NAMOur WorkHealth Policy Fellowships and Leadership ProgramsJames C. Puffer, MD/American Board of Family Medicine Fellowship

James C. Puffer, MD/American Board of Family Medicine Fellowship

The National Academy of Medicine’s NAM Perspectives health periodical provides a venue for leading health, medical, science, and policy experts to reflect on issues and opportunities important to the advancement of our mission.
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2025 Call for Nominations

Nominations are open until 3:00 pm ET on June 3, 2025.

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About the Fellowship

The overall purpose of the Puffer/ABFM Fellowship at the NAM is to enable talented, early-career health policy and science scholars in family medicine to participate actively in health- and medicine-related work of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (the National Academies) and to further their careers as future leaders in the field. In considering qualifications for the Puffer/ABFM Fellowship, preference will be given to candidates who have a demonstrated interest in and focus on health quality and health services and have an MD, PhD, or DO This program is supported through an endowment from the American Board of Family Medicine. The Puffer/ABFM Fellowship is part of the NAM Fellowships for Health Science Scholars program. 

Fellows

Current Fellows

2023-2025 Puffer/ABFM Fellow

Dr. Gold is an Associate Professor in the Department of Family Medicine at the University of Colorado, a practicing family physician at a federally qualified health center in the Denver Health system, and a Scholar at the Farley Health Policy Center. Her research and policy work focus on payment reform for primary care and integrating behavioral health with primary care, with the goal of system transformation to enable primary care to better and more equitably care for the whole heath of individuals, families, and communities.

Dr. Gold served as president of the Colorado Academy of Family Physicians (CAFP) from 2022-2023. Through the CAFP, Dr. Gold helped advance legislation to improve primary care investment in Colorado and has provided input on multiple state task forces and committees related to primary care payment reform. Dr. Gold co-edited a book, Integrated Behavioral Health in Primary Care: Your Patients are Waiting, which provides guidance on practice transformation to integrate care. She led the development of the Building Blocks of Behavioral Health Integration, a framework of care delivery expectations for use in practice transformation and alternative payment models. Dr. Gold also teaches policy and advocacy skills and has developed novel curricula for residents and international learners.

Dr. Gold received her MD from the University of Virginia School of Medicine and completed her residency at the University of Colorado – Denver Health track. Following residency, she completed a health policy fellowship with the Farley Health Policy Center.

2023-2025 Puffer/ABFM Fellow

Dr. Sebastian Tong is a family physician, addiction medicine specialist and health services researcher. He is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Family Medicine at the University of Washington. He also serves as the Associate Director of the Washington, Wyoming, Alaska, Montana and Idaho (WWAMI) region Practice and Research Network, a practice-based research network of over 120 practices. He practices primary care at Harborview Family Medicine Center, a hospital-based safety-net clinic.

Dr. Tong’s research focuses on access to and implementation of evidence-based practices in primary care. He has a particular interest in chronic pain, substance use disorder, loneliness, and integrated behavioral health. He has received research funding for his work from the National Institutes of Health, the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, the American Board of Family Medicine Foundation and the American Academy of Family Physicians Foundation.

Dr. Tong received his MD from Boston University School of Medicine and his MPH in Health Care Management and Policy from Harvard School of Public Health. He completed his family medicine training at Lawrence Family Medicine Residency in Lawrence, MA. He is certified by the American Board of Family Medicine and the American Board of Preventive Medicine in Addiction Medicine.

2024-2026 Puffer/ABFM Fellow

Dr. Ravi is a board-certified family medicine physician and a distinguished healthcare leader who specializes in the care of survivors of gender-based violence (GBV).  She is a founder and CEO of PurpLE Health Foundation, a nationally recognized non-profit organization pioneering a Center of Healthcare Excellence for survivors of GBV to improve care for women, girls, and gender-diverse people who have experienced human trafficking, domestic violence, and sexual assault. 

Dr. Ravi’s expertise and dedication in the field of GBV and healthcare have driven the development of comprehensive clinical, research, training, and advocacy programs that have garnered widespread acclaim.  Her influence extends beyond clinical practice into public health research and policy, with her work featured in reports by the National Academy of Medicine and the World Health Organization and highlighted in prominent media outlets.  A highly sought-after speaker and educator, Dr. Ravi is known for using creative tools, such as drawing and repurposing classic games, to emphasize the urgent need for drastic transformation in the healthcare system for GBV survivors.  Her innovative approach has led to her selection for prestigious leadership programs, such as the Rockefeller Foundation’s Bellagio Center Residency and the Presidential Leadership Scholars Program.  She has also been named a “40 Under 40” Leader in Minority Health by the National Minority Quality Forum and is the recipient of the 2024 American Medical Association Foundation’s “Excellence in Medicine: Courage in Women’s Health Advocacy” Award. 

