Fellowships: Women's Health Fellowship

The Program
The two-year fellowship is a collaborative effort of the Portland Veterans Affairs Medical Center and the Oregon Health & Science University (OHSU) with the goal of providing focused clinical, research, and educational training to prepare fellows for careers in women's health. The program is flexible to allow training of interest to each fellow.

Clinical: 25% of time is devoted to training in the clinical skills necessary for the care of women. Weekly continuity clinics provide an opportunity to practice ongoing comprehensive care of women veterans. Many electives are available as well. A monthly journal club reviews pertinent women's health papers.

Research: 50-70% of time is devoted to training in research methodology and developing a research project. Fellows participate in a core curriculum in epidemiology, statistics, research design, and research methods which may be augmented with coursework at OHSU leading to a Master's Degree in Public Health. Research programs in osteoporosis, health services research, psychiatry, ethics, reproductive biology, hormonally medicated malignancies, domestic violence, and many others exist at the Medical Center.

Teaching: 10-25% of time is devoted to developing teaching skills. Opportunities to teach medical students, housestaff and patients are available for fellows.

Program History
The PVAMC, in association with OHSU, has a long history of providing fellowship training to post-residency trainees in almost every medical, surgical, and psychiatric subspecialty. In addition, the PVAMC developed one of the nation's first women's health clinics in 1985 and was selected in 1992 as a standard for evaluation of all other women's health programs in the VA system.

Training Facilities
Training facilities include the PVAMC and OHSU campuses which are physically located just 1/4 mile away and connected with an enclosed pedestrian bridge. There is an excellent partnership between the institutions' strong clinical programs in medicine, psychiatry, surgery, OB/GYN, geriatrics, and pediatrics. Affiliated training centers include the Center for Women's Health, Biomedical Information Communication Center, the Center for Ethics in Health Care, the School of Nursing, the Vollum Institute for Advanced Medical Research, the Human Performance Laboratory, Multnomah County Health Department, Good Samaritan Hospital, the Kaiser Center for Health Research, Portland State University, the Oregon Regional Primate Research Center, and several community clinics.

Directors
Heidi Nelson, M.D., M.P.H., is board-certified in internal medicine. She received her degrees from the University of Minnesota, and completed residency training at OHSU and a fellowship in general medicine and clinical epidemiology as UCSF. She practices in the VA Women's Medicine Clinic and is involved in the OHSU Center for Women's Health. Her current research projects include the effects of alcohol and smoking on women's health, osteoporosis, and assessments for preventive care as part of the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force Project. Dr. Nelson can be contacted at (503) 494-1566 or by email to : nelsonh@ohsu.edu.

Linda Humphrey, M.D., M.P.H., is board-certified in internal medicine and preventive medicine. She obtained her MD and residency training at OHSU, received an MPH in epidemiology from the University of Minnesota, and completed both general internal medicine and preventive medicine fellowships at the Mayo Clinic. She has a clinical practice at the VA, teaches in the OHSU School of Medicine, and has ongoing research in the areas of cancer prevention and control. She also is involved in assessments of preventive care as part of the U.S. Preventive Service Task Force Project. Dr. Humphrey can be reached at (503) 8262, ext. 57176.

Eligibility
Fellowship applicants should have completed a residency in internal medicine, family medicine, obstetrics and gynecology, psychiatry, or surgery and be board-eligible or board-certified in their specialty at the time they start the fellowship. Applicants should have demonstrated interests in teaching and research, and be committed to a career in women's health care.

Application Process
To apply for the fellowship, please send a copy of your current curriculum vitae and 3 letters of recommendation (current supervisor, training program director, and a third person of your choosing). In addition, include copies of abstracts or papers you have authored, a brief description of why you are interested in a women's health fellowship, and a statement of your career goals. Selected candidates will be interviewed after review of the application packet.

Please send direct applications to:
Director, Fellowship Training Programs
Section of General Internal Medicine (P3MED)
Veteran's Affairs Medical Center
P.O. Box 1034
Portland, OR 97207
Phone: (503) 273-5014
Fax: (503) 721-7807
Email: nancy.eivers@med.va.gov (with attached CV)

OHSU is an equal opportunity employer.