NHGRI logo

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) seeks qualified physicians, physician assistants, nurse practitioners and genetic counselors interested in acquiring credentials and experience to lead genomic medicine research and implementation programs at the NIH, major medical centers and other organizations.

Location: Bethesda, Maryland

Overview

The NIH-ACMG Genomic Medicine Program Management Fellowship seeks to increase the pool of health practitioners who manage research and implementation programs in genomic medicine. The Fellowship was established in 2017 as a partnership among the American College of Medical Genetics and Genomics (ACMG); the National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI); the All of Us Research Program (AoURP); the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI); and the National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities (NIMHD).

Two fellowships will be awarded annually and administered primarily by the ACMG in collaboration with a fellowship committee of NIH representatives. We anticipate a start date in early July of each year, though exceptions may be considered.

Eligibility

  • Must be a United States citizen or national. (Those with permanent resident cards or temporary or student visas are not eligible to apply.)
  • Must be eligible to practice in the U.S. (i.e., have appropriate licensure or certification).
  • Have completed an applicable advanced degree (M.D., D.O., P.A., N.P., C.N.S. or genetic counseling M.S. or Ph.D.). Other clinicians with substantial experience in genetics may write to nihacmgfellowship@nih.gov to discuss whether they would be appropriate candidates for the fellowship.
  • Strong interest in establishing and managing genomic medicine programs.
  • Post-graduate residency training is preferred, but not required.
  • Fellowship offers are contingent on the applicant’s ability to successfully pass a federal background check.

Salary and Benefits

Fellows are employed by ACMG and are federal contractors while at NIH. The salary range is $100,000 - $125,000, commensurate with relevant experience. In addition, ACMG offers an excellent benefits package.

Description

This full-time, two-year fellowship will be located primarily in Bethesda, Maryland. During the first year and a half of the fellowship, each fellow will work at each participating NIH or ACMG component in a series of 3-4 month rotations. In this role, the fellow will participate as associates of NIH Program Officers/Directors or ACMG Program Directors working in a variety of ongoing extramural research program activities (see below). In addition to these rotations, fellows are encouraged to design an elective rotation for the final 6 months of the fellowship that may be pursued at ACMG, NIH, or an external site mutually agreed upon with the fellowship committee.  Throughout these rotations, a patient-care experience equivalent to 0.5 day per week will be encouraged. This clinical work can be pursued as an adjunct clinician at the NHGRI intramural clinical research program or other clinical services within or outside NIH as feasible and desired. Upon completion of the fellowship, fellows should be qualified to organize and manage complex research or implementation programs in genomic medicine.

NIH research programs in which fellows may participate include, but are not limited to, the All of Us Research Program (AoURP), the Clinical Genome Resource (ClinGen), the Electronic Medical Records and Genomics (eMERGE) Network, the Implemeting Genomics in Practice (IGNITE) Consortium, the Clinical Sequencing Evidence-Generating (CSER) Consortium, the NHLBI Trans-Omics for Precision Medicine (TOPMed) Program, and epidemiology studies such as the Framingham Heart Study and Jackson Heart Study. Fellows may also participate in developing new research initiatives. The ACMG  rotation offers experience in ClinGen or the National Coordinating Center for the Regional Genetics Networks (NCC).

Core Competencies and Learning Areas

While rotating through the above programs, fellows will build the following core competencies and learning areas:

  1. Foundational Knowledge and Understanding of Genomics and Its Applications
    1. Gain perspective on current and future directions, best practices and broader considerations
       
  2. Research Grant Development, Implementation, and Management
    1. General Knowledge and Skills
      1. Complete the NIH Integrated Core Coursework to understand grant structures and processes
      2. Understand and use electronic grants administration modules
      3. Observe cross-agency interactions (IC, OMB, FDA, CDC etc.)
         