Dr. Ravi received her BA from Washington University in St. Louis, her MD from the University of Michigan School of Medicine, her MPH from Yale University, and her MSHP from the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine.  She is a graduate of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation/Veterans Affairs Clinical Scholars Fellowship Program. 

2024-2026 Puffer/ABFM Fellow

Dr. Alyssa Tilhou is a family physician, addiction medicine subspecialist, and health services researcher.  She is an Assistant Professor and Research Director in the Department of Family Medicine at Boston University.  She practices family medicine and addiction medicine at Boston Medical Center where she is a physician in the Family Medicine clinic and attends on the inpatient Addiction Consult Service. 

Dr. Tilhou’s research aims to reduce health inequities by leveraging large secondary data to identify strategies and opportunities for intervention to improve health outcomes.  She has a particular interest in improving the health of patients with substance use disorders by enabling access to high quality primary care and substance use services.  Her work has used secondary sources such as Medicaid claims, commercial and employer-sponsored insurance claims, and electronic health record data.  Dr. Tilhou also has experience leading mixed methods studies and strives to create opportunities for patient and community voices to be represented in the research process.  Her research has been funded by Wisconsin Department of Health Services, Boston University Clinical and Translational Science Institute, and the National Institute on Drug Abuse (K08DA058052). 

Dr. Tilhou received her BA from Harvard University and her MD and PhD from the University of Texas Medical Branch School of Medicine and School of Public and Population Health, respectively.  She completed family medicine training at Mountain Area Health Education Center Family Medicine Residency Program in Asheville, NC, and addiction medicine training at the University of Wisconsin Department of Family Medicine and Community Health Addiction Medicine Fellowship in Madison, WI. 

Previous Fellows

2022-2024 Puffer/ABFM Fellow

Dr. Fitzgerald is an Assistant Professor in the Departments of Family Medicine and Psychiatry/Behavioral Sciences at Rush University. She is also the Associate Program Director of the Rush University Addiction Medicine Fellowship. She is the Service Chief of Inpatient Addiction Medicine at PCC Community Wellness Center, a federally qualified health center system that serves the West Side of Chicago.

Dr. Fitzgerald’s work has focused on promoting cross-sector collaboration to improve care for persons affected by substance use disorders, with an emphasis in the perinatal/child health arena. Her scholarly work has focused on addressing stigma, building capacity in primary care for treating opioid use disorder in special populations, and implementing evidence-based substance use disorder curricula in the next generation of clinicians.

Dr. Fitzgerald received her MD from the University of Michigan Medical School and completed her Family Medicine training with the Montana Family Medicine Residency and her Addiction Medicine fellowship with Rush University.

2022-2024 Puffer/ABFM Fellow

Dr. Alicia Cohen is a family physician and health services researcher. She is an Investigator at the VA Center of Innovation in Long Term Services and Supports, and an Assistant Professor of Family Medicine and Health Services, Policy, and Practice at the Brown University Alpert Medical School and School of Public Health. Dr. Cohen practices primary care at the VA Providence Healthcare System’s Homeless clinic and Women’s Health clinic.

Dr. Cohen’s research aims to understand and improve how social determinants of health are identified and addressed in clinical settings, with a particular focus on food insecurity. As a current VA Career Development Awardee, she is developing and evaluating novel strategies to optimize screening and referral processes for connecting Veterans experiencing food insecurity with VA and community resources. Findings from her work have been cited in Congressional testimony on Veteran and military hunger. Dr. Cohen also co-leads a national VA social risk screening and referral initiative, “Assessing Circumstances and Offering Resources for Needs” (ACORN), conducted in partnership with the VA Office of Health Equity and VA National Social Work Program. She serves on several national VA committees and workgroups, as well as the Research Advisory Committee for the Social Interventions Research and Evaluation Network (SIREN). Dr. Cohen is currently a VA Fellow with the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM) Roundtable on the Promotion of Health Equity.

Dr. Cohen received her MD from the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. She completed her Family Medicine training at the UCSF-Santa Rosa Family Medicine Residency, followed by an Integrative Medicine Fellowship at the University of Michigan. She was a Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Clinical Scholar at the University of Michigan, where she earned a master’s degree in Health and Health Care Research. Dr. Cohen subsequently completed an Advanced Health Services Research & Development Fellowship at the VA Ann Arbor Center for Clinical Management Research and the VA Providence Center of Innovation in Long Term Services and Supports.

