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VA Advanced Fellowship Program in Advanced Spinal Cord Injury Medicine
History and Purpose
VA offers the largest system of spinal cord injured patient care in the world. This
system includes a network of Spinal Cord Injury (SCI) Centers, SCI Support Clinics,
and SCI Primary Care Teams. The majority of spinal cord impaired veterans in the
United States (U.S.) seek care from the VA system. Because of a continuing shortage
of physicians with expertise in Spinal Cord Injury Medicine (SCIM), the Office of
Academic Affiliations (OAA) has collaborated extensively with the Spinal Cord Injury
and Disorders Strategic Healthcare Group to support excellent SCIM training for
the past two decades. In 1980, OAA established VA's Spinal Cord Medicine Fellowship
Program for qualified physicians at five affiliated VA facilities. Over the years,
this increased to nine post-residency fellowship sites.
In 1996, the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) recognized
SCIM as a subspecialty. Since 1996, ACGME has accredited 13 SCIM residency training
programs in medical schools affiliated with VA medical centers. As a result of ACGME
recognition, OAA expanded and changed its SCIM physician training in two ways. First,
in Academic Year (AY) 2001, OAA offered SCIM subspecialty residency training positions
to competitively selected facilities. Simultaneously, OAA phased out its existing
SCIM Fellowship Program and started a two-year, post-residency VA Advanced Fellowship
Program in Advanced SCIM. The purpose of the new fellowship program was to develop
leaders with vision, knowledge, and commitment to SCIM care, research, and education
in the 21st century.
To accomplish this, OAA established the new fellowship at eight competitively
selected sites. These sites had to have an SCI Center and an affiliation with a
medical school having an ACGME-accredited SCIM residency education program. Facilities
that had applied for ACGME accreditation and were waiting for results could apply.
OAA established these criteria because VA sites affiliated with ACGME-accredited
SCIM residency training programs were more likely to offer a critical mass of highly
skilled SCIM health care professionals for advanced training in SCIM programs. These
sites were also likely to function most effectively in recruiting post-residency
Fellows for advanced fellowship training. Such sites were more apt to provide unique
opportunities for advanced fellowship training in areas of vital importance to VA,
enhance SCIM goals, and provide opportunities to leverage SCIM expertise.
The program utilizes the "hub and spokes" administrative design concept whereby
Boston is the hub site and is responsible for developing a national curriculum,
strategies for recruitment of fellows, an evaluation plan, and local infrastructure.
Boston is also one of the eight "spokes" in that it is a training site as are seven
other VA Medical Centers. AY 2001 served as a planning year for competitively selected
sites to develop all program aspects. Fellows began in AY 2002.
Program Overview
The VA Advanced Fellowship Program in Advanced SCIM provides two years of post-residency
research, education, and clinical learning opportunities to eligible physicians.
Fellows spend approximately 75 percent of their time in research and education and
25 percent in clinical care at selected VA sites. Mentors of national stature provide
guidance to fellows in rich learning environments. Graduates are expected to be
role models in leading, developing, conducting, and evaluating innovative research,
education, and clinical care in Spinal Cord Injury Medicine.
Fellowship Requirements
Training: Qualified candidates will have completed an Accreditation
Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) approved subspecialty training in
SCIM. Candidates who have completed ACGME accredited residency training in another
relevant core specialty (e.g., anesthesiology, emergency medicine, family practice,
internal medicine, neurological surgery, neurology, orthopedic surgery, pediatrics,
physical medicine and rehabilitation, plastic surgery, surgery, or urology) may
also be considered if they demonstrate special interest in SCI.
SCI Experience and Interest: Candidates must demonstrate interest
and/or have post-residency experience in SCI.
Licensure: Candidates must have an active, unrestricted license
to practice medicine in the United States.
Visa: Non-US citizens must have a current, unexpired visa.
