Learning Health System Fellowship

Program Details

Learn more about the Learning Health System Fellowship, including eligibility requirements, expectations of LHS Fellows, and specifics about the application process.



Core Curriculum

LHS Fellows must have finished clinical training as a general internist, in a medical or surgical subspecialty, or in another health field (e.g., nurse or pharmacist). Relevant degrees include: PhD, MD, DDS, PharmD, DNP, ScD, DrPH, or comparable doctoral degree from an accredited domestic or foreign institution.

Fellows will engage in a rigorous academic training program at the Institute for Clinical Research Education in the School of Medicine, earning an MS or a PhD in clinical research (in the Health Services Research Track). All LHS Fellows are required to pursue their research training full time, defined as 40 hours per week.

All applicants must be US citizens or permanent residents.

The University of Pittsburgh and UPMC will support the stipend of LHS Fellows from federal or foundation sources (or leverage existing funding streams). UPMC will guarantee research and business mentorship as well as access to data and office space within the health plan or system. The University of Pittsburgh will also provide research and academic mentorship, and will offer academic coursework to support the fundamental skills to design research studies, interpret findings, and publish results.

Fellows will engage in a rigorous academic training program in the Institute for Clinical Research Education at the University of Pittsburgh, earning an MS or a PhD in clinical research (in the Health Services Research Track). Each Fellow will be dually appointed at University of Pittsburgh and at UPMC, either in the Health System or in the Insurance Services Division’s Center for High-Value Health Care. At UPMC, the Fellow would be expected to help design, implement, lead and evaluate the results of a payment or delivery system reform. Fellows would be expected to publish the results of their efforts, as well as related manuscripts that clarify the rationale for their intervention. Fellows will participate in leadership meetings within the Health Plan or Health System, and better understand how to stimulate change, improvement and rapidly scalable learning with a complex health system. This fellowship will prepare graduates for positions in leadership in provider systems or payors, and will ensure that they have the quantitative research skills to evaluate and disseminate results.

Applicants must submit a brief application through the ICRE website, including a description of their proposed research project, CV, and letters of support from prospective mentors and departmental directors or division chiefs. After review, outstanding applicants will be invited for an interview with the Program Directors. To apply, access the ICRE application portal here.

Deadline: Applications are not being accepted at this time.


Institute for Clinical Research Education
200 Meyran Avenue, Suite 300
Pittsburgh, PA 15213

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