An evening with Robert Wood Johnson Foundation-funded Clinical Scholars

UNC-Chapel Hill leads new program

Last Saturday night, I had the honor and pleasure of welcoming some of the new Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) clinical scholars to Chapel Hill for a one-week training program. The scholars are part of the Foundation’s next-generation leadership program, which, in this round, is taking eight clinical teams from communities around the U.S. – 30 health-care practitioners in the first round of training – and preparing them to develop a transformational culture of health by focusing on some of the biggest, most wicked health problems in our communities. The eight selected teams receive coaching, high-level leadership skill development and funding to work on complex challenges, such as mental health care for vulnerable populations, opioid use in rural communities, violence, quality-of-life outcomes for foster youth and health care for transgender individuals.

Co-directors of the Clinical Scholars National Leadership Program, Drs. Giselle Corbie-Smith (left) and Claudia Fernandez

Our program is directed by two remarkable leaders, Giselle Corbie-Smith, MD, Kenan Distinguished Professor of social medicine and medicine at UNC’s medical school, and Claudia Fernandez, DrPH, clinical associate professor of maternal and child health at the Gillings School. I was so impressed by the scholars I met. They were uniformly positive, upbeat, courageous and committed. We’re thrilled to be part of the Clinical Scholars National Leadership Program and grateful to RWJF for funding it.