Tina Cheng, MD, MPH

It was a tough summer for fellowship funding:

• HRSA and AHRQ National Research Service Awards (NRSA) have been an important source of funding fellowships in health services research and primary care. This source was threatened this past year when language in legislation was left out regarding the pass through of money from NIH to HRSA and AHRQ for these grants. After some delay and major advocacy efforts by APA, this was eventually resolved for this year. APA continues to work on this issue which unfortunately still has not been resolved for upcoming years.
  
• Title VII 747 programs have supported fellowship training in primary care through faculty development grants. Title VII 747 programs were cut by 52% two years ago and there was no RFA that year. This past year there was an RFA and many applicants but NONE of the general pediatrics or general internal medicine programs were funded (only three family medicine faculty development grants were funded).
  
• The Title VII 747 program request for applications (RFA) for this year came out in September. Though this RFA continues to supports faculty development training of educators and preceptors, it eliminated training in research in primary care. APA initiated a letter writing campaign to the Health Resources Services Administration (HRSA) and also documented research accomplishments that have come out of previously supported fellowships. APA leadership also conferenced with leaders in family medicine and general internal medicine. Fortunately, HRSA heard us and a revision to the RFA was issued including research fellowships. HRSA has indicated that our advocacy efforts were helpful in the RFA revision and asked us to draft a policy brief documenting the value of research fellowships related to Title VII objectives. A policy brief has been drafted and is under revision.

  Continued funding for Title VII 747 programs is an issue. In September five APA members participated in the AAMC’s Health Professions and Nursing Education Coalition (HPNEC) Health Professions Leadership Capitol Hill Day and Briefing. Dr. Evelyn Simpkins, fellow at Johns Hopkins University spoke on the impact of Title VII programs on the support of her career in adolescent medicine and four other faculty and fellows from Johns Hopkins University (Tina Cheng, Raquel Hernandez, Dennis Kuo, Krishna Upadhya) visited congressional leaders.

  The HRSA Advisory Committee on Training in Primary Care Medicine and Dentistry advises HRSA and Congress on Title VII. The committee currently includes three pediatricians: Lolita M. McDavid, M.D., M.P.A., ssociate professor of pediatrics and medical director of child advocacy and protection at Rainbow Babies and Children's Hospital of Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland, Ohio, Diego Chaves-Gnecco, M.D., M.P.H., fellow in general pediatrics at Children's Hospital in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and Surendra K. Varma, M.D., professor and vice chair of the Department of Pediatrics at Texas Tech University School of Medicine in Lubbock where he directs the Pediatric Residency Program. Dr. McDavid was recently selected to chair the committee, a first for pediatrics. APA will continue to work closely with HRSA and the advisory committee on Title VII.

Thanks for your work on these fellowship issues. Your advocacy has made a difference! Please continue to talk to your congressional leaders about the importance of Title VII funding for the primary care workforce.

Updated 01/04/08