    2. New Concept Development
      1. Evaluate current knowledge and emerging issues to identify research gaps
      2. Prepare a concept/initiative for internal NIH Institute or Center (IC) and advisory council clearance
      3. Draft and release a Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO)
         
    3. General Grant Review and Administration (Application through Review)
      1. Prepare for and participate in a pre-application seminar or webinar
      2. Respond to investigators’ queries
      3. Review applications for responsiveness
      4. Review budgets for duplication, omissions
      5. Attend a study section
         
    4. General Grant Review and Administration (Post-Review through Completion)
      1. Perform grant checklist adhering to NIH policies & procedures (e.g., Genomics Data Sharing Policy)
      2. Attend council meeting
      3. Observe funding decisions, prioritization and budget discussions
      4. Understand advantages/limitations to Other Transaction Authority mechanism
      5. Negotiate budget reductions or restrictions with Primary Investigators (PIs)
      6. Prepare for and participate in site visit, external scientific panel, or Data and Safety Monitoring Board (DSMB)
      7. Handle requests for application re-assignment to a different IC or >$500K direct costs
         
    5. Ongoing Initiatives
      1. Participate in Steering Committee and Working Group meetings
      2. Participate in tracking investigator progress
      3. Review progress reports and applications to request continued funding (type 5)
      4. Prepare for and conduct external panel/board reviews/annual meetings
         
    6. Strategic Planning for Consortiums, ICs and Large Programs
      1. Develop and implement workshop
      2. Understand elements of successful strategic planning
         
  3. Individual Areas of Focus
    1. Projects (rotation-specific and longitudinal throughout fellowship)
    2. Clinical hours
       
  4. Personal Development
    1. Select and develop relationship with mentors from ACMG & NIH (e.g., set goals, development plan)
    2. Core management skills of high functioning teams (e.g., communication, interpersonal skills, leadership, situation monitoring, mutual support)

How to Apply

The application for the 2024-2026 cohort is now open. To apply, please access the application. Interested and eligible candidates must complete the application by December 5, 2023, 5:00 PM Eastern Time (ET).

For inquiries, please contact nihacmgfellowship@nih.gov.

Faculty

Rina Das

Rina Das, Ph.D.
Rotation Director, NIMHD
Fellowship Steering Committee Member

Role outside of fellowship:
Director
Division of Integrative Biological and Behavioral Sciences
NIMHD


Weinu Gan

Weiniu Gan, Ph.D.
Rotation Director, NHLBI
Fellowship Steering Committee Member

Role outside of fellowship:
Program Director
Genetics, Genomics and Advanced Technologies
Division of Lung Diseases
NHLBI


Teri Manolio

Teri Manolio, MD, Ph.D.
Fellowship Director, NIH
Fellowship Steering Committee Member

Role outside of fellowship:
Director
Division of Genomic Medicine
NHGRI


Esperes Mfwilwakanda

Esperes Mfwilwakanda, BPH
Fellowship Manager

Role outside of fellowship:
Program Specialist
NHGRI


Renee Rider

Renee Rider, MS, JD, CGC
Fellowship Associate Director, NIH
Rotation Director, NHGRI
Fellowship Steering Committee Member

Role outside of fellowship:
Program Director
Division of Genomic Medicine
NHGRI


Nataly Schwartz

Nataly Schwartz, MBA
Manager for Recruitment and Applications

Role outside of fellowship:
Governance and Operations Manager
ACMG


Meredith Weaver

Meredith Weaver PhD, ScM, CGC
Rotation Director, ACMG
Fellowship Steering Committee Member
Mentor

Role outside of fellowship:
Associate Project Director
ClinGen
ACMG


Melanie Wells

Melanie Wells, MPH, CAE
Fellowship Co-Director, ACMG
Fellowship Steering Committee Member

Role outside of fellowship:
Chief Executive Officer
ACMG


Anastasia Wise

Anastasia Wise, Ph.D.
Rotation Director, All of Us Research Program
Fellowship Steering Committee Member

Role outside of fellowship:
Director
Scientific Return to Participants and Impact
All of Us Research Program

Rotation Preceptors, Clinical Supervisors, and Mentors

The following are individuals who are not formally part of the fellowship, but work with our fellows as rotation preceptors, clinical supervisors, and mentors.

