Career Development Program

The Center is committed to vigorously supporting career development of its members, particularly new and mid-career investigators entering the environmental health field and clinical/community health researchers. A major objective is to bring physicians and public health scientists to a level of expertise in independent research comparable to that of a new PhD. Realization of this goal will prepare them to do nationally-competitive research.

In order to accomplish this goal, our central initiative in this area is to:

• develop a pediatric environmental health fellowship program

• undertake multi-year, individually shaped programs with Center mentors that focus on developing knowledge and research skills comparable to PhD doctoral students or postdoctoral associates

Pediatric Environmental Health Sciences Fellowship Program

This fellowship program will provide focused research-support mechanisms for junior investigators and those in mid-career to enter into the environmental health sciences field. Fellows will establish:

• solid knowledge base in relevant theoretical and empirical literature

• learn data management skills for statistical analysis

• learn statistical tools required to interpret research

• develop proficient knowledge in the design and implementation of clinical and/or translational research

To learn more about the Pediatric Environmental Health Sciences Fellowship Program or any of the other Career Development opportunities, contact Dr. Ellis Avner at (414) 955-2573 or email him at eavner@mcw.edu.  

Basic researchers should contact Dr. Reinhold Hutz, PhD at (414) 229-5416 or email him at rjhutz@uwm.edu.

 

Education Framework

Fellowship instructors are faculty from the University of Wisconsin Milwaukee, the Children’s Research Institute, and the Medical College of Wisconsin. Samplings of core curriculum requirements as well as available electives are as follows:

Core Curriculum Requirements:       

• Seminar in Public Health Research  
• Social & Environmental Justice in Public Health  
• Epidemiology/Environmental Epidemiology Health  
• Biostatistics  
• Advanced Survey of Environmental Health  
• Molecular/Cellular Bio/Environmental Health  
• Seminar in Current Topics Environmental Health  
• Environmental Epidemiology  

Electives available:

Molecular Levels:

• Cellular/Molecular Toxicology  
• Toxicogenomics & Bioinformatics

Organismal Levels:

• Human Pathophysiology  
• Developmental Toxicology

Population/Environmental Levels:

• Ecotoxicology  
• Industrial Hygiene

 

Training Timeline

The length of fellowship may last between two and three years and distribution of time and effort are as follows:

Length: 2-3 years:

• Year 1: Complete 6-9 credits of coursework per semester and begin framing research project
• Year 2: Complete 3-6 credits of coursework each semester and advance in research work
• Year 3: Complete research

 Distribution of Time and Effort:  

• 70% Research and Grant Writing  
• 20% Didactic Curriculum
• 10% Clinical Practice

Fellowship Application

Fellowship application is ongoing and admission requirements are detailed below. If you are interested in applying for the Pediatrics Environmental Health Sciences Fellowship Program, please complete the fellowship application form and email it along with your updated Curriculum Vitae to the Fellowship Director, Dr. Earnestine Willis at ewillis@mcw.edu. The fellowship committee will review your application and contact you for further information.

Admission Requirements:

• Application Form
• Updated Curriculum Vitae
• Essay Describing Research Goals
• Establishment of a Research Portfolio
• Publications or grant submissions to national organizations, e.g., NIH, private foundations
• External Career Options