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

The next call for nominations will open in March 2024.

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 M.D., Ph.D., or D.O. Supported through an endowment from the American Board of Family Medicine, the program especially welcomes nominations of historically underrepresented candidates.

The Puffer/ABFM Fellowship is part of the NAM Fellowships for Health Science Scholars program. See all opportunities >>

Current Fellows

Steven Lin, MD

Steven Lin, MD

2021-2023 Puffer/ABFM Fellow

Dr. Lin is a Clinical Associate Professor in the Division of Primary Care and Population Health at Stanford University School of Medicine. He is the Family Medicine Service Chief and the Head of Technology Innovation in the Division of Primary Care and Population Health at Stanford.  He is the founder of three nationally recognized programs – the O’Connor-Stanford Leaders in Education Residency Program (OSLER), the Stanford Medical Scribe Fellowship (COMET), and the Stanford Healthcare AI Applied Research Team (HEA3RT). Dr. Lin has a particular interest in preventive cardiology, diabetes, hepatitis B, and mental health. His current focus is at the intersection of health services innovation, digital health and emerging technologies, specifically artificial intelligence and machine learning. Dr. Lin is the author of over 260 scholarly works and conference presentations. He has received numerous national awards and is recognized among the top family physicians in the United States.

Dr. Lin earned his MD from Stanford University and completed his training at Stanford’s family medicine residency program at O’Connor Hospital. He is certified by the American Board of Family Medicine and is an active member of the Society of Teachers of Family Medicine.

Alicia Cohen, MD, MSc, FAAFP

Alicia Cohen, MD, MSc, FAAFP

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.

 

Ruchi Fitzgerald, MD, FAAFP

Ruchi Fitzgerald, MD, FAAFP

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.

Past Fellows

Rita Hamad, MD, PhD

Rita Hamad, MD, PhD

2020-2022 Puffer/ABFM Fellow

Lars Peterson, MD, PhD

Lars Peterson, MD, PhD

2019-2021 Puffer/ABFM Fellow

Kameron Matthews, MD, JD, FAAFP

Kameron Matthews, MD, JD, FAAFP

2018-2020 Puffer/ABFM Fellow

Tammy Chang, MD, MPH

Tammy Chang, MD, MPH

2017-2019 Puffer/ABFM Fellow

Sean Lucan, MD, MPH, MS

Sean Lucan, MD, MPH, MS

2016-2018 Puffer/ABFM Fellow

Gerado Moreno, MD, MSHS

Gerado Moreno, MD, MSHS

2015-2017 Puffer/ABFM Fellow

Kendall Campbell, MD, FAAFP

Kendall Campbell, MD, FAAFP

2014-2016 Puffer/ABFM Fellow

Katherine Gold, MD, MSW, MS

Katherine Gold, MD, MSW, MS

2013-2015 Puffer/ABFM Fellow

Jennifer DeVoe, MD, MPhil, MCR, DPhil, FAAFP

Jennifer DeVoe, MD, MPhil, MCR, DPhil, FAAFP

2012-2014 Puffer/ABFM Fellow

Sean David, MD, SM, DPhil

Sean David, MD, SM, DPhil

2011-2013 Puffer/ABFM Fellow

Fellowship 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.

Eligibility

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
Selection Criteria

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.

Nomination Packet

A complete nomination packet must be submitted electronically through the online nomination system at https://fellowship.nam.edu/ and will include the following documents:

  • A nomination letter from a member of the NAM or 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

Timeline

  • March 2024 | Call for nominations opens
  • June 2024 | Nomination packets are due at 3:00pm ET
  • July 2024 | Awardee is notified
  • September 2024 | Fellow orientation week at the NAM is held
  • October 2024 | 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
Program Officer
Health Policy Fellowships and Leadership Programs
National Academy of Medicine
500 Fifth Street, NW
Washington, DC 20001
Phone: (202) 334-1506
Email: yphillips@nas.edu

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


Join Our Community

Sign up for NAM email updates