The Penn Primary Care Research Training Program (PCRTP) is offered through a National Research Service Award (NRSA) from the Health Resources and Services Administration. It aims to take full advantage of the vibrant and cutting-edge health services and policy research occurring on our contiguous campuses at the University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine and School of Nursing, and the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia. It is jointly directed by Penn's Divisions of General Internal Medicine, General Pediatrics at the Perelman School of Medicine and the School of Nursing in close collaboration with the Leonard Davis Institute of Health Economics (LDI) and the Center for Clinical Epidemiology (CCEB).
The Penn PCRTP offers positions in conjunction with two training programs:
The goals of this two-year training program are:
- Rigorous training in health services research, epidemiology, and related fields leading to a Master of Science in Health Policy Research (MSHP) or Master of Science in Clinical Epidemiology (MSCE) degree
- Completion of at least two high-impact primary care research projects from conception to publication in a peer-review journal
- Support trainees in the development of skills to become independent researchers in primary care
- Support trainees as they transition out of the training program (in job placement, planning for a Career Development Award)
The graduates of this program will acquire a broad set of skills necessary to launch a career as an academic researcher who conducts independent health services or epidemiologic research in the field of primary care. Formal didactic training will be achieved through coursework in the MSHP or MSCE program, as described below.
Each fellow is matched with a primary research mentor, and through the research mentor, program director, and fellowship directors, receive intensive mentoring throughout their training program. Collectively, the directors and mentors help the trainee identify important research topic(s), define appropriate data sources and research methodologies, and garner the specific expertise and support necessary to successfully execute the project. Fellows also receive guidance on presenting results of their projects at national meetings and publishing in peer-reviewed journals.
In addition to developing research skills, clinical fellows have the opportunity to further develop their patient care and teaching skills through a half-day clinical session and interaction with medical students and residents.
The directors of this training program are especially committed to promoting the careers of under-represented minorities and persons from these groups are strongly encouraged to apply. We work with two Penn offices to enhance and support program diversity: The Office of Inclusion and Diversity and the Center for Excellence for Diversity in Health Education and Research. The mission of these centers is to foster a vibrant inclusive environment that fully embraces diversity, and to create formal and informal support structures for trainees and faculty from minority groups.
Program Leadership