First IHPI Clinician Scholars named; VA joins national effort

Director Rodney Hayward describes the new IHPI Clinician Scholars Program

The National Clinician Scholars Program (NCSP), a collaboration formed by UCLA, Yale University, the University of Michigan, and the University of Pennsylvania, is pleased to announce an educational partnership with the US Department of Veterans Affairs.

The NCSP educates doctorally prepared nurses and physicians to serve as leaders, researchers, and change agents in health care, community health, and public policy. At U-M, the program is called the National Clinician Scholars Program at IHPI.

The collaboration between the NCSP and the Department of Veterans Affairs builds upon a strong foundation: In 1978 the VA Office of Academic Affiliations (OAA) in conjunction with the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, established the VA Advanced Fellowships Program for RWJF Clinical Scholars at selected VA medical centers.  The partnership between the VA and the NCSP will allow the next generation of leaders and change agents to understand and improve the health of veterans, and of the nation.

The first cohort of scholars have been selected and begin the program on July 1, 2016.

The application cycle for Cohort 2017-19 opens in January 2016 and applications will be accepted via www.ncspapp.org.  Additionally, the program will distribute a call for applications for new sites to join the consortium in April 2016.  Applicants for Cohort 2017-19 and representatives from prospective sites may leave their email address on our secure website to receive program notifications.

"IHPI is proud to serve as the home for the Clinician Scholars Program at the University of Michigan," notes Institute director John Z. Ayanian, MD, MPP.  "With over 450 faculty members devoted to health services research and our longstanding partnership with the Ann Arbor VA Center for Clinical Management Research, we provide a very productive and collaborative research community in which Clinician Scholars can thrive."

The program fills the gap left after the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) ended several human capital programs including the Clinical Scholars Program for physicians and Nurse Faculty and Executive Programs, among others. The NCSP, however, expands on these RWJF programs by integrating innovative training of nurse and physician scientists to address new and emerging issues related to health care delivery and improving the health of communities.  

Kathleen Potempa, Ph.D., dean of the U-M School of Nursing and one of two directors of the IHPI Clinician Scholars Program, says, “We are pleased to welcome the new cohort of Clinician Scholars, bringing well-prepared doctoral nurse scientists and medical doctors together at last. Health services research training at University of Michigan will advance with their shared expertise in areas from emergency medicine to women’s health, and from clinical care guidelines to population health." The program's other director, Rodney Hayward, M.D., says, "Our goal is to train clinician leaders, to provide them with the skills and expertise they need to help improve the nation's health. Some will direct their life's work to improving how we deliver, organize and finance healthcare, but others will focus on cultural and environmental factors that impact health."  Hayward is a professor of general internal medicine at the U-M Medical School and member of the VA Center for Clinical Management Research, is the program's other director at U-M. He also directed the Robert Wood Johnson Clinical Scholars Program at U-M. 

The National Clinician Scholars Program partners with organizations sponsoring a number of individual scholar positions.  Consistent with the recommendations from the Institute of Medicine “Future of Nursing” report, this new program offers an interprofessional training opportunity for nurses and physicians to prepare them to serve as full partners in health system transformation via health care redesign, improvement, and research. Fundamental elements from the RWJF program such as high-quality mentoring, a tailored curriculum, clinical work, a community-engagement focus, and annual meetings are retained in the new program.

At the heart of the program, partners at each institution work directly with each Scholar to identify and develop projects to solve current real world problems and to cultivate the Scholar’s unique research and leadership skills.  Integration of physician and nurse researchers in training to advance the field of healthcare from different perspectives will shape the future of health and healthcare in ways that we have not seen before.