UC Accepts Applications for UC Health Fellowship

By UC Office of the President

The University of California Center for Health Quality and Innovation is accepting applications for the UC Health Fellowship.

The fellowship is a new yearlong program with two purposes: to provide support on a project that will adopt cost-saving innovations in care delivery while improving quality at UC Health centers and to provide leadership opportunities for UC Health staff and faculty.

Any staff or faculty employed by a UC medical center, clinic or health professional school may apply. Completed proposals must be received by 5 p.m. Monday, Nov. 14. They must be submitted electronically to CHQI Executive Director Terry Leach at [email protected] with a copy to Linda Kane at [email protected].

The fellows’ institution will receive a $50,000 award that will support a portion of the salary and benefits associated with their time spent on their project. It is anticipated that three to five fellowships will be awarded, with announcements by Dec. 15. Decisions will be made by a review committee appointed by CHQI Chairman John Stobo, UC senior vice president for health sciences and services.

Projects may relate to a variety of areas including but not limited to: appropriate use of services; maximizing resources; use of pharmacy, laboratory or other ancillary services; re-engineering business models; reorganization of administrative services; change management of clinical processes; and workforce challenges. Projects must be based at a UC-owned facility.

UC launched the Center for Health Quality and Innovation in October 2010 to promote and advance innovations in clinical care that will improve patient outcomes and quality of care within the UC system and beyond. In July, the center awarded its first round of grants – nine grants totaling $3.4 million to UC faculty and staff to improve patient care throughout California.

“Our first round of grants showed us we have tremendous intellectual capacity to improve the quality of health care,” Leach said. “We want to tap into some of that intellectual capacity to determine how best in these challenging financial times to generate revenue and/or cut costs, while we continue to offer the highest quality care possible.”