For Clinicians
Fellowship Faculty
Co-Program Directors
General Academic Pediatrics
Debra Bogen, MD
General Internal Medicine
Kevin Kraemer, MD, MSC
Co-Associate Directors
General Internal Medicine
Russ Kolarik, MD
Senior Mentors
General Academic Pediatrics
Alejandro Hoberman, MD
General Internal Medicine
Wishwa Kapoor, MD, MPH
Curriculum Director
Director
Dianna Ploof, EdD
Core Faculty
Stephen B. Thomas, PhD
Roseanne Granieri, MD
Melissa McNeil, MD
Evelyn Reis, MD
Nader Shaikh, MD, MPH
Kathleen Colburn
Program Co-Directors
Program Co-Directors will be responsible for the overall program, including adherence to the stated goals and objectives of the grant.
Debra Bogen, MD, is a faculty member in GAP. She completed a clinical research fellowship in General Pediatrics at Johns Hopkins in 1998. For the past 5 years, she served as the Associate Fellowship Director of the HRSA-funded grant and as a Fellowship and Research Mentor. She is currently funded by a BIRCWH (Building Interdisciplinary Careers in Women’s Health) career development award. Her research focuses on the relationship between maternal mental health and early childhood nutrition, growth, and development. Her research serves as an example of interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary research involving psychiatry, pharmacology, obstetrics, and epidemiology.
Kevin L. Kraemer, MD, MSc, is Associate Professor of Medicine and Health Policy and Management, Division of GIM and CRHC, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. Dr. Kraemer has extensive experience in medical education and research. He is Principal Investigator on R01 AA014713 (Patient & Societal Utilities for Alcohol Problems) and R21 DA018139 (Societal & Patient Utilities for Drug Problems) and currently is the Director of the GIM Fellowship Program. He will be the Co-Program Director of the combined fellowship program and Director of the Clinical Research Curriculum. He will work with the faculty, fellows and administrators to assure completion of the work proposed in this application, conduct annual and semi-annual evaluations of fellows and mentors, and coordinate the efforts of the fellowship program with other training programs in the University.
Senior Mentors
Senior mentors will mentor fellows directly, will support the other mentors, will promote the fellowship program locally within the institution and nationally, and will identify and promote collaboration with other areas of the institution and the community.
Alejandro Hoberman, MD, chief of General Academic Pediatrics at Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh of UPMC, holds the Jack L. Paradise Endowed Chair in Pediatric Research, and is at the forefront nationally in efforts to improve the diagnosis and treatment of two of the most frequently occurring pediatric illnesses, acute otitis media and urinary tract infections.
Dr. Hoberman’s research contributions have included various randomized clinical trials evaluating diagnosis, management, follow-up and prevention of urinary tract infections and acute otitis media in children. He has developed multimedia educational programs aimed at improving diagnostic accuracy in children with acute otitis media, which have been used in instructing a large number of trainees worldwide. Together with Dr. Phillip Kaleida, MD, another Children’s pediatrician, and other members of the Division of General Academic Pediatrics, Dr. Hoberman developed a program to help train medical residents across the country in the diagnosis of acute otitis media. They obtained funding from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention for the development of an innovative Web-based project called ePROM (enhancing PRoficiency in Otitis Media). Dr. Hoberman has been the principal investigator of a collaborative General Pediatrics and General Internal Medicine -- Faculty Development in Primary Care Training Program, funded by the Health Resources Services Administration.
This year, Dr. Hoberman was selected by the National Institutes of Diabetes Digestive and Kidney Diseases as a principal investigator of a Pediatric Nephrology/Urology Clinical Treatment Center. He will conduct a large randomized, placebo-controlled study evaluating the efficacy of antimicrobial prophylaxis in young children with vesicoureteral reflux diagnosed following a first urinary tract infection at Children’s Hospital, in collaboration with five additional sites in the United States. He also recently received funding from the National Institutes of Immunology Allergy and Infectious Diseases to study in a randomized, placebo-controlled trial, the efficacy of antimicrobial treatment in young children with acute otitis media.
Dr. Hoberman graduated from medical school in Buenos Aires, Argentina, where he also completed a residency in general pediatrics at Children’s Hospital of Buenos Aires. He then came to the United States for fellowship training in ambulatory pediatrics at Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh, under Jack L. Paradise and Kenneth Rogers. After his fellowship, he joined the faculty at the University of Pittsburgh and Children’s Hospital, where he has led the Division of General Academic Pediatrics since 2001. Dr. Hoberman has published his research findings in the New England Journal of Medicine, JAMA and other highly rated peer-reviewed journals.
