Education and Workforce Development

Through three prestigious learning opportunities, the Duke-Margolis program provides health policy education and experience, including in-depth, hands-on training; mentorship from leading health policy experts; and study of complex, real-world health policy problems with a dedicated team of Duke researchers and colleagues. The Postdoctoral Associates and Fellows selected for these opportunities will engage as a cohort during their time at Duke on research, health policy-focused programming, journal clubs, and seminars. The program includes: 

• Duke-Margolis Postdoctoral Program in Health Policy, a two-year experience that aims to advance critical health policy research while building a pipeline of well-trained experts able to translate scientific research into policy solutions. Ideal for recent graduates (PhD, MD, PharmD, other relevant equivalent) demonstrating a strong interest in, and commitment to, a career in health policy.2023-2025 applications will be accepted until December 2, 2023. Accepted applicants will begin the Center’s program on August 1, 2023. Click here to access the program application. 
• Health Equity Policy & Primary Care Fellowship, a one-year program in collaboration with the Duke Department of Family Medicine and Community Health, aims to equip clinicians with the knowledge and experience to translate the concepts of health equity and health policy to improve their clinical practice. 2023-2024 applications will be accepted until November 15, 2023. Accepted applicants will begin the Fellowship program on August 1, 2023. To access the program application, please visit the Duke University School of Medicine webpage.
• National Clinician Scholars Program at Duke University trains nurse and physician researchers to become change agents driving policy-relevant research and partnerships to improve health and health care. Duke-Margolis provides health policy training and works closely with Scholars that have an interest in health policy research. For more information, please contact ncsp@duke.edu.

Visit the program webpage for more information about the Duke-Margolis Postdoctoral Associates & Affiliated Fellows Program.

Structural racism and the unequal distribution of opportunities and resources routinely create systemic barriers to health care for marginalized and minoritized populations, including individuals based on their gender, immigrant status, or disability. This disenfranchisement is a root cause of disparities in health access, outcomes, and patient experience in the United States and around the world. Health policy is a route to resolve these systemic inequities. But, health inequities in health policy and research often result from decisions about what research topics are pursued, who is included, and what and how data is collected, analyzed and presented. These decisions can perpetuate or dismantle historic and current health inequities.

The Duke-Margolis Institute for Health Policy conducts research and policy analysis to understand how health policies dismantle or perpetuate health inequities and identify policy solutions to advance health equity. As part of its mission, Duke-Margolis works with sectors across the Duke to educate and train the next generation of health policy leaders through an interdisciplinary approach.

Together with the Duke Department of Family Medicine and Community Health (DFMCH), Duke-Margolis launched a year-long Health Equity Policy and Primary Care Fellowship for a physician to gain knowledge and experience in translating the concepts of health equity and health policy to improve their clinical practice.

Fellows will learn from leading experts in the fields of medical education, research, public health, health equity, and health care policy. Research findings will provide a foundation for transformational change in primary care at Duke and other health systems. With the support of DFMCH and Duke-Margolis mentors, faculty, researchers, and staff, more Fellows will present at the end of the Fellowship to demonstrate their achievement of the program’s learning objectives.

For more information about the Health Equity Policy and Primary Care Fellowship, visit the program webpage, download the program fact sheet, or contact:

Andrea Thoumi, Area Lead, Community Health and Equity, andrea.thoumi@duke.edu 
Brian Antono, Fellowship Director, brian.antono@duke.edu 

The Margolis Scholars program is a prestigious program for Duke University students who demonstrate a strong interest in and a commitment to a career in health policy and management as well as leadership potential to improve health policy. Named in honor of Robert Margolis, M.D., the founder of Duke-Margolis and a pioneer of innovative, integrated care delivery models, the Margolis Scholars program provides promising students with the necessary knowledge, skills, and abilities to be the next generation of health care leaders.

