[Iefac.list] Fellows sought for PITTSBURGH VA Health Care System..

[Bidanda, Bopaya]

Dear IE faculty colleagues:

I would appreciate it if you could circulate this exciting opportunity to your recent M.S. and PhD graduates.  

The PITTSBURGH Veterans Engineering Resource Center (VERC) is a collaborative project between the VA Pittsburgh Health Care System (VAPHS), the Pitt Department of Industrial Engineering, and the Graduate School of Public Health. Please feel free to contact me if you need any additional information.

Warm regards
Bopaya Bidanda


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Bopaya Bidanda
Ernest Roth Professor & Chairman
Department of Industrial Engineering
University of Pittsburgh
Pittsburgh PA 15261
tel: 412-624-9830

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Fellows sought for VA PITTSBURGH Healthcare System Veterans Engineering
Resource Center

The VA Pittsburgh Healthcare System (VAPHS) Veterans Engineering Resource Center (VERC) has established a Fellowship Program that offers
exciting opportunities for qualified applicants to participate in a didactic and experiential program to improve healthcare delivery.  The
VERC Fellowship was established to integrate systems engineering principles and methods into the fabric of VA healthcare operations.
VERC develops, tests, trains, and spreads innovative engineering solutions.  VERC is currently building a project portfolio with ongoing
work in cancer screening, diagnosis and treatment, reprocessing of Reusable Medical Equipment (RME), surgical safety, inpatient medicine,
and in streamlining VA administrative processes.  Additionally, VERC participates in strategically-important projects initiated by the VA
Office of Systems Redesign, and VERC Fellows will devote a significant portion of their work efforts to the National Medical Home Initiative.

Fellows will be immersed in a didactic program that will include direct participation on project teams redesigning and re-engineering VA
Healthcare systems, clinical procedures and processes, and continuing education and practical application of project management skills.
Participating Fellows will: 1) Learn to apply systems engineering techniques to the improvement of health systems, 2) Directly observe
clinical processes and procedures and will have the opportunity to pilot tests of change, 3) Use modeling and simulation software to manipulate
VA datasets, and 4) Write at least one manuscript for submission to a medical quality or systems engineering journal.  The Fellowship requires
travel, curriculum development and teaching project teams.  Graduates of this fellowship will have experience and qualifications to obtain
employment in healthcare settings or pursue further training in healthcare systems engineering.

Fellows will be based at the VA Pittsburgh Medical Center and will report to the VERC's on-site Industrial Engineer.  Mentoring will be
available through VAPHS, affiliated University of Pittsburgh schools Engineering, Business, Medicine, and Public Health, as well as other
VERCs across the country.   

Fellowship requirements include a master's degree or PhD in Industrial Engineering or a related engineering field as well as US citizenship.  A
stipend is provided by the VA Office of Academic Affiliations; fellows with a master's degree earn approximately $30,000 and fellows with a PhD
earn approximately $45,000, both with full benefits.  Applications are currently being accepted. 

To inquire about this fellowship, please contact:
 
  
Robert Monte, RPh, MBA, 
VERC Director
robert.monte at va.gov
(412) 360-6270 
   			or 
Ian Joos, MHA
VERC Administrator
ian.joos at va.gov
(412) 360-1178 
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