Fellowships and Non-Degree Programs

Primary Care Champions Fellowship

Addressing the need for Clinician Educators

The Primary Care Champions Fellowship is designed to help physicians and Physician Assistants (PAs) develop exemplary leadership and teaching skills, preparing them for much-needed and meaningful service in health professions education. Upon completion of the program, fellows will be confident, service-minded clinical leaders, equipped with skills to manage thriving practices, improve physical wellness and expand learning opportunities in rural areas.

The Primary Care Champions fellowship is a twelve-month, credit bearing, non-degree graduate Fellowship program of Campbell University, based within the Jerry M. Wallace School of Osteopathic Medicine.  This federally-funded fellowship enables selected applicants to pursue the Master of Health Professions Education (MHPE) degree tuition-free.

Preparing clinicians to lead transformational change in community-based practice. The mission of the Primary Care Champions Fellowship program is to prepare healthcare professionals as teachers and leaders, to lead transformational change in clinical practices, expanding community-based clinical education to develop the next generation of healthcare providers. By providing clinicians with essential skills to thrive while expanding education in community-based practices, the program will assist in improving care delivery to address the needs of rural and underserved populations in North Carolina, the Southeast, and the nation.

Key Learning Outcomes

Upon completion of this program, graduates will be skilled in five domains of competencies necessary for successful careers as clinical leaders and teachers:

  • Education, including theory and application to teaching in health professions
  • Leadership, with a focus on servant leadership
  • Healthcare delivery systems, quality improvement, and population-based care
  • Personal and professional management
  • Multiculturalism and interprofessional teamwork

Curriculum

The Fellowship program runs one calendar year.

Fellowship courses include:

  • The Successful Clinical Leader
  • Governance and Administration
  • Introduction to Teaching

All fellows complete a year long Practice Transformation Project to improve care in their community-based clinical practice setting.  The project may address federal priority topics such as opiate use, mental health, childhood obesity, or any practice-specific need.

An optional, second year of courses fulfills requirements for a Master of Health Professions Education (MHPE) degree.  This degree program provides more in-depth preparation for academic roles, including course design, assessment, and research skills. 

Federal Funding Eligibility

By conditions of the federal grant, to be eligible for fellowship funding, applicants must be

  1. Physicians or physician assistants in primary care
    1. Physicians must be Board Certified or eligible in Family Medicine, Internal Medicine or Pediatrics
    2. PAs must be practicing primary care in collaboration with a physician in Family Medicine, Internal Medicine, or Pediatrics
  2. In community-based primary care practice
  3. Experienced, two or more years of prior practice.

Applicants not meeting these requirements are welcome to enter the MHPE program without federal funding.

The final cohort of this fellowship is in progress through 2023.

Contact Us

For more information, contact:

MHPE Coordinator
(910) 893-7064
mhpe@campbell.edu

Dr. Victoria Kaprielian
Program Director
kaprielianv@campbell.edu

This program is supported by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) as part of an award totaling $1,777,218 with 28.8% of total costs financed with non-governmental sources. The contents are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent the official views of, nor an endorsement, by HRSA, HHS, or the U.S. Government. For more information, please visit HRSA.gov.