VA Quality Scholars Fellowship

VAQS@va.gov

Charlene Pope PhD, MPH, CNM, BSN
843.789.6577, Ext. 206577
charlene.pope@va.gov

The VA Quality Scholars Fellowship (VAQS) is a 2 year residential fellowship for clinicians who are interested in making veteran healthcare equitable and accessible for marginalized and rural populations. Fellows split their time between in-person clinical work, independent studies, and structured didactics while guided by a set of experienced mentors. Fellows will focus on healthcare improvement research and scholarship, operations leadership, and teaching quality and safety.

Program goals:

• Improve healthcare delivery, health systems organization and management, and health professions education through interventions that exert positive influences in each domain
• Apply the knowledge and methods of healthcare quality improvement to the care of individual patients and populations
• Teach health professionals about healthcare improvement
• Perform research and develop new knowledge for the ongoing improvement of the quality and value of healthcare services
• Enrich VHA's and the nation's clinical workforce with experts in healthcare quality research and the application of healthcare quality improvement skills

Fellowship sites are in:

• Atlanta, Georgia
• Birmingham, Alabama
• Cleveland, Ohio
• Charleston, South Carolina
• Durham, North Carolina
• Los Angeles, California
• Iowa City, Iowa
• Minneapolis, Minnesota
• Nashville, Tennessee
• San Francisco, California
• Toronto, Canada
• White River Junction, Vermont

Professions include physicians, doctoral-trained nurses, clinical psychologists and pharmacists.

Eligibility requirements:

• U.S. Citizen
• Not simultaneously enrolled in another accredited clinical training program
• Demonstrate an interest in pursuing a VA career with healthcare quality as a significant focus
• Meet all profession specific criteria

Benefits include:

• Two-year healthcare improvement and leadership curriculum
• Networking with national experts and leaders
• Professional development
• Alumni network
• Stipend and federal government benefits
• Data analysis training and consultation

To begin the application process, contact one of the Senior Scholars at the preferred site. Senior Scholars and their current contact information can be found on their site's page. Links to the contact pages for each site are provided one the bottom of the program website.

Applications are accepted and reviewed on a rolling basis annually beginning October 1 and ending March 1.