Program Co-Directors: Steve Asch, MD, MPH; Ruth Cronkite, PhD; Douglas Owens, MD, MS

The Fellowship Program in Health Services Research and Development seeks to train physicians and postdoctoral scholars who will become leaders in health services research and primary care research and education. The program of study during the fellowship is flexible and accommodates a variety of career goals. The primary focus of the program is to provide research skills needed for a career in academic medicine. The main areas of research are clinical decision making, decision analysis, cost-effectiveness analysis, outcomes research, guideline development, quality of life assessment, and secondary database analysis. Postdocs who complete the fellowship will also be skilled in clinical care and teaching.

Background

The Fellowship Program in Health Services Research and Development is offered by the VA Palo Alto Health Care System in conjunction with the Center for Primary Care and Outcomes Research (PCOR), a research center within the Department of Medicine at the Stanford University School of Medicine. This combined sponsorship facilitates involvement in several innovative programs at the VA and PCOR.

The VA Palo Alto Health Care System has one of the largest VA-sponsored research programs in the country and has approximately 150,000 medicine and surgery outpatient visits per year. It is the site of the Center for Health Care Evaluation, a nationally recognized multidisciplinary center of excellence in health services research. It is also the site of the Health Economics Resource Center -- a VA-wide center for economic studies -- and a VA Cooperative Studies Coordinating Center. These resources provide outstanding opportunities for research and collaboration.

Stanford University also has a unique training environment, with a strong research program and a long history of successful training programs. Stanford is home to nationally and internationally renowned research programs in several fields including health services research, medical education, medical informatics, medical economics, decision theory, and the epidemiology of cardiovascular risk factors. We have close working relationships with preeminent faculty on the main campus in related fields, including faculty in economics, biostatistics, sociology, business, and education. The activities of trainees in the Fellowship Program will be integrated closely with our other highly successful training programs.

Eligibility

Applicants must be U.S. citizens who have completed an M.D. and accredited residency or a Ph.D. in a field relevant to health services research.  The VA is an equal opportunity employer.

Application Requirements

Professional Statement

Applicants should submit a brief statement (not to exceed one single-spaced page) of their research activities and career goals and objectives, how they can contribute to the objectives of the training program, and how the program can contribute to the applicant's professional development.

Demonstrated Productivity

Applicants should provide details on education, professional activities and relevant achievements.  In addition, applicants are asked to supply two examples of their work.

Recommendations

Three written letters describing the applicant's competence, an estimate of how the applicant's performance ranks in relation to that of their peers, and the likelihood of the applicant making a contribution to the field of Health Services Research.

Interview

After an initial screening phase, top candidates will be interviewed.

Admission Deadlines

We are occasionally able to fund one position for individuals applying within a year of the anticipated matriculation date. If you are interested in applying to the fellowship after the listed deadline dates, please contact Hilary Fisher at 650.736.0815.

Training Program

Fellows are offered an opportunity to combine didactic training in health services research with individualized, interdisciplinary research guided by a team of mentors and program faculty.

Core Content

Fellows will acquire foundational training in (1) core health services research methods, (2) implementation sciences and systems redesign, and (3) research in collaboration with operational partners.

Fellows can pursue more advanced work through concentrations:

Mentorship

Fellows will develop an individualized training plan through the guidance of a mentoring committee that will include a career mentor, faculty mentor(s) and implementation/operational partner mentor.

Interdisciplinary Health Services Research

Research opportunities are oriented towards three thematic research goals, in which Ci2i and Stanford faculty have extensive expertise and resources.

(1) Fostering high value mental health care, with emphasis in psychiatric and substance use disorders and their treatment.

(2) Fostering high value medical specialty care for chronic disease, with emphasis in heart disease, cancer, complex comorbidities, geriatric disorders and interventions.

(3) Advancing methods to assess and improve value, with focus in organization and delivery of services; diagnostic assessment, screening, and clinical decision making; health care evaluation methodology.

Program Overview

The fellowship includes coursework, clinical responsibilities, and teaching and research opportunities under supervision. Fellows also have opportunities to become involved in ongoing projects at the VA and Stanford and can attend a variety of classes at Stanford.

Research

Supervised research is the major component of the fellowship training. Fellows will design and execute one or more research projects under the supervision of program faculty; submit at least one manuscript to a peer-reviewed journal; present at a national research meeting; participate in grant writing; learn and use the latest technology in teaching; participate in and lead inter-professional teams.

Coursework

Fellows are encouraged to obtain a master of science in health services research (for information, see http://med.stanford.edu/hsr/), although the fellowship does not provide tuition. Regardless of whether they are enrolled in a degree program, fellows can attend classes at Stanford University, including courses in biostatistics, healthcare research methodology, decision analysis, medical informatics, practice management, and related fields. Fellows may also participate in seminars sponsored by the Stanford Faculty Development programs, an innovative program to improve clinical teaching and presentation skills.

Clinical Responsibilities

Clinical responsibilities include outpatient care and supervision at the VA Palo Alto Health Care System. Fellows will supervise housestaff, medical students and nurse practitioners on a regular basis. Fellows will have the opportunity to teach conferences on aspects of primary care.

Salary

Salary will reflect the appropriate PGY (post-graduate year) level. Health insurance and other benefits are available.

Address all materials and queries to:

Fellowship Coordinator: Hilary Fisher

Center for Primary Care and Outcomes Research (PCOR)
Stanford University, School of Medicine
117 Encina Commons, Room 203, Stanford, CA 94305
Phone: (650) 360-0815; Fax: (650) 723-1919
Email: hgfisher@stanford.edu

VA Contact: Ruth Cronkite, PhD

Center for Innovation to Implementation
VA Palo Alto Health Care System
Menlo Park Division (152)
795 Willow Road, Menlo Park, CA 94025
Fax: (650) 617-2736 / Email: Ruth.Cronkite@va.gov

To apply, click here.

Please be prepared to upload a CV, statement of career objectives and the names of three professional references.