Curriculum
- Research methodology
- Statistics
- Epidemiology
- Database use and information management
- Quality improvement methods and practice
- Orientation to VA Health Care System
- Developing, financing and leading SCIM Health Care Systems
- Legal and ethical issues
- Advanced clinical training in SCIM
- Use of technologically advanced therapies and treatments
Some sites offer opportunities for Graduate level studies during the fellowship.
Stipend
Based on number of years of ACGME-accredited residency training and on salary rates
indexed to the affiliated medical school.
Additional support for the educational activities of Advanced SCIM Fellows has been
made available through contributions from the United Spinal Association.
Application
To inquire about the fellowship application process and to learn more about the
program, interested physicians should write to the site of their choice and send
a cover letter and curriculum vitae to that site. Please click on "Addresses" for
the site locations and addresses.
VA Advanced Fellowship Sites in Advanced Spinal Cord Injury Medicine
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Administrative Hub Site
Boston/West Roxbury, MA
Sunil Sabharwal, MD, Program Director
VA Boston Healthcare System
West Roxbury Campus (128)
1400 VFW Parkway
West Roxbury, MA 02132
Sunil.Sabharwal@va.gov
857-203-6574 or 857-203-5128
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Fellowship Sites
Boston/West Roxbury, MA
Sunil Sabharwal, MD, Program Director
VA Boston Healthcare System
West Roxbury Campus (128)
1400 VFW Parkway
West Roxbury, MA 02132
Sunil.Sabharwal@va.gov
857-203-6574 or 857-203-5128
Cleveland, OH
Stephen Selkirk, MD, PhD., Program Director
Louis Stokes Cleveland VA Medical Center (128)
10701 East Boulevard
Cleveland, OH 44106
Stephen.selkirk@va.gov
216-791-3800 X6076
Dallas, TX
Lance L. Goetz, MD, Program Director
VA North Texas Health Care System
Dallas VA Medical Center
Spinal Cord Injury Center (128)
4500 S. Lancaster Road
Dallas, TX 75216
Lance.Goetz@va.gov
214-857-1757
Hines, IL
Yvonne Lucero, MD, Program Director
Edward Hines, Jr. VA Hospital (128)
PO Box 5000-5128
Hines, IL 60141
Yvonne.Lucero@va.gov
708-202-2241
Miami, FL
Alberto Martinez-Arizala, MD, Program Director
VA Medical Center (128)
1201 NW 16th Street
Miami, FL 33125
Alberto.martinez-arizala@va.gov
305–324–4455 x3587
Milwaukee, WI
Kevin White, MD, Program Director
Clement J. Zablocki VA Medical Center (128)
5000 West National Avenue
Milwaukee, WI 53295
Kevin.white2@va.gov
414–384–2000 ext 42246
Palo Alto, CA
Vandana Punj, MD, Program Director
VA Palo Alto Health Care System
3801 Miranda Avenue (128)
Palo Alto, CA 94304
Vandana.punj@va.gov
650-493-5000 x63028
Pittsburgh, PA
Michael L Boninger, MD, Program Director
VA Pittsburgh Healthcare System
7180 Highland Drive
Bldg-4 Rm 243e 151R-1
Pittsburgh, PA 15206
boninger@pitt.edu
412-365-4850
Richmond, VA
David Gater, MD, Program Director
Hunter Holmes McGuire VA Medical Center (128)
1201 Broad Rock Boulevard.
Richmond, VA 23249
David.gater@va.gov
804-675-5455
Seattle, WA
Stephen P. Burns, MD, Program Director
VA Puget Sound Health Care System (128)
1660 South Columbian Way
Seattle, WA 98108-1597
Stephen.Burns@va.gov
206-764-2332
Tampa, FL
Steven G. Scott, DO, Program Director
James A. Haley Veterans Hospital
13000 Bruce B. Downs Blvd
Tampa, FL 66612
Steven.scott@va.gov
813-972-2000 x7506
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