Residency Tracks

We are excited to offer a research track for residents who are interested in an academic research career. The track is 5 years for those wishing to stay in Internal Medicine and 7 years for those interested in a subspecialty career as per ABIM requirements. Research track candidates must declare their intention to enroll in this track prior to or early in the intern year, and their schedules are modified over the next several years to ensure a minimum of 20 months of direct patient care clinical training in Internal Medicine. For those going on to fellowship there is an additional 12-20 months for the subspecialty depending on the subspecialty. For those interested in subspecialty fellowship training, acceptance into the research track requires concomitant acceptance into the fellowship program at UNM.

The primary goal of the research track is to provide intensive research training for future clinician investigators. The Department of Medicine has dedicated the financial and research resources to assist these individuals in becoming successful researchers during and after their training. By giving residents time for research, there is an expectation of obtaining first a mentored grant and eventually independent grant funding as a junior faculty member. It is anticipated that upon successful completion of this program, the residents will be given an opportunity to continue their academic career at UNM as junior faculty members.

For those interested in the UNM research track please contact the program for more information.

Fogarty fellow giving a lecture to the
community on sickle-cell anemia in Kenya

As part of the Center for Global Health in Internal Medicine, we have created a Global Health Residency Track. This will provide opportunities for residents in Internal Medicine to foster their interest in global health. The residency track includes curricular offerings in global health, the opportunity to engage in a Global Health Certificate Program, and the ability to engage in formalized clinical and/or research rotations at one our UNM partner sites in Chile, India, and Kenya.

The current number of available slots in the Global Health Residency Track is limited and as such, trainees will be selected for entry into the program based on merit.

For those individuals who choose to focus solely on clinical-based international experiences, it will be the responsibility of the trainee to provide his/her own travel- and per diem-related expenses for the foreign site rotation. However, for those individuals who choose to engage in clinical or basic science research, these trainees are eligible for travel-related expenses through funding received from the Fogarty International Center as part of a Framework in Global Health grant awarded to UNM.

Schedule

For those interested in the Global Health Track, these are key dates:

• Mid March: Applications accepted from all current PGY1 and 2 residents as well as incoming interns.
• First week in April: Deadline for applications (submit to Office of Education)
• End of April: Program Director will notify residents if they have been accepted.

During the following academic year:

• January: certificate didactics
• February and March: Global Health experience

UNM Certificate in Global Health

The overall purpose of this certificate program is to create a unified educational experience, with well-defined didactic course work, and practical experience in a global health setting, so that students can obtain the cross-disciplinary training required to address current and future global health issues. In addition, to the didactic course work, the program will provide a funded summer research internship at one of UNM international sites (Kenya, India, Panama, or Chile) for up to 5 students per annum.

The certificate program is an interdisciplinary graduate program open to students in the Biomedical Research Graduate Program, other School of Medicine programs, the College of Nursing programs, the College of Pharmacy programs and the School of Engineering Program in Biomedical Engineering. It is also open to students and clinical trainees who already have a graduate degree in a basic science, public health, medical, clinical, engineering or social science discipline (MD, PhD, MS, PharmD, ScD and MPH).

To obtain more information or to apply for the program please see the information at http://hsc.unm.edu/som/research/brep/cert_globalhealth.shtm.

Background

Hospital medicine is a growing specialty with an increasingly refined skill set required of its practitioners. More and more hospitals and other medical organizations are relying on hospitalists to care for admitted patients and lead systems changes and improvement.

The Hospitalist Training Track (HTT) within the University of New Mexico (UNM) Internal Medicine Residency Program is designed to provide residents interested in hospital medicine with training and exposures to principles and topics within the specialty beyond the existing residency curriculum.

Overview of the Track

The HTT at UNM is a longitudinal offering which occurs over PGY2 and PGY3.  Track residents will be involved in a variety of clinical rotations and extra-clinical experiences. The track focuses on the development of knowledge and skills within three domains:

• Clinical rotations
• Small group sessions
• A quality improvement (QI)/research project

Clinical Rotations*

Rotations occur during PGY2 and PGY3. Three are required (R) and one is of track resident’s choosing:

• Consultative Medicine (R)
• Sandoval Regional Medical Center Hospitalist (R)
• Medical Economics (R)
• Palliative Care Consults/Infectious Disease Consults/MICU Elective

*PGY2 residents entering the track in PGY3 will only be required to complete two of the above rotations

Small Group Sessions

Monthly small group sessions are held and led by faculty within the Division of Hospital Medicine. Topics focus on participants’ development as physician leaders as well as enhancing knowledge within areas of hospital medicine.