2021-2023 Puffer/ABFM Fellow
2020-2022 Puffer/ABFM Fellow
2019-2021 Puffer/ABFM Fellow
2018-2020 Puffer/ABFM Fellow (Elected to NAM in 2020)
2016-2018 Puffer/ABFM Fellow
2015-2017 Puffer/ABFM Fellow (Elected to NAM in 2023)
2014-2016 Puffer/ABFM Fellow (Elected to NAM in 2021)
2013-2015 Puffer/ABFM Fellow
2012-2014 Puffer/ABFM Fellow (Elected to NAM in 2014)
2011-2013 Puffer/ABFM Fellow

Description

The Puffer/ABFM Fellowship is awarded for a two-year period. During this time, the fellow is expected to continue to work at their main academic post, while being assigned to a health- and medicine-related board of the National Academies. The boards are:

  • Children, Youth, and Families,
  • Food and Nutrition,
  • Global Health,
  • Health Care Services,
  • Health Sciences Policy, and
  • Population Health and Public Health Practice.

The fellowship requires a 10- to 20-percent commitment of time for two years, and includes attendance at a one-week orientation to health policy, the NAM Annual Meeting in October and the meetings of the assigned board. Domestic travel expenses are covered for participation in approved fellowship activities. Additionally, the fellow will participate actively in the work of an appropriate study committee or roundtable, including contributing to its reports or other products. Studies that would enable the potential for the fellow to contribute to the value of integrating medicine and public health will be identified.

This experience will introduce the Puffer/ABFM Fellow to a variety of experts and perspectives, including legislators, government officials, industry leaders, executives of voluntary health organizations, scientists, and other health professionals. In addition, each fellow will be assigned to an NAM member who will serve as a senior mentor during the two years of the fellowship.

Each Puffer/ABFM Fellow will be asked to designate a tax exempt institution under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code, which shall receive an unrestricted grant of $25,000, with an expressed preference that the grant be used to advance the fellow’s professional and academic career in so far as it is practical to do. However, this grant is not intended for use as a salary offset for the fellow, and no indirect costs are allowed. The grant will be administered through the appropriate department in the fellow’s home institution to advance the fellow’s professional and academic career.

Program Information

Eligibility & Selection Process

Nominees for the Puffer/ABFM Fellowship must:

  • Be nominated by a member of the NAM or governing body of the ABFM
  • Be active in the field of family medicine and may include a Ph.D., M.D. or D.O.
  • Have received a Ph.D. within the past one-to-ten years or be one-to-ten years out from completion of residency training with an M.D. or D.O.
  • Be able to dedicate 10 to 20 percent of time to the fellowship for two years
  • Be endorsed by the department chair, institute director, or equivalent
  • Hold U.S. citizen or permanent resident status at the time of the nomination

Nominees will be evaluated by an NAM-appointed committee based on their professional qualifications, scholarship, and quality of professional accomplishments as evidenced through publications and research grants, and relevance of current field of expertise to the work of the NAM.

Preference will be given to candidates who have a demonstrated interest in and focus on health care quality and health services.

A complete nomination packet must be submitted electronically through the online nomination system at https://namfellows.secure-platform.com/submission and will include the following documents:

  • A nomination letter from a member of the NAM or the governing body of the ABFM
  • Three (3) letters of reference
  • A supporting letter from the candidate’s department chair, institute director, or equivalent
  • An up-to-date curriculum vitae
  • A brief one-page bio
  • A one-page personal statement that describes the candidate’s reasons for wanting to be a fellow for this particular program at this phase of their career

Timeline

Fellowships will be awarded in odd years.

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March 4, 2025

Call for nominations opens

June 3, 2025

Nomination packets are due at 3:00pm ET

July 25, 2025

Awardee is notified

September 9-11, 2025

Fellow orientation week at the NAM is held

October 19-20, 2025

Fellow is introduced to the Membership at the NAM Annual Meeting

Program Administration

Inquiries about the Puffer/ABFM Fellowship should be directed to:

Yumi Phillips
Senior Program Officer

Health Policy Fellowships and Leadership Programs
National Academy of Medicine
500 Fifth Street, NW
Washington, DC 20001

Phone: (202) 334-1506

Email: [email protected]

The James C. Puffer/ABFM Fellowship was established in 2011 through an endowment from the American Board of Family Medicine.