Wishwa Kapoor, MD, MPH, is the Falk Professor of Medicine, Chief of the Division of General Internal Medicine, and Vice Chair of the Department of Medicine. An internationally known health services researcher, he has been instrumental in the growth and success of GIM over the past 10 years and provides the administrative and academic leadership to this effort. Dr. Kapoor is PI of the university’s K-30 CRTP and newly funded K-12 Clinical Research Scholars Program. As proof of his expertise at mentoring fellows and junior faculty, every clinical research junior faculty member in GIM has been fully funded within 4 years of initial appointment.
Co-Associate Directors
The Associate Directors will develop and coordinate the Interdisciplinary Primary Care Research Seminar, serve as Fellowship Mentors for fellows, perform direct observations of fellow teaching and presentations and oversee much of the program evaluation. They will serve on the Leadership Committee.
Russ Kolarik, MD, is a faculty member in GIM and GAP. He completed a fellowship in GIM and Bioethics in 2001. He is Associate Residency Director for the combined internal medicine and pediatrics program at the UPSOM. His research focuses on physician-patient communication skills, advance care planning, and care for adult patients with chronic pediatric conditions. He will work with Dr. Bogen to organize and manage the day-to-day activities of the program, organize and implement the fellows’ seminar, serve as Fellowship Mentor for medicine-pediatric fellows, arrange guest speakers and oversee program evaluation.
Fellowship Development Director
Dianna Ploof, EdD, is an Instructor in Pediatrics. She is an expert in organizational design and medical education. She has been involved in a number of medical education initiatives for the last 5 years, including developing new rotations in community health and advocacy, designing web-based curricula in primary care, and served in the development of a multi-site CDC funded distance learning research initiative in otitis media. She became involved in the HRSA grant Leadership group in 2002. In her role as curriculum director, she developed the GAP website, organized the fellow’s seminar series, developed innovations such as the experiential checklist, created the precepting observation tool, and worked with the Center for Minority Health on designing a cultural competency curriculum. Her background in education, administration, community organizing and organizational development give her the skill set needed to direct all aspects of curriculum development. Dr. Ploof will organize the Interdisciplinary Primary Care Research Seminar (IRS), lead a committee in developing the new National Health Priorities Seminar Series, assure integration of curriculum components and required fellowship training experiences across disciplines, establish the web-based curriculum and resource portal, support quality improvement initiatives, assure and coordinate program evaluation, mentor fellows, track fellows’ progress, maintain the fellowship website, prepare progress reports, and manage the budget.
Curriculum Directors and Core Faculty
Stephen B. Thomas, PhD, is internationally recognized as a leader in minority health research, and he has extensive experience conducting applied health research in underserved populations. He established the University of Maryland Minority Health Research Laboratory (1986-1992) and established the Institute for Minority Health Research at the Rollins School of Public Health at Emory University (1993-2000). Dr. Thomas is PI of an active NIAID Research Scientist Development Award in applied research ethics that focuses on assessing the impact of the Tuskegee legacy on the willingness of African Americans to participate in biomedical research. He will provide guidance on training in cultural competency and health disparities, assist fellows in conducting research that respects communities, and attend selected fellows’ seminars.
Roseanne Granieri, MD, is Professor of Medicine and Program Director of the HRSA funded Generalist Faculty Teaching in Community Based Ambulatory Settings program and the Clinical Educator Training Program at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. She will be the director of the Clinical Educator Tract of the fellowship program. She will serve as the primary mentor for fellows focused on medical education and will be responsible for the development and implementation of the formalized curriculum in medical education and organization of the teaching and clinical skills evaluation of our fellows.
Melissa McNeil, MD, is Professor of Medicine, Director of the Women’s Health Program, and Co-Director of the 3rd Year Medical Student Medicine rotation at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. She currently serves as mentor to 4 general internal medicine fellows, including 2 HRSA-funded fellows. She will continue mentoring of fellows and participate in leadership training, program seminars, and advisory meetings. Dr. McNeil holds a joint appointment with the University of Pittsburgh and VA Pittsburgh Healthcare System. Both appointments are active 12-month appointments.
Evelyn Reis, MD, Associate Professor in the division of GAP, completed medical school and pediatric residency training at Harvard and fellowship training in the Johns Hopkins General Pediatric Academic Development program. She serves as Continuity Clinic Director and mentors residents and fellows in clinical research activities. She currently receives funding from the Pennsylvania Department of Health and NIH/NCMHD for her ongoing research investigating health disparities in cardiovascular risk among families. Dr. Reis will serve as faculty advisor in the IRS, mentor fellows and integrate educational elements into the primary care curriculum for residents. She will further help identifying and recruiting fellow candidates from the diverse pool of residents who show interest and aptitude for leadership in primary care. We request 5% salary support.
