Leadership & Faculty

The program’s administrative structure fits the needs of the program’s fellows, UNC’s open and collaborative environment, and the several types of roles that faculty serve with fellows.  The administrative design of the fellowship helps support the program’s strong interdisciplinary focus, while also providing within-department accountability and learning responsibilities for fellows.  The pieces and roles of the program’s administrative structure are:

 

Program Directors

The Program Director oversees fellows’ recruitment, progress in the curriculum, connection with mentors, maturation as researchers, output and transition to faculty roles on graduation; day-to-day management of the program; the program’s relationship with the Sheps Center, the three participating clinical departments, and the University; the involvement of faculty who work with fellows; the program’s budget; and the program’s relationship and responsibilities to its funding agency.

The two Associate Program Directors provide mentorship during the program and as fellows look for faculty positions as graduation nears; help link fellows to other faculty working in their areas of interest; oversee fellows’ work and development as researchers from the perspective of each fellow’s clinical discipline to help ensure that they are on a path to earn an academic research position upon graduation; coordinate each fellow’s interactions (clinical work, teaching roles, peer relationships) with their clinical department; co-lead recruitment efforts for fellows of their clinical discipline; and participate with the Program Director in decisions on program policy, educational approaches and strategic directions.

 

Advisory Board

The Advisory Board provides the Program Director and Associate Directors with senior, interdisciplinary guidance in setting overall program policy and strategic directions. Advisory Board members advocate for the program within the University, interview and help select program fellows, receive and respond to formal evaluation information on each fellow and for the program as a whole, and provide career mentoring and often project advising for fellows. Board members that are heads of primary care units in the School of Medicine help bring department resources to support fellows’ positions.

 

Focus Areas Lead Faculty

The program’s Focus Area Lead-Faculty work one-on-one with fellows around shared areas of research interest. Within their content areas, they help recruit and interview fellows for the program; identify projects of their own or of other faculty’s on campus on which fellows could participate; identify other faculty who might work with and mentor fellows; mentor fellows and guide them through shared projects; and provide feedback to the Program Director on fellows’ progress.