Department of Family Medicine - UNC School of Medicine
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Career Development Fellowship
Program Overview. Since 2000, the UNC Department of Family Medicine has offered a full-time Career Development Fellowship (depending on availability of funding). The hallmark of the Career Development Fellowship program is its flexibility. Fellowships are one to three years, with an educational program and experience tailored to individual clinical and career objectives. Our goal is to create a fellowship that gives trainees exposure to a clinical area of focus, mentored experience as a teacher with a variety of different learners, exposure to management and leadership in academic family medicine, and growing experience as a young scholar in family medicine.
Setting. The University of North Carolina Department of Family Medicine is a premier department in the discipline, whose graduates have an impressive track record of leadership in clinical, teaching and research organizations. The department has a long history of successful fellowship training through a number of programs. The part-time Faculty Development Fellowship in Family Medicine has been recognized as a national leader in preparing new academic family physicians since 1979. The longstanding and successful NRSA Primary Care Research Fellowship is directed by a member of the Department of Family Medicine faculty. In addition, the department participates in the UNC Preventive Medicine Residency Program.
The institutional setting at the University of North Carolina is particularly rich for exposure to family medicine at both the institutional and statewide levels. The UNC Department of Family Medicine is significantly involved with program development, clinical standards, data systems development and human resources across the UNC Health Care System. Department faculty have working relationships with other departments in the UNC Schools of Medicine, Public Health, Nursing, as well as research centers such as the Cecil G. Sheps Center for Health Services Research. Across NC, our Department is a leader within the statewide AHEC system.
Curriculum: The guiding philosophy of the full-time Career Development Fellowship is to combine practical experience in patient care, teaching, leadership, and scholarship with exposure to the rich environment that the department, university and state provide in specific areas of clinical work, teaching and administrative activity. Planning of an individually-mentored curriculum designed to address the career goals of the fellow begins with the application process, using needs assessment and meetings with fellowship faculty. | |
Fellows spend about 40% of their time in academic development. For some fellows, their academic development may include graduate-level courses in the UNC School of Public Health, either in pursuit of an MPH or similar degree or to meet individually-determined learning objectives without a degree. For others, academic development is focused on development of excellence in a particular area such as a specific clinical focus, curriculum development or scholarship. The remaining time is spent in teaching and clinical care. Fellows typically spend one half-day/week precepting Family Practice residents and one half-day/week teaching in an interdisciplinary course for medical students. They provide clinical care in one or more UNC Health Care System-affiliated sites, including the UNC Family Medicine Center, Family Practice Inpatient Service, Maternal-Child Health Service, emergency department at a nearby rural hospital, and local health department sites. | |
Fellows receive an intensive introduction to clinical care, teaching and department resources, have regular meetings with the fellowship director and teaching mentors, and participate in educational projects and activities related to their clinical area of interest in collaboration with department faculty. | |
Fellows have faculty appointments and participate in Department of Family Medicine faculty meetings. They travel to national and regional meetings of organizations such as the Society of Teachers of Family Medicine, the Association of American Medical Colleges and meetings focused on specific clinical areas such as maternal-child health. |
Salary & Benefits. This position offers a competitive salary and benefits, including an allowance for educational expenses, funds for travel to professional meetings, and office space and computer access.