The National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA) is seeking candidates for its Phyllis Torda Health Care Quality Fellowship Program. Phyllis Torda was NCQA’s Vice President for Quality Solutions when she passed away earlier this year and the organization has initiated the fellowship to honor her life by developing new leaders to embrace the cause of improving health care quality. The Phyllis Torda fellow will work on critical issues related to health care quality, research and policy:
- How patient-reported outcomes can improve case management
- Patient engagement in care and providing better information for decision making
- Quality related to behavioral health
- Measurement for vulnerable and diverse populations
NCQA seeks fellowship candidates who embody Phyllis’ energy and passion for health care quality research and policy. The fellowship is a unique opportunity. It is tailored to the individual applicant’s career goals. The fellowship is full-time and lasts 12 months in the NCQA offices in downtown Washington, DC. Eligibility is open to candidates who’ve earned a master’s degree, a professional degree or a doctoral degree in a health-related field.
The fellow will be supported by senior staff with expertise in health care quality, measure development, health care informatics, health care policy and implementation, practice transformation, health care outcomes research and analysis of health care quality data. Mentors will provide oversight of each fellow’s independent learning plan to ensure that fellowship activities are in line with career goals. Mentors will meet regularly with fellows to discuss progress. The fellow will also have access to NCQA data and resources to support their learning plan. The selected fellow can expect the following opportunities:
- Attend briefings with policy leaders on quality issues
- Attend research and policy-oriented events
- Participate in measure development, research and policy activities
- Enhance analytical skills
- Develop presentations, white papers or manuscripts for a research or policy audience
Additional information and application instructions are available on the NCQA website. Applications are due by February 1, 2016.
Ignatius Bau 