Primary Care Fellowship Program (QSCERT-PC)

Program eligibility

By the time of program entry, eligible applicants should have completed:

• An accredited residency program in family medicine, internal medicine, pediatrics, psychology, or obstetrics/gynecology
• A Ph.D. or similar doctoral degree in nursing, public health, health services, or other relevant social or qualitative science

Scholars are selected based on a competitive application process in which academic qualifications, career goals, and the quality of the training environment are important considerations for funding. The program is limited each year to a few select applicants. Trainees can start at any time of year, mutually approved by the Fellow and the Program Co-Directors.

There is no current call for QSCERT-PC Fellowship applications.

1. Quality, safety, and comparative effectiveness research in primary care. Patrick S. Romano, MD, MPH, FAAP, FACP, is a national expert in quality measurement who remains committed to fostering the career development of QSCERT-PC trainees. In addition, Jeffrey Hoch, PhD, a health economist and dynamic teacher who has capably co-directed the QSCERT-PC program for the last five years will continue to guide UC Davis fellows in understanding, applying and critiquing the tools of health economic analysis, including analyzing costs and outcomes, cost-effectiveness modeling, and net benefit regression to compare the effectiveness of interventions in primary care, including patient education and activation interventions, as well as system-level interventions to improve the coordination and management of care.

2. Telehealth research in primary care. James Marcin, MD, MPH, who directs the UC Davis Telehealth program and Center for Health and Technology will support fellows interested in studying technology-enabled care coordination involving preventive health, mental health, primary care, and social services, and the role of advanced practice nurses and home care nurses in improving primary care services for vulnerable elders. The Betty Irene Moore School of Nursing’s Katherine Kim, PhD, MPH, MBA will also support QSCERT-PC trainees with expertise in technology-enabled chronic illness self-management and care coordination.

3. Mental Health Access training will be led by Joy Melnikow, MD, MPH, who has led evaluations of state mental health programs related to early psychosis and crisis intervention. Dr. Melnikow will be joined by Julie Schweitzer, PhD, who conducts research in behavioral, cognitive and pharmacological interventions for persons with ADHD and autism across the life span at the ADHD Clinic within the UC Davis MIND Institute. Both Dr. Melnikow and Dr. Schweitzer have more than a decade of experience leading multidisciplinary clinical research training programs, and mentoring fellows interested in the intersections between primary care and mental health, including the identification and treatment of challenges of impulsivity, inattention and problems with cognitive and emotional regulation in children and adults.

4. Addressing the Opioid epidemic. Trainees interested in research to mitigate the opioid epidemic will benefit from the expertise of Stephen Henry, MD, MS in analyzing prescription drug monitoring program data to develop risk prediction models for opioid overdose. Dr. Henry brings to this project experience evaluating statewide opioid overdose prevention efforts in California and the impact of California’s mandatory prescription drug monitoring program use law on prescribing and overdose rates. Josh Fenton, MD, MPH and Alicia Agnoli, MD, MPH, MHS will provide our fellows with additional expertise related to tapering long-term opioid therapy.

5. Maternal Health. QSCERT-PC trainees interested in research to prevent and reduce maternal mortality will benefit from the mentorship of Susan Brown, PhD, as well as PI/PD, Eleanor Bimla Schwarz, MD, MS, and Chair of Human Ecology, Leigh Ann Simmons, PhD, MFT, in addition to the resources available through UC Davis’ Perinatal Origins of Disparities (POD) Center, which recognizes the perinatal period as a critical window in which to prevent health disparities. Faculty affiliated with the POD center focus on biobehavioral, epidemiological, clinical and community-based interventions to better understand – and ultimately intervene in – prenatal and early life factors that affect later life health, specifically factors that disproportionately impact disadvantaged communities. In addition, UC Davis’ Feminist Research Institute offers trainees a collaborative, trans-disciplinary research hub for exploring how race, gender, sexuality, and other social structures inform the design, execution, and interpretation of research related to maternal health.

6. Workforce transformation is a priority for UC Davis as an institution. Trainees interested in developing primary care research careers with this focus will be guided by Erik Fernandez y Garcia, MD, MPH, the Betty Irene Moore School of Nursing’s Katherine Kim, PhD, MPH, MBA, as well as Associate Vice Chancellor for Health Equity, Diversity and Inclusion, Hendry Ton, MD, MS. Our trainees also benefit from the experience of Deb Bakerjian, PhD, APRN, Mark Henderson, MD and Tonya Fancher, MD, in developing innovative pipeline programs such as our ongoing California Oregon Medical Partnership to Address Disparities in Rural Education and Health (COMPADRE) program. In addition, Serena Yang, MD, MPH, MS offers QSCERT-PC trainees experience with developing curriculum for interprofessional audiences targeting knowledge and skills development in primary care approaches to developmental, behavioral, and social-emotional health.

Our QSCERT-PC Trainees are offered a breadth of experience from more than fifty accomplished faculty mentors throughout UC Davis. Each of these outstanding faculty members are highly qualified to support the career development of the next generation of primary care researchers and leaders.

Rebecca Howe, MD Dr. Howe is a recent graduate (’21) and former Chief Resident in UC Davis Family and Community Medicine. She is completing a QSCERT-PC fellowship while also participating in the Mentored Clinical Research Training Program (MCRTP).  Her research focuses on caregiver involvement in advanced care planning and health decisions with a focus on telehealth. She participates in seminars and coursework related to health outcomes and research methodology and learns from an interprofessional team of mentors and colleagues. She also sees patients in clinic and precepts residents. She enjoys developing longitudinal relationships with her patients and serving as a care coordinator for patients with multiple medical concerns.

