Scholarly Activities

Scholarship responsibilities for the fellow include identifying an area of interest and senior faculty member to oversee a project. Each fellow is expected to complete a scholarly project and prepare a report of that activity or a manuscript for publication within the three-year training period.

For fellows primarily interested in clinical research training, we encourage pursuit of an advanced degree. A program leading to a Masters of Public Health may be integrated into the training program. Fellow interested in Medical Director roles or QI can receive intensive training with the Quality Improvement Track.  For fellows interested in laboratory and translational research training, UNC has many wonderful opportunities for collaboration. First and foremost, our Division Chief, Misty Good, is a nationally known researcher funded with multiple NIH RO-1 grants. Individuals interested in these training options should declare this interest during the application process.

UNC NPM has many resources available to fellows to support research activities.  In addition to the research of individual faculty, UNC NPM has many fruitful collaborations with research networks, and quality improvement collaboratives.

NICHD NEONATAL RESEARCH NETWORK

UNC is a partner with Duke as a member of the NICHD Neonatal Research Network. This network conducts multi-center clinical trials and observational studies in neonatal medicine in order to reduce infant morbidity and mortality and promote healthy outcomes. Dr. Matt Laughon is the UNC Site PI.

ELGAN Cohort Study

This group of researchers has followed over one thousand children born at least 3 months early between 2002 and 2004 at 14 different hospitals in 5 states. Fellows can apply to access this rich dataset for studies. Dr. Mike O’Shea is the PI leading this cohort study.

NICHD Pediatric Trials Network

The PTN is a network of clinical research sites who study the formulation, dosing, efficacy and safety of drugs and medical devices used in pediatric patients.  UNC is an active site for the conduct of PTN studies. Dr. Matt Laughon is on the executive board of the PTN.

NICHD Global Network for Women and Children’s Health Research

The Global Network (GN) is a group of 7 research dyads that conduct clinical trials with the goal of evaluating low-cost, sustainable interventions to improve maternal and child health.  Each research dyad consists of a US site partnered with a site in a low to low-middle income country. UNC NPM has enjoyed a long and fruitful partnership with the Kinshasa School of Public Health in the Democratic Republic of Congo and together, we have been a part of the GN for more than 10 years.  The UNC GN Site is led by Drs. Carl Bose and Melissa Bauserman.

Perinatal Quality Collaborative of North Carolina (PQCNC)

The Perinatal Quality Collaborative of North Carolina works to make North Carolina the best place to give birth and be born. We work with 90 delivery hospitals across NC via their hospital perinatal quality improvement teams on quality improvement initiatives, implementing best care practices via easy to execute, low tech, minimal data intensive processes. Dr. Marty McCaffrey is the Director of PQCNC.

QI Training and QI Track

All fellows in the UNC NPM fellowship will receive formative training in quality improvement and safety methodology and implementation research. Depending on the fellow’s career goals, he/she has the opportunity to engage in more substantive quality improvement work, through scholarly activity with a QI or safety concentration. Any fellow can have a QI concentration of their scholarly work, even if they are not the designated “QI fellow.”

We reserve one of our seven fellowship positions for a fellow designated on the QI Track. This fellow will have substantial focus on QI activities. Activities in this track will train the fellow to be a leader in QI/Safety in their future career and will be ideal for academic physicians, medical directors and leaders of community programs.

Fellows receive individualized mentorship within the Division of Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine and from faculty in the UNC Institute for Healthcare Quality Improvement and will interact with Improvement Fellows, Scholars and Leaders from other disciplines. Sample activities in QI curriculum include Quality Improvement methodology, safety and leadership courses offered through the Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI), APA or Vermont Oxford Network (VON) QI courses, leadership of QI projects within the NCCC, membership on hospital committees and presentation at National Meetings.

Global Health Research

UNC NPM has supported scholarly activities in global health for more than 10 years. Two of our faculty members (Drs. Bauserman and Patterson) specialize in global health research with research foci in the Democratic Republic of Congo, Zambia, and Ethiopia. These researchers have experience in a wide variety of global health projects from epidemiology to discovery research to randomized control trials and implementation research.

Our faculty have led the UNC-Kinshasa School of Public Health (Democratic Republic of Congo) Partnership for more than 15 years. Together with KSPH, we are members of the NICHD Global Network for Women’s and Children’s Health Research. Through this network of 8 sites in low and low-middle income countries, we research interventions to improve the lives of mothers and infants. Fellows interested in global health also benefit from collaborations and educational resources in the UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health, the top public school of public health in the country. Many fellows within an interest in global health, also chose to obtain an MPH as part of their training.

Sample Publications from fellow projects in global health at UNC NPM:

Essential Care for Every Baby: improving compliance with newborn care practices in rural Nicaragua.
Perez K, Patterson J, Hinshaw J, Escobar C, Parajon D, Parajon L, Bose C.
BMC Pregnancy Childbirth. 2018 Sep 12;18(1):371. doi: 10.1186/s12884-018-2003-y.
PMID:30208870

Implementing Education to Reduce Neonatal Mortality in Low-Resource Environments.
Patterson JK, Bose CL.
Pediatrics. 2017 May;139(5). pii: e20164172. doi: 10.1542/peds.2016-4172. Epub 2017 Apr 17. No abstract available.
PMID: 28557754

A cluster-randomized trial determining the efficacy of caterpillar cereal as a locally available and sustainable complementary food to prevent stunting and anaemia.
Bauserman M, Lokangaka A, Gado J, Close K, Wallace D, Kodondi KK, Tshefu A, Bose C.
Public Health Nutr. 2015 Jul;18(10):1785-92. doi: 10.1017/S1368980014003334. Epub 2015 Jan 29.
PMID:25631295

Caterpillar cereal as a potential complementary feeding product for infants and young children: nutritional content and acceptability.
Bauserman M, Lokangaka A, Kodondi KK, Gado J, Viera AJ, Bentley ME, Engmann C, Tshefu A, Bose C.
Matern Child Nutr. 2015 Dec;11 Suppl 4:214-20. doi: 10.1111/mcn.12037.
PMID:23557509

Educational impact of a hospital-based neonatal resuscitation program in Ghana.
Bookman L, Engmann C, Srofenyoh E, Enweronu-Laryea C, Owen M, Randolph G, Price W, Barker P.
Resuscitation. 2010 Sep;81(9):1180-2. doi: 10.1016/j.resuscitation.2010.04.034. Epub 2010 Jul 4.
PMID:20599314

Obtaining an MPH

Fellows who are interested in expanding their analytic skills in epidemiology, biostatistics, health policy, implementation science or public health principles, could benefit from additional training that leads to a Master’s of Public Health degree. We are fortunate to be located within steps of the UNC Gillings School of Global Public Health. Over the past 20 years, about one-third of our fellows have successfully completed an MPH during their three-year fellowship. The division has been able to financially support fellows coursework within the SPH for fellows whose Scholarship Oversight Committee recommends such coursework as part of the fellow’s scholarly activities.

Most fellows complete the Population Care for Clinicians track (formerly Health Care and Prevention) due to its focus for practicing physicians. This coursework can be completed in 12 months and will take place in the second year of fellowship. Clinical schedules will be adjusted accordingly to accommodate coursework (see sample table below).

If you are interested in pursuing this program, please let us know during the application phase.

Below are examples of flexibility in scheduling to meet individual needs: