically underserved populations, we expect that many fellows will become leaders in primary care research.

KEY COMPONENTS OF FELLOWSHIP

  • Specific courses and other requirements of selected University of Pennsylvania Master's degree programs. Fellows will choose among four different, research-oriented, Master's programs offered throughout the University: Clinical Epidemiology, Bioethics, History and Sociology of Science and Master's in Business Administration (Wharton). All fellows will do a comprehensive research program and learn research skills pertinent to their selected Master's degree. Each Master's program requires a research mentor and fellows will complete a research project as part of the degree. All fellows must meet all entrance requirements for the Master's programs of the University of Pennsylvania. It is also possible for fellows to pursue other types of postgraduate training at Penn.
  • Mentored research experience: In addition to the mentoring received in the Master's program, the program director, research director and other faculty will provide additional mentorship to help each fellow bridge the gap between the knowledge and skills acquired in the Master's programs and the development of a research career in primary care.
  • Research seminar series: Fellows and core faculty meet biweekly to advance the fellows' research training through interactive, project-based meetings that focus on the fellows' research.
  • Leadership seminar series: Twice a month, fellows will participate in leadership seminars to learn the foundations of leadership, including organizational management and change, health system administrative structure, academic promotion, critical and non-traditional thinking, personnel management, budgets and strategic planning.
  • Cultural Competence and Health Disparities curriculum: Fellows will participate in a curriculum to learn about key aspects of cultural competence, gain knowledge of the health disparities and factors influencing health in our urban community and to understand the methodological issues of and techniques for conducting research that addresses cultural competence or health disparities.
  • Part-time clinical practice to maintain and expand clinical skills.
  • Optional third year.

 

CORE FACULTY

Marjorie Bowman, M.D., MPA, Program Director, Professor and Chair of Family Medicine and Community Health.

Joseph Straton, M.D. MSCE, Associate Director, Assistant Professor of Family Medicine and Community Health, Anesthesiology.

Frances Barg, PhD, Mentor, Qualitative Methodology and Cultural Competence, Assistant Professor of Family Medicine and Community Health, Anthropology.

Peter Cronholm, M.D., MSCE, Director, Cultural Competence and Health Disparities, Assistant Professor of Family Medicine and Community Health

Chanita Hughes Halbert, PhD, Mentor, Health Disparities and Cultural Competence, Assistant Professor of Psychiatry, Director of Community and Minority Cancer Control Initiative at the Abramson Cancer Center.

Russell Localio, PhD, Mentor, Biostatistics and Research Methodology, Assistant Professor of Biostatistics.

Joshua Metlay, M.D., PhD, Mentor, Epidemiology and Research Methodology, Assistant Professor of Medicine, Biostatistics and Epidemiology.

 

RESEARCH PROGRAMS OF CORE FACULTY

    • Access to Care
    • Cancer Control and Outcomes
    • Clinical Decision Making
    • Complementary and Alternative Medicine
    • Disparities in Cancer Care
    • Epidemiology of Antibiotic Resistance
    • Geriatrics
    • Improving Birth Outcomes
    • Intimate Partner Violence
    • Medical Education
    • Mental Health in Primary Care
    • Palliative Medicine and End of Life Care
    • Patient Safety and Medical Adverse Events
    • Women's Health and Reproductive Health

TRAINING BENEFITS

    • Tuition and fees for Master's programs
    • Competitive salary
    • Office
    • Travel funds
    • Secretarial/Research support
    • Computer and internet access

AFFILIATED RESEARCH CENTERS

    • Abramson Cancer Center
    • Center for Bioethics
    • Center for Clinical Epidemiology and Biostatistics
    • Center of Excellence in Minority Health
    • Center of Excellence in Women's Health
    • Center for Mental Health Policy and Services Research
    • Institute of Aging
    • Leonard Davis Institute of Health Economics
    • Office of Health Services Research
    • Robert Wood Johnson Health and Society Scholars Program

ELIGIBILITY

The program is open to family physicians who have completed an accredited program in family practice or other family physicians who wish to enhance their ability to pursue a research-oriented academic career. An applicant must be a citizen of the United States, a non-citizen national, or a foreign national holding a visa permitting permanent residence in the United States. Potential fellows must also have a valid and unrestricted license to practice medicine in the State of Pennsylvania. All fellows must meet all the entrance requirements for the Masters programs of the University of Pennsylvania.

Please note: Applicants must apply and be accepted to both the fellowship and a Master's degree program.


CURRENT FELLOWS

Dr. Laura McCray received her BS degree in Biology/Psychology from Middlebury College in Vermont and her MD from Jefferson Medical College. She completed her residency training in Family Medicine at Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia. Dr. McCray's research focus is on diagnosis of depression in a primary care setting and treatment through cognitive behavioral therapy.


FELLOWS' ACCOMPLISHMENTS

Information coming


HOW TO APPLY:

Contact:

 

Please note that applicants must independently apply to Masters program.