Katherine Glaser, M.D., M.P.H. is a board-certified OBGYN who comes to UC Davis after serving the Navajo Nation in northern Arizona as a Medical Officer for many years. Dr. Glaser received her undergraduate degree in Creative Writing from the University of Arizona and then served as a Peace Corps Volunteer in Malawi as HIV/AIDS caused devastation for families and communities in sub-Saharan Africa. She went on to obtain her MD, MPH, and residency training in Obstetrics and Gynecology at the University of Arizona. Her fellowship interests better serving Native American women, managing early pregnancy loss in rural settings and exploring understanding of and compliance with the Hyde Amendment in federally funded health centers caring for survivors of sexual assault. 

Brittany Chatterton, M.D. recently served as chief resident for the UC Davis Internal Medicine Residency program after completing her medical training at UC Davis where she was elected to the Gold Humanism Honor Society. Dr. Chatterton received her undergraduate degree with honors from UC Davis in Exercise Biology. Currently, her research interests include prioritizing provision of preventive health services in primary care practice, medical education, and developing hospital discharge summaries that are useful in helping primary care providers reducing risks of readmission. Dr. Chatterton plans to complete a Master of Advanced Studies in clinical research through the Mentored Clinical Research Training Program in 2022.

Renata Abrahão, M.D., M.Sc., Ph.D., returns for her second year of training with the QSCERT-PC program under the mentorship of Dr Theresa Keegan, with the UC Davis Division of Hematology/Oncology. After working as a clinician in Brazil for several years, Dr. Abrahão earned a master’s degree in Global Health Science from UCSF, a PhD in Epidemiology from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, and spent one year as a postdoctoral at the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC/WHO) in Lyon, France.  Dr. Abrahão’s research is focused on developing health policies to enhance cancer outcomes and decrease health disparities, especially among pediatric, adolescent and young adult cancer survivors. In 2020, her abstract titled “Late effects following non-Hodgkin lymphoma in HIV-uninfected and HIV-Infected adolescents and young adults: a population-based study” received special recognition by the North American Association of Central Cancer Registries (NAACCR) 

Adrienne Hoyt-Austin, D.O. is a general pediatrician returning for her 2^nd year of training with the QSCERT-PC under the mentorship of Dr. Laura Kair and Dr. Caroline Chantry. Dr. Hoyt-Austin focuses on breastfeeding medicine and clinical education and plans to complete a Master of Advanced Studies in clinical research through the Mentored Clinical Research Training Program in 2021. In her first year of Dr. Hoyt-Austin received funding from the Western Region Association of Pediatric Program Directors to conduct a randomized evaluation of Hybrid telesimulation with standardized patients for Breastfeeding Education of Pediatric and Family Medicine trainees, in addition she presented a poster of analyses she conducted of data collected by the National Survey of Family Growth.

Anne Clark White, Ph.D., is a Medical Sociologist focused on doctor-patient communication. Since 2017, Dr. White has worked closely with the Dr. Stephen Henry and Dr. Richard Kravitz of UC Davis’ Division of General Internal Medicine to analyze qualitative data from primary care visits with patients using opiates to treat chronic pain with the goal of identifying challenges and successes in establishing therapeutic alliances for patients suffering from chronic pain.  Over the past year, Dr. White presented a poster titled “Negotiation of opioid prescribing in primary care visits” at the International Conference on Communication in Healthcare in San Diego and had a paper titled “Making the most of video recorded clinical encounters: Optimizing impact and productivity through interdisciplinary work” accepted for publication in Patient Education and Counseling.

Sarah Kahle, M.A., Ed.M., Ph.D., has accepted a position as a post-doctoral scholar with the UC Davis MIND Institute - Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences and the Department of Pediatrics’ CAARE Diagnostic and Treatment Center, after 3 years of training with the QSCERT-PC program. Dr. Kahle is a psychologist who completed her PhD in Developmental Psychology at UC Davis, following a 3-year National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellowship. Dr. Kahle previously earned an EdM degree from Harvard Graduate School of Education. Her research is focused on developing effective, brief interventions for children with emotional and behavioral difficulties, and determining how self-regulation can be addressed in primary care. 

Ronit Ridberg, Ph.D., has accepted a position as a post-doctoral scholar at the Betty Irene Moore School of Nursing at UC Davis, after 2 years with the QSCERT-PC program, where she will continue to be mentored by Associate Dean for Research Janice Bell as well as Fred Meyers, director for the UC Davis Health Center for Precision Medicine and Data Sciences, where Ridberg manages the center’s Precision Nutrition Program. Dr. Ridberg’s current research includes evaluation of programs in and outside the clinical setting which aim to address food insecurity, improve dietary consumption and manage chronic disease. Ridberg also serves as an adjunct research scientist offering expert guidance on produce prescription programs and metrics to The Nutrition Incentive Hub, a new national resource for those working to launch or expand nutrition incentive programs.

Seonhwa Lee, Ph.D., has accepted a position as a marriage and family counselor, after completing 2 years with the QSCERT-PC program mentored by Leigh Ann Simmons, Ph.D., M.F.T., Professor and Chair, UC Davis Department of Human Ecology. Dr. Lee plans to continue to leverage her cross-cultural educational and clinical experiences to develop research projects which focus on understanding the social and cultural needs of patients with chronic diseases by collaborating with a research team from Minnesota State University, Mankato to develop, “Family Programs to Benefit Children and Adolescents with Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus” for a Minnesota School District.