For general policies and procedures relating to Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center residents and staff, see the Residents and Fellows Policy and Procedure Manual.
What is the difference between this program and a traditional preventive medicine residency program?
This program focuses on leading change in the small systems that connect patients, patients' needs, and health care is based in active caregiving institutions and settings and offers masters-level learning in the Dartmouth Institute for Health Policy and Clinical Practice (formerly CECS).
Is this a freestanding preventive medicine residency program?
No. This program is offered only in conjunction with our existing clinical residency and fellowship programs.
How is this program different from a Robert Wood Johnson (RWJ) Primary Care Fellowship, RWJ Clinical Scholars program, or the VA Quality Scholars program?
The RWJ Primary Care Fellowship is limited to a focus on primary care and does not include a master's in public health (MPH) degree from the Dartmouth Institute for Health Policy and Clinical Practice (formerly CECS). It also encourages fellows to do research and development in primary care. In contrast, the Leadership Preventive Medicine Residency (LPMR) program offers the MPH degree and requires residents and fellows to develop a portfolio of experiences testing change and improving care in actual patient care settings.
The RWJ Clinical Scholars program does not offer the Dartmouth MPH degree. Its primary focus is on research, whereas the focus of the LPMR program is on leading change and improvement in a teaching medical center environment.
The VA Quality Scholars program is the most similar in that it does offer a master's degree and also requires the completion of an intensive change project. Key differences that distinguish the two include: 1) the LPMR program involves caregiving settings outside of the VA; 2) the LPMR program requires participation in two years of weekly afternoon didactics sessions; 3) the LPMR program offers board certification in Preventive Medicine.
Why did Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center decide to offer this program?
We chose to offer this program to take advantage of the strength of the Dartmouth Institute for Health Policy and Clinical Practice (TDI) program, as well as the interest of the Mary Hitchcock Memorial Hospital and Concord Hospital clinical operations leaders to sponsor aggressive learning experiences in change.
What career paths or kind of work do you expect graduates of this program to pursue?
Graduates of this program will pursue a number of career paths, including:
- Health professional leader of clinical care
- Teacher of change and improvement knowledge and skills to health professionals
- Health professional leader for small-to-large health organizations, including academic medical centers
- Life-long learner of the measurement and improvement of health care
How long is the program, and how is it structured?
The length of the program is equal to the length of the base residency plus two years (e.g. the pathway for internal medicine and leadership preventive medicine residents is three plus two, or five years). The structure of the program varies with each department in terms of how and when the leadership preventive medicine residency experiences (academic, clinical leadership application, and practicum) are integrated with the base clinical residency rotations.
Why is the program two additional years?
The program is 2 years in addition to the length of the base clinical residency to allow for formal academic experiences, clinical leadership application rotations, and the practicum, a major change effort.
What are the prerequisites for entry into the program?
The minimum prerequisite for the program is acceptance into and current "good standing" in a Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center clinical residency.
How do I apply to the program?
The Leadership Preventive Medicine program is unique in that we are a combination program with the other available clinical specialties at Dartmouth Hitchcock. As such, application to our program is only open to those residents and fellows who have already been matched into a clinical program at Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center. Any Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center residents or fellows who are interested in applying to our program should contact the LPMR coordinator at donna.a.bragg@hitchcock.org or by calling 603-653-0809 for more information. The application process is from July 1st through December 31st; each academic year begins on July 1st.
Are there specific application requirements?
Yes. All applicants must have already been matched into a clinical residency or fellowship at Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center. In addition, we require a completed paper application, three letters of recommendation, a personal statement, updated CV, completed TDI application, undergraduate transcript, and medical school transcript. Each applicant is also asked to sign a release to allow our program staff to view your ERAS application and current residency evaluations.
Will I be taking call the entire time of this program?
Call rotations with the home department will vary.
Will I be required to pay tuition for the MPH program?
No, tuition costs will be borne by the program.
Is this program accredited?
This program is fully accredited by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME).
What kinds of projects might be done for the practicum?
Practicum experiences will be reviewed and approved by a Practicum Review Board. A wide variety of topics have been suggested as possible areas of interest.
- Anesthesia: Pain management; Palliative care; Intensive care improvement; Ambulatory anesthesia
- Family Practice: Integration of mental health with primary care; Screening; Idealized design - guidelines, team, care management, productivity, disease management, chronic care
- Internal Medicine: End-of-life care; Geriatrics care; Chronic disease management
- Obstetrics and Gynecology: Genetics - high-risk pregnancies and bleeding disorders; Menopause and prevention of fractures; Menopausal cancer prevention
- Pediatrics: Chronic illnesses - diabetes, asthma, cystic fibrosis; Immunization practices; Evidence-based general pediatrics; Pain management in children
- Radiology: Breast imaging and mass management; Non-invasive vascular imaging
- Surgery: Minimally invasive surgical techniques; Outcomes measurement; Regionalization / volumes outcome / optimization / systems of care