CHEAR Fellowship

We will be accepting applications for the 2027-2028 academic year from September 1, 2026 – December 1, 2026.

The CHEAR Fellowship is a two-year fellowship that provides rigorous, interdisciplinary training in pediatric health services and outcomes research to clinical fellows and postdoctoral fellows. Competitive salary commensurate with NIH guidelines and benefits will be provided.

Fellowship Training

The fellowship program aims to train fellows to conduct impactful pediatric health services research and child population health research via didactics, structured mentorship, experiential learning through conducting rigorous and ethical research, and professional socialization. Each fellow will develop an individualized learning plan in conjunction with mentors, tailored to the unique learning needs of each fellow.

Didactics

Weekly CHEAR seminar series, including internal and external speakers, methods used in pediatric health services research and child population health research, skill building workshops, and fellow-led works in progress sessions.
PhD fellows will work with mentors to develop an individualized learning plan to learn new qualitative and quantitative methods.
Clinicians will generally pursue a Master’s degree in Health and Health Care Research, Clinical Research Design and Statistical Analysis, or another degree-awarding program at the School of Public Health, Public Policy, or other relevant school. Funding for this degree will be provided by the fellowship.

Structured mentorship

Each fellow will have a primary mentor in the CHEAR Center along with a mentorship committee of 2-3 other faculty members at the University of Michigan. Fellows meet regularly with mentors.

Experiential learning through conducting rigorous and ethical research

Fellows will be expected to conduct two research projects using methods from pediatric health services research and child population health research, independently and in conjunction with mentors.
To conduct this research, fellows will have access to the rich data resources at the University of Michigan, as well as to the deep expertise in these data among CHEAR and UM faculty.
Expected deliverables include abstracts and two first-authored, peer-reviewed articles by the end of fellowship.
Fellows will obtain training in the responsible conduct of research as well as application of principles of diversity, equity, and inclusion across all research.

Professional socialization

Fellows will present several works-in-progress seminars to CHEAR faculty.
Fellows will attend national conferences in which pediatric health services research and child population health research is commonly presented, such as Pediatric Academic Societies and Academy Health.
Fellows will gain opportunities to network through inviting internal and external faculty to speak at CHEAR Seminars.

Candidate Eligibility

Please note that the CHEAR Fellowship does not currently provide visa sponsorship.

Physicians

The following types of physicians (MD/DO) are eligible to apply:

Residents: Third-year residents in pediatrics or fourth-year residents in internal medicine / pediatrics, regardless of institution.
Fellows: First-year pediatric subspecialty fellows at the University of Michigan Medical School or incoming fellows who have matched at UM. Typically, the CHEAR fellowship is concurrent with the research years of fellowship.
Faculty: Pediatric physicians who are current or incoming faculty members at the University of Michigan Medical School, regardless of whether they are on the instructional or clinical track.

Interested physicians who do not meet the above criteria should contact Sarah L. Reeves, PhD, MPH, Director, CHEAR Fellowship Programs (chearfellowship@umich.edu), prior to applying.

Non-physician, non-PhD clinicians

Clinicians other than physicians, including but not limited to nurses, physician assistants, and mental health practitioners, are eligible to apply if they have specific interest in conducting pediatric health services research. These applicants should contact Sarah L. Reeves, PhD, MPH, Director, CHEAR Fellowship Programs (chearfellowship@umich.edu), prior to applying.

PhD graduates or candidates

The following individuals are eligible to apply:

Those who currently hold or will complete by start of fellowship a doctoral degree (PhD or equivalent) in public health, health policy, public policy, decision sciences, management science, economics, or related fields.
PhD applicants to the UM pediatric psychology fellowship program who wish to combine their fellowship with the CHEAR fellowship.

Research Topics

CHEAR Fellows are expected to collaborate on established projects while also conducting independent research relating to pediatric health services research and/or policy evaluation with an emphasis on study inception, manuscript writing, and applying for grants. The Center’s resources and collaborative support enable post-doctoral fellows to build their own research programs.

The following research topic areas represent high priority topics being pursued within the Center:

Population health informatics applied to pediatric health services research
Application and development of new approaches for valuing child health (economic evaluation/cost- effectiveness analysis)
Pediatric end-stage organ disease and solid organ transplant
Transition from pediatric to adult health care
Adherence to medical regimens
Immunization policy, financing, or delivery
Medicaid policy
Quality measurement and improvement
Acute care outcomes and survivorship
Barriers to care
Cost-effectiveness analysis and decision modeling

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: How does the funding work?

A: For physician fellows, the fellowship program will cover tuition for the Master’s program, research support, mentorship, office space, and pediatric fellowship seminars. The subspecialty division will support the salary and benefits.

For PhD fellows, the fellowship program will cover research support, mentorship, office space, pediatric fellowship seminars, coursework as needed, salary, and benefits. PhD post-doctoral fellows will be sponsored by a CHEAR faculty or CHEAR-affiliated faculty member with 50% of the funding supported by the faculty member through externally funded research grants or discretionary funds and 50% supported through the fellowship program.

Q: I am currently interviewing for a pediatric subspecialty fellowship at the University of Michigan and also interested in the CHEAR Fellowship program. When should I apply for the CHEAR fellowship?

A: Please let us know as early as possible of your interest in the CHEAR Fellowship. We can consider applications in the year prior to the fellowship start date (e.g., early 2022 application for July 2023 start date). Physician fellows will typically complete the CHEAR Fellowship in Years 2-3 of the subspecialty fellowship.

Q: [For U-M Pediatrics Division Directors] Our division has a new faculty member who plans to pursue the Master’s in Health and Health Care Research, can this individual join the fellowship program?

A: Yes, we welcome individuals interested in pursuing advanced training in pediatric health services research. We would encourage the new faculty member to submit an application so that we can assign an appropriate mentorship team and would be pleased to include them in the next cohort.

Q: I am applying for a pediatric psychology fellowship. How will my funding work?

A: Pediatric psychology fellows will apply for either stipend coverage or a tuition scholarship for the master’s program, but not both. If the fellowship program is covering a stipend, 50% of the funding will be supported by the sponsoring CHEAR faculty or CHEAR-affiliated faculty member through externally funded research grants or discretionary funds and 50% will be supported through the fellowship program.

Q: I will be completing a residency program in general pediatrics, can I apply for the fellowship program?

A: Please contact the CHEAR director or fellowship coordinator for more information regarding general pediatrics candidates.

Q: I won’t be completing my residency/dissertation until the summer, can I start the fellowship in September?

A: Yes, we can accommodate both July 1 and September 1 start dates. However, if you are interested in pursuing the Master’s in Health and Health Care Research, please note that this program starts in July. We encourage you to discuss any enrollment questions with the CHEAR Director or fellowship coordinator.

Application Materials

A complete application consists of the following:

Fellowship application form
An up-to-date curriculum vitae
- Please clearly define your current status with respect to residency, fellowship, or PhD
A brief statement 1,000 words or less
- Describing your background, research interest, and reasons for applying to the fellowship
One writing sample
- e.g., report, published or unpublished manuscript

How to Apply

We are accepting applications from candidates to start the two-year fellowship in 2027. Start dates are flexible. Applications received by December 1st will be prioritized.

Please direct all inquiries and application materials to chearfellowship@umich.edu.