Margolis Scholars is a competitive program open to students at all levels. Selected students are engaged in the program for 1 to 2 years, depending on their program of study. Learn more about the Margolis Scholars here.

Program Components
The Margolis Scholars program offers students the flexibility to explore the health policy topics in which they have interest while providing four key components: 

• Knowledge Building: learn through health policy coursework, attend bi- weekly Margolis Seminars, and engage in a multi-day intensive health policy workshop 
• Skills Enhancement & Training: participate in research, simulation and skills labs, and teaching assistantships, as well as plan policy events and participate in peer mentorship programming 
• Professional Development: receive 1:1 academic and professional advising/mentorship, attend professional conferences, receive internship/fellowship guidance and placement, and plan community service projects 
• Networking & Community Building: participate in unique opportunities to meet experts in the field, receive the Center’s monthly policy newsletter, plan annual events, and attend Margolis Retreat and other social/alumni events 

The Manning Family Scholarship in Health Care Business Leadership is one way that Duke-Margolis and Duke’s Fuqua School of Business support future health care leaders. The Manning Family Scholarship reflects the mutual, shared visions of Fuqua and Duke-Margolis to address the growing need for business and policy leadership in health care. Established in 2018 by Paul and Diane Manning through a gift from the Manning Family Foundation, the Manning Family Scholarship supports health research and innovation leading to the development of more effective treatments for the world’s most disruptive diseases.

To find out more download the fact sheets for the Margolis Scholar program and the Manning Family Scholarship, visit the program webpage, or contact:

Kate Bundorf, PhD
Margolis Scholars Faculty Director, kate.bundorf@duke.edu 

The Margolis Scholars Program is a prestigious, interdisciplinary educational and experiential opportunity for competitively selected Duke University graduate and undergraduate students who demonstrate strong interest in and commitment to a career in health policy and management, as well as leadership potential to improve health, health equity, and the value of health care.

The program provides promising medical students with the necessary knowledge, skills, and abilities to join the next generation of health care leaders at the intersection of clinical medicine and health policy. Selected Margolis Scholars in Medicine are engaged in the program for one year and receive tailored education and training in health policy, scholarship funding, mentorship, and a personal fund to support health policy and professional development-related activities. This accelerated one-year scholarship affords Duke medical students the opportunity to satisfy their third-year research experience requirement.

About the Margolis Scholars Program

The Margolis Scholars program offers students the flexibility to explore the health policy topics in which they have interest while providing four key components:

• Knowledge Building: learn through health policy coursework, attend bi- weekly Margolis Seminars, and engage in a multi-day intensive health policy workshop 
• Skills Enhancement & Training: participate in research, simulation and skills labs, and teaching assistantships, as well as plan policy events and participate in peer mentorship programming 
• Professional Development: receive 1:1 academic and professional advising/mentorship, attend professional conferences, receive internship/fellowship guidance and placement, and plan community service projects 
• Networking & Community Building: participate in unique opportunities to meet experts in the field, receive the Center’s monthly policy newsletter, plan annual events, and attend Margolis Retreat and other social/alumni events

Scholars Fund

Selected Margolis Scholars in Medicine are eligible for a $12,500 tuition scholarship and up to $6,000/yr to apply to approved professional experiences, including:

• Professional Development Stipend ($2500) for educational activities, research activities, professional development activities
• Supplemental Experience Stipend (up to $3500) for unpaid or underpaid summer internships, research assistantships, and teaching assistantships

Selected scholars will start in the Fall 2023 semester.
Interested rising 3rd-year Duke University medical school applicants will need to fill out the online application, including submission of a current resume/CV, personal statement, research proposal (project must be health policy relevant), mentor information, and respond to short-answer questions.

