A primary goal of PCCM fellowship training at Duke is to help fellows discover and cultivate expertise across the full spectrum of academic medicine. Individualizing training with the guidance and support of faculty mentors enables trainees to graduate with the necessary experience to be qualified for the very best positions in our field.
Training Roadmaps
While no two PCCM fellows will have an identical training experience at Duke, we provide several roadmaps to help fellows navigate and customize their training paths:
With the high volume, high acuity, and procedural opportunities available to Duke PCCM fellows, we are proud to graduate master clinicians in general pulmonary and critical care medicine whose primary goal is superlative patient care.
We offer several subspecialty training tracks for fellows who wish to develop expertise in interstitial lung disease, pulmonary vascular disease/pulmonary hypertension, or lung transplantation so that our trainees are fully prepared for academic subspecialty faculty positions upon graduation.
Fellows pursuing leadership roles in quality and safety have ample opportunities to develop their skillset and experience. Several recent PCCM fellows have served as DUHS Chief Resident for Quality and Safety, a hospital-wide Q&S leadership training position. VA Chief Quality fellows can also benefit from national CRQS curricula and contribute to research and ongoing VA initiatives such as improving access to lung cancer screening and early detection.
Through DOM-wide programs such as the Duke Society for Early Education Scholars (SEEDS) and the Medical Education Leadership Track, fellows are prepared for careers in medical education innovation, scholarship, and practice. One Chief Fellow for Education is selected from the senior PCCM class to oversee educational fellowship initiatives and assist program leadership with advancing our educational mission.
The Division of Pulmonary, Allergy, and Critical Care, in conjunction with the Duke Hubert-Yeargan Center for Global Health have developed a combined fellowship for those interested in a career in global health and pulmonary medicine. In this pathway, the first two fellowship years are spent on clinical rotations and preparing an area of research for the fellow's time abroad. The 3rd year begins with a 6-week rotation at the planned research location overseas and then initiation of coursework with completion of the classroom portion of the Masters in Global Health at the end of the 3rd year. In the 4th year of training, a minimum of 9 months is spent overseas working on research to complete the master’s degree.
Fellows in the Physician Investigator track receive a strong foundation in clinical training while prioritizing protected time to focus on research and prepare applications for career development funding. The NHLBI-funded T32 grant provides specific educational and training opportunities, protected research time and support for research and career development activities for fellows. This pathway is heavily mentored by T32 program leadership, complemented by division and DOM support and networking through the Duke Fellows Research Academy. Fellows completing coursework through Duke University School of Medicine's Clinical Research Training Program (CRTP) are awarded a Masters of Health Sciences in Clinical Research.