Cornell – Hunter Health Equity Research Fellowship

The mission of the Cornell – Hunter Health Equity Research Fellowship is to provide postdoctoral training for researchers in primary care, inpatient care, and health services research focused on health equity. This innovative mentored research fellowship engages physicians, Ph.D.s, and nurses who aim to become extramurally funded independent health services researchers with a research program focused on health equity. Our program is uniquely designed to deepen trainees’ understanding of health care, local and international healthcare delivery systems, epidemiology of disease, and interventions to improve health outcomes, especially health equity. We offer four focus areas: Primary Care, Health System Redesign, Community-Partnered Research, and Global Health. The two- to three-year fellowship is led by Monika M. Safford, M.D., Margaret L. McNairy, M.D., M.Sc., and Christopher B. Braun, Ph.D. The program will provide trainees with the skills to design and conduct patient-centered and health systems research focused on health equity, and to prepare for NIH K-award submissions by the end of the program.

Fellowship Details

  • Two to three-year fellowship duration depending on prior training and experience.
  • Tailored one-on-one faculty mentorship from a multidisciplinary team of faculty at Weill Cornell Medicine, Cornell University, and Hunter College.
  • Master of Science degree in Clinical Epidemiology and Health Services Research based in Weill Cornell Graduate School of Medical Sciences for trainees without prior formal training.
  • Collaboration opportunities between Weill Cornell Medicine (Cornell Center of Health Equity, Weill Cornell Center for Global Health, Sandra and Edward Meyer Cancer Center, Cornell Tech) and Hunter College.
  • Vibrant, supportive environment created by our Diversity Center of Excellence.
  • Competitive salary and benefits.
  • 2-3 positions for July 2024; women and under-represented minorities are strongly encouraged to apply.

Research and Training

Fellows will be mentored by Weill Cornell Medicine and Hunter College faculty with deep experience in health equity research and a track record of successfully funding their research programs extramurally. Each trainee will work with a clinician scientist, a Ph.D. scientist, and a junior mentor tailored to their research interests; additional advisors may be added as needed. Fellows are expected to develop their own research ideas with the help of their mentors, and are strongly encouraged to pursue both primary and secondary data analysis projects. Fellows are expected to pursue opportunities for small grants to obtain experience with grant writing in their second/third years.

Clinical Experience

Physician fellows will supplement their research training with up to 20% of their time devoted to clinical practice in inpatient or outpatient internal medicine. Training in academic skills including leadership and mentoring is also provided. Electives in clinical teaching and point-of-care ultrasound are available.

Core Curriculum

Master of Science degree in Clinical Epidemiology and Health Services Research (for clinician trainees without prior formal research training)

The program consists of didactic courses (Biostatistics I and II, Clinical Research Methods, Epidemiology, Advanced Epidemiology, Decision Analysis, Research Ethics, etc.) and a mentored thesis project (two published papers in peer-reviewed journals). Courses are offered in two intensive sessions in summer and late fall, with weekly seminars where students present their progress on their research.

Leadership and Mentoring

This program is designed to develop leadership skills in mentorship strategies, conflict resolution and negotiation and to provide personalized plans for career and personal growth that promote communication, productivity, and professional vitality.

GIM Research Seminar

This seminar series includes researchers presenting their own work, and guest speakers who are collaborators or work in areas of interest to our research faculty. Once per month, the seminar is on a health equity topic. Fellows are expected to present their work at this seminar once each year.

Monthly Evidence Based Clinical Review

Program faculty present their work to familiarize each other with their research programs and spur collaborations.

Monthly Primary Care Journal Club

Each fellow selects a journal article of their choosing and engages a faculty expert discussant with the help of GIM faculty. The fellow leads the discussion with attendees, who include researchers and clinicians.

Monthly Fellowship Meetings

Fellows and program leaders meet to discuss the program, progress, and challenges. Fellows present their work in progress to their colleagues for feedback. Fellows also practice their talks at regional and national meetings during this meeting.

Presentations at Meetings

Each fellow is expected to present their work at a national meeting annually. This includes the Department of Medicine Research Day, the Center for Health Equity’s annual Symposium, and the Primary Care Innovations Symposium.

Electives

Clinical Teaching

This one-week interactive program addresses specific teaching skills that enhance patient-centered clinical learning with an emphasis on activating learners, interviewing patients, physical diagnosis, and critiquing clinical reasoning. The curriculum is modeled after Kelly Skeff’s program at Stanford University, materials from Harvard Macy Institute for health educators, and materials from two master teachers, Jeff Wiese (Teaching in the Hospital) and Brendan Reilly (One Doctor; Inconvenient Truths about Effective Clinical Teaching). The program provides direct observation of each participant’s teaching with confidential feedback and design options for dedicated practice.

Clinical Reasoning

This three-day interactive program addresses specific teaching skills that enhance clinical diagnostic reasoning and therapeutic decision making skills. The curriculum will help physicians develop best practices for teaching reasoning during clinical and didactic encounters as well as diagnose common pitfalls in clinical reasoning and develop best practices to mitigate bias and errors.

Point-of-Care Ultrasound (POCUS)

This one-week course is designed to achieve competency in image acquisition, image interpretation, and clinical integration in the following areas: basic cardiology, lung and pleural disease, kidney and bladder, lower extremity veins, and approach to shock, dyspnea, and acute renal failure.

Faculty Researchers

Our Division of General Internal Medicine research faculty are actively working on projects in the areas of global health, health equity, healthcare fragmentation, healthcare delivery, health policy, implementation science, and community engaged research.

Read more about our individual research faculty and their projects.

GIM Research Fellows

Application

Eligible applicants have MD, DO, DNP, PsyD, PharmD, MBBS, MB ChB, or PhD with a strong commitment to pursuing independent research careers. Clinicians must have completed clinical training. Applicants with prior research experience or with a Master or PhD in addition to their clinical degree are encouraged to apply; the program can be adapted to provide them with more advanced training. U.S. citizens and Permanent Residents only. Women and minorities are strongly encouraged to apply.

Application Requirements
  • Personal statement outlining your research interest, experience, and career goals and objectives
  • Curriculum Vitae
  • Letters of recommendation
  • Online application form

Applications will not be reviewed until all application materials have been uploaded to your online application.

Application Deadline

Rolling admission; earlier applications are strongly encouraged. Interview process begins in August.

Contact Information

General Internal Medicine

Monika Safford, M.D., Chief

Blake Rambo, J.D., M.B.A., Administrator
Tel: (646) 962-5900
Fax: (646) 962-0508
GIM-Admin@med.cornell.edu

Cornell - Hunter Health Equity Research Fellowship

Fellowship Coordinator
Tel: (646) 962-5900
gimrf@med.cornell.edu
(Email preferred)

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