DFM Research and Academic Fellows

Please welcome the new Department of Family Medicine postdoctoral fellows! The DFM research fellowship is supported by 2 NIH T32 grants which focus on training primary care physicians to become NIH funded scientists. We have a total of 8 funded positions for 2005 and 9 for 2006. The academic fellowship is funded through the DFM Chair discretionary funds, and is currently funding two fellows.

Postdoc research fellows are expected to conduct 1-2 research studies, publish several papers, and prepare an NIH grant application during their 2-3 year fellowship. Fellows are encouraged to take courses in epidemiology, statistics and research methods. A Masters degree in public health is also an option. Fellows spend at least 80% of their time doing research, writing papers and writing grants, and the MD fellows spend 20% of their time doing clinical work. Our hope is, by the end of the fellowship, each fellow has obtained an NIH grant they can take with them to an academic faculty position.

Academic fellows spend more time in clinical practice, while enhancing their teaching, scholarly and leadership skills. The two-year program allows each fellow to develop expertise in a chosen educational topic, and to participate in a variety of educational and professional opportunities that best meet his/her professional interests and career goals.

New academic fellow, Rian Podein, MD, will be working with David Rakel, MD in a complimentary medicine academic fellowship, and Terri Kulie, MD will continue in her second year as an academic fellow working on resident portfolios as a means of tracking resident experiences and showing competencies.

New research fellows for 2005-2006 include:

• Tara LaRowe, PhD who recently completed a PhD in nutritional science, and who will work with the research team of Alexandra Adams, MD, PhD studying nutrition and childhood obesity in the population of American Indian children.
• Busham Bhamba, MD, a family physician from India and England, will complete a 1-2 year fellowship, and plans to work with Michael Fleming, MD, MPH to conduct a clinical trial studying the effect of alcohol in the secondary prevention of heart disease.
• Tanya Jagodzinski, PhD,a pediatrician interested in rural health and access to care, will start the fellowship in September.
• Aleksandra Zgierska, MD, a family physician, will start in December, 2005 and work with Dr. Fleming on his TB research in Russia.
• Deborah Wubben, PhD, a second year endocrinology fellow, will be spending the next year working with Dr. Alex Adams studying the adult participants in the "Healthy Children, Strong Families" project with the American Indian Community.

Research fellows continuing in 2005-2006 include:

• Michael Gilbert, MD, a pediatrician studying the effect of brief physician advice on reducing obesity in children.
• Nancy Pandhi, MD, a family physician studying patient perspective on continuity of care.
• Sara Sasse, MD, a pediatrician studying alcohol screening and diabetic care in children.
• James M. Davis, MD, an internist and hospitalist at Meriter who is studying meditation and its effect on addiction, using neuroimaging and MRI.

Please welcome our new and continuing fellows.