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For more than three decades the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Clinical Scholars program has fostered the development of physicians who are leading the transformation of health care in this country through positions in academic medicine, public health, and other leadership roles. Through the program, future leaders will learn to conduct innovative research and work with communities, organizations, practitioners and policy makers on issues important to the health and well-being of all Americans.
The goal of the program is to integrate Scholars’ clinical expertise with training in program development and research methods to help them find solutions for the challenges posed by the U.S. healthcare system, community health and health services research. The program offers a master’s degree graduate-level study and research in a university-based postresidency training program. The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Clinical Scholars program generally involves two years of study with generous protected time for research. Interested Scholars will be considered for a third year of support.
Scholars train in one of the following four participating
institutions: the University
of California, Los Angeles; the University
of Michigan; the University
of Pennsylvania; and Yale
University. Although their programs vary
in design and emphasis, each institution has developed
a core structure that introduces Scholars to the methods
used in health care research and each offers formal
coursework, individual mentorship and guidance in project
development.
Up to 29 Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Clinical Scholars may
be selected in a given year. Twenty positions are funded
annually by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The
U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs supports
eight additional positions each year through VA Medical
Centers affiliated with the participating universities.
Additionally, the American College of Surgeons supports one position each year for a deserving surgeon.
The universities provide all participating Scholars
with stipends that are comparable to stipends for similar
research training positions at each institution.
Scholars are expected to complete graduate-level research
projects in an area of their interest. To date, Scholars
have conducted studies in diverse health-related fields,
such as problems of health care delivery and financing,
clinical decision-making, biomedical ethics, medical
history and health care policy. Two new aspects of the
program include leadership training and learning about
community-based participatory research. Each Scholar
is supervised jointly by the director of the Robert
Wood Johnson Clinical Scholars program at the participating
university and by faculty preceptors from the Scholar’s
chosen priority area. Up to 80 percent of a Scholar’s
time is protected for scholarly work and 20 percent
of a Scholar’s time should be spent on clinical
activities.
Scholars also have the special opportunity to be mentored
by one of the members of the program’s National
Advisory Committee (NAC). The NAC is composed
of national leaders from a range of disciplines. The
program assigns each Scholar a NAC mentor, who will
discuss career development and other issues, to complement
the mentors at the participating university. The NAC
mentors will meet with the Scholars in person at the
program’s annual meetings, and will be available
throughout the year as needed.
The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Clinical Scholars program is
part of RWJF’s
rich history of programs and projects in the Human Capital
portfolio that seek to build and maintain a strong and
diverse leadership and workforce in health and health
care, and to help develop specific fields. For 30 years,
the program has trained more than 1,000 physicians from
varied disciplines, many of whom have become national
leaders in health and health care. Former Scholars are
currently engaged in academic medicine, government and
medical practice. Many serve as leaders of health care
institutions and delivery systems in a variety of public
and private settings; others are contributing to the
formulation, conduct and evaluation of health-related
public policy; many continue active research careers
on important topics in health and health care.
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