Hospitalist Scholars Training Program
The goal of the University of Chicago Hospitalist Scholars Training Program is to help future academic hospitalists obtain the skills and experience necessary to build successful and sustainable careers in academic hospital medicine. Trainees will develop skills in an area of academic interest such as outcomes research, including patient-centered outcomes research, quality improvement, patient safety, medical education, or global health.
Activities and Timeline
The Hospitalist Scholars Program is a two-year fellowship program with clinical and training components. Clinically, Hospitalist Scholars practice inpatient medicine, with part-time academic appointments with a reduced clinical load that typically includes 3 months of inpatient activity. Hospitalist scholars have significant protected time and resources to pursue coursework and complete their mentored project. Coursework can lead to a Master’s in Public Policy or Health Studies. For Scholars interested in medical education, there are opportunities to apply to the University of Chicago’s Medical Education Research, Innovation, Teaching Scholarship (MERITS) Program. Some scholars have also pursued a Master’s in Health Professions Education at the University of Illinois at Chicago. For Scholars interested in Global Health, there are opportunities for field experience in global health settings. Courses will usually be spread over the 2-year program beginning with an intensive Summer Program in Outcomes Research Training (SPORT) during the summer of their first year as a Hospitalist Scholar. Design and initiation of an independent project takes place early in the first year with completion during the second year. Presentation at a regional or national level is expected.
Mentorship
The close involvement of an experienced team of investigators with the fellows is perhaps the most valuable element of training. A primary mentor will support the scholar in developing an interdisciplinary mentorship team to help the trainee develop overall goals for the academic project, select coursework consistent with those goals, and perform an original project. Mentorship in developing a successful career in academic hospital medicine is a core component of this program.
Interdisciplinary Workshops
A unique feature of graduate training at the University of Chicago is the major emphasis placed on workshop participation by scholars. Our workshop system is a valuable means of learning skills of critical analysis and research design as well as creating opportunities to interact closely with faculty from both within and outside the University. Workshops consist of weekly and monthly seminars of various foci in which faculty, students, and visiting scholars present their ongoing research for critical review by their colleagues. The degree of senior faculty involvement and participation in these workshops is unique and provides scholars with an unparalleled opportunity to engage with leading faculty in related fields.
National Recognition
Hospitalist Scholars have earned recognition through national awards from the American Heart Association and the Alliance for Academic Internal Medicine. Publications from scholars have appeared in numerous journals, including JAMA, The Annals of Internal Medicine, Archives of Internal Medicine, American Journal of Medicine, Journal of General Internal Medicine, Journal of Hospital Medicine and Academic Medicine. Hospitalist Scholars have also successfully received career development funding from the NIH, American Cancer Society, and American Heart Association and project support from the ACP Foundation, American Lung Association, and AHRQ.
Faculty Interests
Vineet Arora, MD, MAPP – Associate Professor of Medicine & Assistant Dean for Scholarship and Discovery, Pritzker School of Medicine
INTERESTS: Communication during patient handoffs, medical professionalism, and measuring and improving quality and safety of care for hospitalized older patients.
Brian Callender, MD, MA – Assistant Professor of Medicine
INTERESTS: Global health, medical humanities, and medical education.
Anton Chivu, MD – Assistant Professor of Medicine, Director of Clinical Operations, Section of Hospital Medicine
INTERESTS: improving the efficiency of our clinical operations and running quality improvement projects.
Dana Edelson, MD, MS – Assistant Professor of Medicine, and Director of Clinical Research, Emergency Resuscitation Center
INTERESTS: assessing effectiveness of CPR during in-hospital cardiac arrests, prediction models for inpatient decompensation, and improving inhospital resuscitation.
Jeanne Farnan, MD – Associate Professor of Medicine
INTERESTS: assessing inpatient residency supervision and its effects on clinical outcomes.
Robert Gibbons, PhD – Professor of Medicine and Health Studies
INTERESTS: Biostatistics, psychometrics, & environmental statistics.
David Meltzer, MD, PhD – Professor of Medicine and Chief of the Section of Hospital Medicine
INTERESTS: assessing effectiveness of CPR during in-hospital cardiac arrests, prediction models for inpatient decompensation, and improving inhospital resuscitation.
Shalini Reddy, MD – Professor of Medicine and Associate Program Director, Mercy Hospital and Medical Center; Director of faculty affairs for the Sections of Hospital Medicine and Geriatrics at the University of Chicago
INTERESTS: Medical education across the training continuum
Greg Ruhnke, MD, MPH – Assistant Professor of Medicine. Physician-induced demand; Outcomes research
INTERESTS: Physician-induced demand; Outcomes research.
Tuition Support
Hospitalist Scholars who decide to pursue a Master’s Degree at the University of Chicago must apply for full financial aid from the Masters programs by the applications deadlines. Students who apply for full aid and are accepted are eligible to receive half support for tuition for up to 9 courses during the two year involvement in the Hospitalist Scholars Program. Click here for Information on the MA in Public Policy. Information on the Master’s Program for Clinical Professionals offered through the Department of Health Studies is found here.
Funding Sources
Some hospitalist scholars will be supported using funds from federal training grants that may require that recipients be U.S. citizens, permanent residents, or non-citizen nationals, and may require payback if the individual does not engage in research-related activities after completing the program. Click here for more details. These training grants may also place limits on the extent of clinical work that can be done to supplement income during the fellowship. Successful applicants will be notified in writing as to the method of support at the time of acceptance.
Postdoctoral Fellow Status & Benefits
Hospitalist scholars who are supported from federal training grants hold the title of a postdoctoral fellow. Click here for more details. Postdoctoral fellows are not University employees. Therefore, do not receive benefits available to some University employees. In particular, they are ineligible for University of Chicago retirement plans or educational benefits, including University of Chicago Laboratory School or college tuition discounts.
The health insurance benefits for postdoctoral fellows is managed by Garnett-Powers & Associates. Contact Steven L. Birt, Jr for benefit plan options.
Vacation, sick and parental leave for postdoctoral fellows supported from training grants are covered by the applicable training grant rules. Kirschstein-NRSA fellows have provision for 8 weeks paid parental leave with approval from the Program Director. Either parent is eligible for parental leave. Hospitalist Scholars on paid (or unpaid) maternity leave have a proportional reduction in clinical expectations.
Taxes are not withheld from the stipend paychecks paid to fellows. Fellows are expected to make quarterly installments. Additionally, fellows are not issued a W-2 at year end.
Postdoctoral fellows are not to perform additional services and cannot be paid extra service payments for additional clinical work without prior approval from the Deans and Provost Offices.
Eligibility and Application
Candidates for the Hospitalist Scholars Program may apply up to 2 years prior to planned enrollment (i.e. July ‘16 for July ‘18 start). Applicants must be board-eligible or certified in internal medicine at the start of their fellowship. Applications must include a CV, 3 letters of recommendation, and a letter of interest. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis.
Inquiries and requests for application materials should be directed to:
Margarita Shapiro
Section of Hospital Medicine
mshapiro2@medicine.bsd.uchicago.edu
773-702-5212