Fellows Sought for VA New England Healthcare Engineering Partnership

VA NEW ENGLAND HEALTHCARE ENGINEERING PARTNERSHIP
Boston and/or White River Junction, VT

Fellows Sought for VA New England Healthcare Engineering Partnership

Fellows are sought to help improve the quality, safety, and efficiency of healthcare delivered by the VA New England Healthcare System. The New England Healthcare Engineering Partnership (NEHCEP) was established to integrate systems engineering principles and methods into the fabric of VA healthcare operations. NEHCEP develops, tests, trains, and spreads innovative engineering solutions. NEHCEP is currently building a project portfolio with ongoing work in cancer screening, surgical safety, inpatient medicine, and in streamlining VA administrative processes. Additionally, NEHCEP participates in strategically-important projects initiated by the VA Office of Systems Redesign.

Fellows will: 1) Learn to apply systems engineering techniques to the improvement of health systems, 2) Directly observe clinical processes and procedures and will have the opportunity to pilot tests of change, 3) Use modeling and simulation software to manipulate VA datasets, and 4) Write at least one manuscript for submission to a medical quality or systems engineering journal. Graduates of this fellowship will have experience and qualifications to obtain employment in healthcare settings or pursue further training in healthcare systems engineering.

Fellows will be based at the Boston VA Medical Center or White River Junction VT VA Medical Center. Mentoring will be available through the host VA site and through affiliated engineering schools, which include Northeastern University, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and the Worcester Polytechnic Institute, as well as through the Boston University School of Public Health, Medicine, and Management. Fellowship requirements include a master’s degree or PhD in an engineering field as well as US citizenship. A stipend is provided by the VA Office of Academic Affiliations; fellows with a master's degree earn approximately $30,000 and fellows with a PhD earn approximately $45,000. As of June 2010, there are two spots remaining. Start date can be mutually arranged.

To inquire about this fellowship, please contact Brian Shiner MD, MPH at:

brian.shiner@va.gov
(802) 295-9363 x6036