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2007 Dr. Leon Nicks Memorial Minority Physician
Fellowship Program

This fellowship is awarded in the memory of Dr. T. Leon Nicks, a lifelong advocate for access to high quality health care for all members of the community and a member of the Foundation’s Distribution Committee. Dr. Nicks graduated from Talladega College and Temple University, and received his doctorate degree in Clinical Psychology from Boston University in 1960. He organized and developed the Multicultural Training and Psychology Program at Boston Medical Center. Dr. Nicks worked tirelessly to improve health care and substance abuse services as Director of the federal Department of Health & Human Services, Region One. The many accolades he received during his illustrious career include the U.S. Department of Labor Award for Health & Human Services, the Massachusetts League of Community Health Centers Lifetime Service Award, the Bureau of Primary Health Care Director’s Award, the U.S. Public Health Service Superior Service Award, and the Annual Award from the Massachusetts Association of Mental Health.

Guidelines
Application
Application (in MS Word)
Application Cover

The Metro West Community Health Care Foundation is pleased to announce the creation of the Dr. Leon Nicks Memorial Minority Physician Fellowship Program. Physicians who are motivated to work in a community based medical practice and have the experience, passion, and commitment to eliminate factors which contribute to racial/ethnic disparities in health care are urged to apply for this fellowship opportunity.

The Dr. Leon Nicks Memorial Minority Physician Fellowship Program is a collaborative effort between the MetroWest Community Health Care Foundation and four Boston MetroWest health care institutions which include the Framingham Community Health Center, Marlborough Hospital, MetroWest Medical Center, and Milford Regional Medical Center. The goal of this two year fellowship program is to increase the linguistic, cultural, and racial diversity of physicians practicing in these collaborating institutions and to enhance patient access to culturally competent quality medical care.

Physicians recruited into the Dr. Leon Nicks Fellowship Program will reflect the growing diversity of the MetroWest area. Dr. Leon Nicks Fellows will be expected to participate in the following activities:

• Promote culturally competent health care within their respective health care institutions
• Lead institutional and community based activities to reduce barriers to care for diverse patient populations
• Share best practices and network with other Dr. Leon Nicks Fellows in regularly scheduled meetings
• Participate in activities that promote minority health such as conferences presentations or preparing articles for publication.

The MetroWest Community Health Care Foundation will award four two-year fellowship awards on an annual basis. Each fellowship award will provide physicians with $30,000 per year, in addition to the physicians’ base institutional salary. The fellowship award may be used to augment salary, support housing expenses, repay student loans, or for other associated costs of living in the MetroWest area. Additionally, each Fellow will be assigned to a mentor and receive opportunities to network within the MetroWest community and Massachusetts professional sectors.

Deadline for Application Submission:
Applications will be accepted on or after August 15, 2007 and funding decisions will be made on a rolling basis following that date. Given the limited number of fellowships available, applicants are encouraged to apply as early in the funding cycle as possible.

Funding Period:
Funding limited to twenty-four months

For further information contact:
Sharon Marable, MD, MPH
Program Coordinator
Phone: (617)-451-0049 ext. 804

The Dr. Leon Nicks Memorial Minority Physician Fellowship Program is administered by The Medical Foundation, a non-profit organization committed to health promotion through the support of medical research andcommunity health initiatives.