minority resident elective

training

Minority Resident Elective

The Division of General Pediatrics and the Child Health Evaluation and Research (CHEAR) Unit at the University of Michigan are pleased to sponsor an elective month in pediatric health services research. This elective is open to pediatrics and medicine-pediatrics residents from federally recognized under-represented minorities, in their 2nd or later years of housestaff training.

The goal of this elective is to provide sufficient exposure to health services research (HSR) concepts and research so that residents can determine if this is a field they wish to pursue. There is a paucity of under-represented minority researchers in the HSR field, and few role models nationally. As such, many minority residents are unaware of potential training and career opportunities in HSR.

The field of health services research includes the study of:

  • Organization, financing, and delivery of health care
  • Quality and outcomes
  • Cost and medical effectiveness
  • Physician and patient behavior
  • Health policy

COMPONENTS

Elective participants will:

  • Experience being part of a research team! Residents will have the opportunity to participate in one or more research projects, with specific responsibilities and attainable goals.
  • Attend the division's weekly research seminar series and fellowship research meetings, to hear about research in progress.
  • Meet with the Division Director, Fellowship Director, and Associate Director for Research regarding different components of research design and research operations.
  • Meet with the elective director to discuss key publications in HSR that illustrate the breadth and depth of the field.
  • Meet with division research faculty to learn about career paths and opportunities.
  • Learn about the potential fellowship training and career options in HSR.
  • Join small group meetings with minority faculty and the leadership of the department and medical school.
  • Attend the annual research meeting of the Pediatric Academic Societies after the elective is complete.

FUNDING

Most expenses for the elective will be paid by the University of Michigan. These include:

  • Salary and fringe benefits for the elective month, upon request from resident's home institution
  • Travel expenses to and from Ann Arbor, MI
  • Lodging expenses
  • Expenses to attend the Pediatric Academic Societies meeting

REVIEWS

What participating residents are saying about the Elective in Pediatric Health Services Research for Under-Represented Minorities at the University of Michigan...

"The best part of this elective was the opportunity to explore what exactly 'health services research' is all about and consider it as a career option... Everything about this elective was excellent!"

"The people I worked with treated me as a valuable part of the research process. I was exposed to areas of knowledge that I probably would never have been exposed to otherwise."

"The best part was the excitement of getting the answers and testing your hypotheses... The discussions of articles were quite an eye-opener about how different organizations and policies work and their impact."

THE SETTING

The multidisciplinary Child Health Evaluation and Research (CHEAR) Unit, housed in the Division of General Pediatrics, provides a mechanism and structure for the timely review and evaluation of local, state, and national children's programs. Through the CHEAR Unit, Residents will have opportunities to participate in multidisciplinary research studies relevant to current issues in child health. Linkages are in place with state agencies as well as with faculty from the Schools of Business, Law, Medicine,Public Health, Social Work, Nursing, Pharmacy, Dentistry and Public Policy.

The CHEAR Unit also contains a working laboratory of research support personnel and services. This research infrastructure includes doctoral-level data and policy analysts, masters-trained research associates, computer programmer/analysts, and research assistants. Support services available through the CHEAR Unit include data collection, statistical analysis, and manuscript editing.

The Division of General Pediatrics at the University of Michigan includes over 50 faculty members. About 40 primary care faculty are located at 9 single and multi-specialty clinical sites in the greater Ann Arbor area. This placement of faculty provides an ideal opportunity for their collaboration with clinically oriented research conducted by Fellows. Several division faculty have fellowship training and advanced degrees in public health or sociology and conduct research in many different areas.

APPLICATION

The deadline each year is March 1. Accepted applicants will be notified by March 15.

SUBMIT INQUIRIES TO:


Matthew M. Davis, MD, MAPP
Director,
Elective in Pediatric Health Services Research

University of Michigan
300 NIB, 6C23
Ann Arbor, MI 48109-5456
Tel: 734.615.3508
Fax: 734.764.2599
Email: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it