During the second and third year of fellowship fellows have an opportunity to pursue supervised research for an average of 12 months in total. During these months the fellows are not on core clinical rotations. The Program Director (PD), the associate PD for research and Division Chief usually begin discussions of research focus with fellows during their first year by hosting a “research open-house” to showcase all the divisional faculty and their ongoing/anticipated research projects. In addition, fellows are encouraged to initiate research questions on their own and to find an appropriate mentor to assist them in developing the project (sometimes even outside the division). After exploring what a fellow’s interests are, the faculty comprising the research advisory council (RAC) recommend specific mentors and projects. The fellow then meets with several possible research mentors and chooses accordingly.
Select fellows are offered a fourth year of fellowship (non-ACGME). This fellowship year has protected research time with a focus on developing skills needed to become a successfully funded independent researcher.
RAC also meets with all research fellows to monitor progress of their research projects and milestones. Additional opportunities through Masters in Clinical Research, Masters in Public Health, Quality Improvement & training grants are available.