academy fellowships in medical education Research
Request for Applications
Fellowship Period: September 1, 2012 – June 30, 2014
APPLICATIONS DUE: 5 PM Friday, June 8, 2012
The Academy at Harvard Medical School is pleased to announce a Request for Applications for two-year fellowships in medical education research for the Fellowship Period September 1, 2012, to June 30, 2014. The Academy Fellowship in Medical Education Research provides educators with opportunities to develop the expertise and skills needed to advance academic careers in medical education and medical education research. Clinical fellows or surgery residents who are beginning the research portion of their fellowship/residency are eligible for this fellowship.
Learners participating in the Fellowship will:
· Develop analytical and research skills in medical education;
· Acquire working knowledge of key theories and methods to carry out rigorous research in medical education;
· Complete one major group project and one individual project related to medical education.
Fellowship Overview
The Associate Director for the Academy Office of Research, Amy Sullivan, EdD, and Associate Director for the Center for Teaching and Learning, Antoinette Peters, PhD, will conduct fellowship seminars twice monthly at HMS. These seminars are required sessions during which the group discusses a variety of medical education research topics and assigned readings. These sessions address a range of topics including issues in survey development, qualitative and quantitative data collection and analysis, conducting interviews and focus groups, assessing clinical competencies, and evaluating educational interventions. Fellows will review a range of cognitive and behavioral learning theories to apply to their research projects. Fellows will also participate in selected research projects being conducted at the Academy, and will apply what they are learning to the analysis of focus group data and survey data; when appropriate, fellows will collaborate on the development of manuscripts for publication.
Fellowship curriculum will cover the following areas:
Year 1 (September 2012-May 2013)
Part I: Fundamentals of research design
· Overview of research designs (randomized controlled trials, observational, longitudinal [including intervention designs], and quasi-experimental designs)
· Sampling designs
· Formulating research questions
· Conducting literature searches and writing reviews of literature
· Theoretical frameworks to guide medical education research
· Ethics and equity in medical education research
Part II: Quantitative measures
· Designing and testing survey measures
· Assessing knowledge and attitudes (subjective measures)
· Assessing competencies and behaviors (objective measures)
· Approaches to maximize measurement validity and reliability
Summer 2013
· Fellows work on research projects
Year 2 (September 2013-May 2014)
Part III: Quantitative data analysis
· Descriptive analysis of survey data using statistical software program JMP (www.jmp.com)
· Basic statistical analyses to assess group differences and change over time
· Introduction to longitudinal analyses of change over time (survival analysis, growth modeling, hierarchical linear modeling)
Part IV: Qualitative research methods
· Focus group research: Designing, conducting, and analyzing focus group data
· Conducting and analyzing in-depth interviews
· Conducting observational (field) research
· Using software program, Atlas.ti (www.atlasti.com) for qualitative data analysis
Fellows from the Academy Research Fellowship will also participate in joint sessions with Fellows from the Academy Medical Education Fellowship, Rabkin (BIDMC) and Mount Auburn Medical Education Fellowships on 4 Fridays during the first year of the Fellowship (dates to be specified prior to the beginning of Fellowship). These sessions include such cross-cutting topics as the history of medical education and issues in medical education research and study design, the latter incorporating discussion of the Fellows’ research project evaluation prospectuses. Fellows are required to prepare a poster describing their projects for review for presentation at HMS Medical Education Day in the fall following the first and second fellowship years.
Academy Research fellows must complete a research project. Projects may focus on development and evaluation of an educational intervention, an observational project on faculty development or student/resident/fellow learning, assessment of learners, or education policy research. In addition, the group will collaborate on a systematic review of published medical education research methods and prepare a report for publication.
Expectations:
· Devote 60-80% of time to research and Fellowship activities (including the bi-weekly fellowship seminars). Applicants must have the support of their department chair or division chief to devote this time, free of other responsibilities, to the Fellowship activities.
· Meet monthly with content area mentor during the course of the Fellowship.
· Be committed to meeting twice monthly during the fellowship year with Fellowship Faculty and other fellows to discuss projects, discuss assigned chapters and articles, and share experiences. Fellowship sessions will be held at HMS in the TMEC 384 Conference Room, 260 Longwood Avenue.
· Submit an abstract of the Fellowship project for a poster presentation or technology demonstration at HMS Medical Education Day in the fall following each of the two fellowship years.
· Participate in teaching the bi-annual Academy Medical Education Research course.
Qualifications:
Candidates must possess an MD in the research years of their fellowship (or surgical residency). Candidates must be able to devote the necessary time to the fellowship activities and projects. Candidates must identify a mentor who is an expert in their content area and who is willing to meet with the fellow on a monthly basis throughout the Fellowship period.
Funding
Salary support is to be supplied by the Fellow’s department. Tuition for the Fellowship is covered by the HMS Academy.
Selection Process
An Academy Fellowship selection committee will review all applications and schedule interviews with finalists. Applications are due by Friday, June 8, 2012. Interviews will be conducted within two weeks of the deadline, and Fellowship awards will be announced by June 25, 2012.
To apply for an Academy Fellowship in Medical Education Research, please submit the following eight (8) items:
ü ONLINE APPLICATION FORM: Please complete the required online application form. The online application will activate your application. It is a required part of the application process.
http://ecommons.med.harvard.edu/pub_forms.asp?sid=HMS_3455
To be emailed from the applicant as a Word or PDF document to the Academy:
ü COVER LETTER: A cover letter that includes a personal statement outlining your career goals and what you hope to gain through an Academy Fellowship in Medical Education Research;
ü CV: A copy of your Curriculum Vitae;
ü PROJECT PROPOSAL: A description [no longer than 2 pages] of a project you would conduct during the fellowship year, including:
§ Goals of the project
§ The problem it addresses and who will benefit
§ Barriers
§ Resources required
§ How the project will be evaluated
§ Research methods you hope to learn to carry out the project
ü SALARY SOURCE STATEMENT:
This plan must be reviewed and approved by your department chair or division chief.
To be emailed from each recommender as a Word or PDF document to the Academy:
ü DEPARTMENT CHAIR RECOMMENDATION: A letter of recommendation and statement of support from your department chair and/or division chief, including a commitment to free 60-80% of your time from other responsibilities to pursue your fellowship project and related medical education research and meet with Fellowship leaders twice monthly.
ü PROJECT MENTOR LETTER OF RECOMMENDATION/ LETTER OF SUPPORT: The Project Mentor should write a letter of recommendation attesting to your commitment to and involvement in medical education. The project mentor should also indicate his/her commitment to overseeing the project and to spending adequate time mentoring the applicant.
ü ONE ADDITIONAL LETTER OF RECOMMENDATION: One additional letter of recommendation from a Harvard faculty member (preferably a fellowship director or residency training director) who can attest to your commitment to and involvement in medical education.
Deadline for all materials including recommendations: no later than 5:00 P.M. Friday, June 8, 2012
If you have questions about the Academy Fellowship in Medical Education Research, please contact The Academy at .
The Academy Office for Research in Medical Education
Harvard Medical School
Tosteson Medical Education Center 384
260 Longwood Avenue
Boston, MA 02115
Tel: (617) 432-5401
Email:
Website: http://hms.harvard.edu/content/academy-harvard-medical-school-0
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