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VA National Quality Scholars Fellowship Program Fact Sheet
NQSF Program | NSQF Fact Sheet
Purpose
The purpose of VA's National Quality Scholars Fellowship Program (NQSFP) is to provide
a fellowship program in healthcare quality improvement for physician scholars. In
this two-year, post-residency fellowship, physicians learn to develop and apply
new knowledge for the ongoing improvement of healthcare services for VA and the
nation. At the conclusion of training, fellows will be able to demonstrate the following:
- Knowledge and ability to design, implement, manage, and monitor quality improvement
(QI) systems;
- Competence in designing, conducting, and facilitating quality improvement (QI) research
studies that build upon validated clinical or health services research and development
studies;
- Working skills and knowledge in healthcare informatics, particularly the Veterans
Integrated Systems Technology Architecture (VISTA).
Program Overview
The program includes six NQSFP sites linked together with a hub site and the Office
of Academic Affiliations (OAA). Sites are linked electronically and by two-way interactive
videoconference for learning, information sharing, and the development of a national
quality improvement laboratory. Each site collaborates closely with its academic
affiliate. Site locations include VA facilities and their medical school affiliates
in Birmingham, AL; Cleveland, OH; Iowa City, IA; Nashville, TN; San Francisco, CA;
and White River Junction, VT.
The Center for Evaluative Clinical Sciences (CECS) at Dartmouth Medical School in
collaboration with the White River Junction VA Medical Center serves as the hub
site to coordinate curriculum, studies, and external funding opportunities. The
curriculum includes research and clinical training in quality improvement, healthcare
measurement, and systems theory. Fellows spend approximately 80 percent of
their time in quality improvement research and education and approximately 20 percent
in clinical activities. OAA administers the program.
All Fellowship participants serve as trainees on a temporary, full-time employment
basis at one of the sites for the duration of the appointment period. Each appointee receives
a per annum stipend related as closely as possible to local affiliate fellowship
stipend levels. The highest postgraduate level attained through previous Accreditation
Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) residency training plus experience
in nationally recognized Fellowships sponsored by NIMH, NIA, or similar agencies
determine the stipend levels.
Fellowship Requirements
Applicants must desire to pursue medical careers in quality improvement and
to serve as change agents to help lead VA into the 21st century.
They must have the capacity for interactive skills necessary to create changes in
institutions and the ability to appreciate and leverage the benefits of coordinated
clinical medicine, research, and administration.
Each applicant must have completed an ACGME accredited specialty and subspecialty
residency training program and be a board certified or board eligible physician
with an active, unrestricted license to practice medicine in the U.S. Residency
training licenses are restricted licenses, so VHA cannot accept them. In addition,
any international medical graduate must have an unexpired visa and an Education
Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates (ECFMG) certificate that is valid indefinitely.
Application Process
To apply, applicants must send a cover letter describing their experiences in quality
improvement and a copy of their curriculum vitae to the site(s) of their choice.
VA National Quality Scholars Fellowship Program Address List
Carlos A. Estrada, M.D., M.S.
Senior Scholar, VA National Quality Scholars Fellowship Program
Assistant Division Director, Division of General Internal Medicine, University of Alabama at Birmingham
Birmingham VA Medical Center
732 Faculty Office Tower
510 20th Street South
Birmingham, AL 35294-3407
David Aron, M.D., M.S.
Senior Scholar, VA National Quality Scholars Fellowship Program
Associate Chief of Staff for Education (14W)
Louis Stokes VAMC Cleveland (W)
10701 East Boulevard
Cleveland, OH 44106
Gary E. Rosenthal, M.D.
Senior Scholar, VA National Quality Scholars Fellowship Program
Director, Division of General Internal Medicine
University of Iowa
200 Hawkins Drive
Iowa City, IA 52242-1081
Robert S. Dittus, M.D., M.P.H.
Senior Scholar, VA National Quality Scholars Fellowship Program
Director, Division of General Internal Medicine
S-1121 MCN
Vanderbilt University Medical Center
Nashville, TN 37232-2587
Seth Landefeld, M.D.
Senior Scholar, VA National Quality Scholars Fellowship Program
Chief, Geriatrics (111G)
VA Medical Center
San Francisco, CA 94121-1598
William Weeks, M.D., M.B.A.
Hub Site Senior Scholar, VA National Quality Scholars Fellowship Program
VAM&ROC(11Q)
215 North Main Street
White River Junction, VT 05009-0001
For further information about National Quality Scholar's Fellowship Program,
contact:
Sandra L. Rood
VAM&ROC (11Q)
215 North Main Street
White River Junction, VT 05009-0001
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