To find out more download the fact sheet for the Margolis Scholars in Medicine program or contact:

Kate Bundorf, PhD
Margolis Scholars Faculty Director, kate.bundorf@duke.edu

Tiffany Chan, MS
Margolis Scholars Program Coordinator, tiffany.chan@duke.edu 

Gillian Sanders Schmidler, PhD
Deputy Director, gillian.schmidler@duke.edu

The Duke-Margolis Summer Experience gives approximately 35 undergraduate and graduate students—enrolled at Duke and at colleges and universities around the country—a 10-week, in-depth exposure to health policy through mentored research opportunities aimed at improving health, health equity, and the value of health care. Duke-Margolis offers its competitive Summer Experience from May through July in both its Durham, NC and Washington, DC locations. 

Summer Experience Goals

• Learn through challenging and meaningful activities 
• Link academic learning to policy and practice 
• Gain professional experience within the field of health policy 
• Build positive relationships with faculty and staff 
• Identify, clarify, and/or confirm direction as it relates to your academic studies and future career path Develop strong networking/mentoring relationships 
• Strengthen our Margolis student community 
• Have fun in the process!

Accepted students are paired with a Duke-Margolis faculty or research mentor for the duration of their Experience, with whom they will work to support ongoing Duke-Margolis efforts to conduct rigorous analyses on leading health policy challenges. Individual tasks will be project-specific, but will include assignments such as literature reviews, data analyses and visualizations, and writing/editing a broad variety of work products, including project reports, policy briefs, blog posts, and article submissions for peer review. 

Accepted students are paid, dependent on education level, and work approximately 40 hours per week.
 

To find out more about the Duke-Margolis Institute and our Summer Experience Program, visit the program webpage, download the program fact sheet, or contact:

Dev Sangvai, MD, MBA
Faculty Director, Summer Experience, devdutta.sangvai@duke.edu

Tiffany Chan, MS
Program Coordinator, Summer Experience, tiffany.chan@duke.edu

Bass Connections bridges the classroom and the real world, giving students a chance to roll up their sleeves and tackle complex societal problems alongside faculty from across Duke. Working in interdisciplinary teams, graduate and undergraduate students collaborate with faculty on cutting-edge research that spans subjects, demographic groups and borders. Bass Connections builds on Duke’s culture of collaboration and fosters knowledge in service to society. Launched by a founding $50 million gift from Anne T. and Robert M. Bass P’97, Bass Connections sparked a new approach to integrating research, education and civic engagement within the university.

Building on years of experience leading Bass Connections projects, the Duke-Margolis Health Policy Center will lead a new theme focused on Health Policy & Innovation in 2023-24.

Projects accepted for this theme will implement an interdisciplinary approach to confront complex challenges in US health and health care—from the need for new and better treatments and the high cost of care to the factors that cause persistent health disparities, the rapid spread of health-related misinformation, and growing obstacles to the effective development of public health strategies at the local, state and national levels. 

Project teams of faculty, staff, and undergraduate and graduate students will focus on the development and implementation of strategies and solutions to improve the state of our health care system through evidence-based policy analysis, the development and testing of new medical devices and service delivery models, data analysis to inform patient care and wellness, intercountry comparative analysis, new provider training and patient communications systems, and new pricing models to reduce the cost of care. Students will develop the ability to apply critical thinking, creativity, and problem-solving skills to address complex health challenges, hone their capabilities in health policy research and analysis and gain experience working on multidisciplinary teams.

To find out more about the Duke-Margolis Bass Connections Health Policy & Innovation Theme, visit our theme page, download the fact sheet, or contact: 

Beth Gifford, PhD, Theme Lead, beth.gifford@duke.edu  
Tiffany Chan, MS, Theme Administrator, tiffany.chan@duke.edu  
 

The Duke-Margolis Center fosters collaborations to increase innovative, interdisciplinary education and training opportunities offered in health policy across schools and departments.

We pursue a health policy curriculum that integrates foundational, investigative, and experiential learning opportunities beyond the classroom through faculty and departmental partnerships with our interdisciplinary Bass Connections Health Policy & Innovation theme. For more information on our health policy related courses click here.