In addition to participating in a core curriculum in scholarly activities, all fellows will be expected to engage in projects in which they develop hypotheses or in projects of substantive scholarly exploration and analysis that require critical thinking. Areas in which scholarly activity may be pursued include, but are not limited to: basic, clinical, or translational biomedicine; health services; quality improvement; bioethics; education; and public policy.

Fellows are expected to present at a national meeting annually starting in the second year. Submission of abstracts is recommended but a fellows’ case presentation may be acceptable as well. Fellows are also expected to prepare and submit a case report (or other research article) to a peer reviewed journal on an annual basis starting during their first year.

In addition to biomedical research, examples of acceptable scholarly activities might include a critical meta-analysis of the literature, a systematic review of clinical practice, a critical analysis of public policy, or a curriculum development project with an assessment component.  Involvement in scholarly activities must result in the generation of a specific written “work product.”

Examples of “work products” include, but are not limited to:

• A peer-reviewed publication in which the fellow played a substantial role
• An in-depth manuscript describing a completed project
• A thesis or dissertation written in connection with the pursuit of an advanced degree
• An extramural grant application that has wither been accepted or favorably reviewed
• A progress report for projects of exceptional complexity, such as a multi-year clinical trial

Review of scholarly activity and the written work product will occur at the local level with each fellow having a Scholarship Oversight Committee responsible for overseeing and assessing the progress of each fellow and verifying to the ABP that the requirement has been met.  The Scholarship Oversight Committee will consist of three or more individuals, at least one of whom is based outside the subspecialty discipline; the fellowship program director may serve as a trainee’s mentor and participate in the activities of the oversight committee, but should not be a standing (i.e., voting) member.