Sample topics include “Physicians as Teachers,” “Clinical Informatics,” “Career Planning,” and “High Value Care.”

Additionally, a hospital medicine journal club occurs during the track focused on building track residents’ clinical knowledge in hospital medicine.

QI/Research Project

Track residents work on a QI/research project of their choosing under the mentorship of faculty from the Division of Hospital Medicine. Projects are chosen taking into account residents’ personal interests as well as an eye for completion within a two-year period of time.  The projects will culminate in scholarly submission and publication and/or presentation in a journal and/or national conference.

Application Process

Categorical PGY1 or PGY2 residents within the University of New Mexico Internal Medicine Residency Program interested in a career in hospital medicine and those who desire to gain additional leadership and training exposures during their residency are encouraged to apply.

Training Track Leadership

• Director – Charles Pizanis, MD
• Programming Director – Eileen Barrett, MD
• QI/Research Director – Sergio Huerta, MD

Arti Prasad, MD, FACP
IMR Track Principal Investigator and Coordinator

The Integrative Medicine Track in Residency at UNM Internal Medicine Program is the first of its kind in the United States, demonstrating the innovation and flexibility of our program. The IMR track is funded collaboratively by the Weil Foundation and the Department of Internal Medicine. We have decided to take a forward perspective in meeting the health care challenge of our country by providing an opportunity for our residents to embark on prevention and wellness as an antidote for the nation’s health care crisis.

The track is available to all Internal Medicine Residents regardless of their area of specialty focus in the field of Internal Medicine. The prerequisites to participate in this track are to have enthusiasm about a new learning opportunity, a sense of commitment towards health and well-being, and to be in good academic standing in the Internal Medicine Residency Program.

Certification:

A Certificate of Completion through UNM Internal Medicine Program will be provided upon successful completion of the IMR track.

For more information about the Integrative Medicine Track in Residency at UNM, please contact Dr. Surya Pierce at supierce@salud.unm.edu or Dr. Betty Chang at betchang@salud.unm.edu.

Internal Medicine resident Dr. Eva Angeli in the clinic

New Mexico has an urgent need for primary care physicians; all but one of the state's 33 counties have been designated as Health Professions Shortage Areas by the Health Resources and Services Administration (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services). The Internal Medicine Primary Care Residency Track at the University of New Mexico School of Medicine has enormous potential to help fill this need.

Several recent studies have shown the importance of primary care physicians. The most poignant lesson of the Dartmouth Atlas of Health Careis that an increased supply of specialists does not correlate with improved health or outcomes, concluding that "The availability of excellent primary care is central to high performing health care and favorable patient outcomes." (Dartmouth).

Another study, "Contribution of primary care to health systems and health" (Starfield B, Shi L, Macinko J. Milbank Q 2005;83:457-502; cited at PubMed), shows that having more primary care physicians improves the quality of care in many areas of concern, including all-cause mortality; heart disease mortality; stroke mortality; infant mortality; low birth weight; life expectancy; and self-rated health.

That same Johns Hopkins University study cites lower costs, improved population health, and reduced inequities in the population's health as being among the societal benefits of the availability of more primary care.

Interest in primary care careers at UNM is on the rise among Internal Medicine residents, but filling the need requires a culture change that embraces and promotes primary care and generalist thinking.

Description of the UNM Internal Medicine Residency Primary Care Track

The Internal Medicine Residency Primary Care Track (PCT) was created in 2010 by a group of residents to provide robust training in ambulatory care and chronic disease management. Four residents from each class may choose to enter the track at the end of their intern year; our curriculum is embedded into the traditional R2 and R3 years.

There is a fair amount of flexibility in the core blocks over the two years. Residents adjust their PCT schedule to conform to the type of practice they plan to create.

For more information contact the Internal Medicine Residency program, IMResidency@salud.unm.edu.