Larissa Avilés-Santa, MD., MPH 
Mentor, NIMHD

Utibe Bickham-Wright, PhD, PMP
Rotation Preceptor, NIMHD

Lawrence Brody, Ph.D.
Mentor, NHGRI

Kathy Calzone, Ph.D., RN, AGN-BC, FAAN 
Mentor, NCI

Christine Chang, MPH 
Rotation Preceptor, NHGRI

Heather Colley, M.S.
Mentor, NHGRI

Dan Kastner, MD, Ph.D.
Clinical Supervisor, NHGRI

Deborah Linares, Ph.D., MA 
Rotation Preceptor, NIMHD

Paul Liu, M.D., Ph.D.
Clinical Supervisor, NHGRI

Nicole Lockhart, Ph.D.
Rotation Preceptor, Mentor, NHGRI

Megan Lyon, MPH 
Rotation Preceptor, ACMG

Ebony Madden, Ph.D.
Rotation Preceptor, NHGRI

Iman Martin, Ph.D., MPH, M.Sc.
Rotation Preceptor, NHGRI

Joannella Morales, Ph.D.
Rotation Preceptor, NHGRI

Nguyen Park, DMSc, M.S.
Mentor, AoURP

Erin Ramos, Ph.D., MPH 
Rotation Preceptor, NHGRI

Francis Rossignol, M.D
Clinical Supervisor, NHGRI

Robb Rowley, M.D.
Rotation Preceptor, NHGRI

Oleg Shchelochkov, M.D.
Mentor, NHGRI

Ben Solomon, M.D.
Mentor, NHGRI

Camilo Toro, M.D.
Clinical Supervisor, UDN

Testimonials

The ACMG/NIH Genomic Program Management Fellowship has been a deeply gratifying, invaluable opportunity to learn about grants management, collaboration and leadership. An immersive experience in various settings, it allows for a deep dive into project, portfolio and program management at the forefront of genomics. The keystone of this program is sage mentorship from faculty and collegial experiential learning between fellows across clinical disciplines (PAs, NPs, genetic counselors). In very simple words, you get to meet and learn from many diverse and brilliant people doing very cool things!

Dee Burkhardt

 Dee Burkardt, D.O.

 2021-2022 ACMG-NIH Fellow

 

Current position: Staff Clinician, Department of Pediatrics, NIH Clinical Center

 

The level of exposure to great leaders in the field of genetics and genomics has been incredible. For a person like me, who wants to understand how everything works, getting to understand the nitty-gritty behind grants management has been fascinating and very educational. In addition, every person I’ve worked with has been generous with their time and guidance, including all my co-fellows who have been a source of expertise and friendship that was unexpectedly lovely.

Nguyen Park

 Nguyen Park, M.S., PA-C

 2021-2023 NIH-ACMG Fellow


Current position: Health Scientist Administrator, All of Us Research Program, NIH

 

I worked in a clinical setting for over 8 years. I was at a point where I realized that the best way for me to help my patients was to step back and look at the bigger picture — specifically, working with researchers. I wanted to help improve genetic care and how we provide that care. What better place could there be to do that than at the NIH? This fellowship was the perfect opportunity for me to learn more about how research is managed, and a great way to get my foot in the door and make connections.

Renee Rider

 Renee Rider, M.S., J.D., LCGC

 2020-2022 NIH-ACMG Fellow

 

Current position: Program Director, Division of Genomic Medicine, NHGRI

 

The NIH-ACMG Fellowship continues to exceed my expectations. The extraordinary hands-on learning experiences at the forefront of genomics, along with abundant networking opportunities, are expanding my genomic medicine program management skill set within and beyond my research and clinical interests in precision health for the neonatal/pediatric population. Accomplished fellowship mentors generously share their scientific expertise as well as insights regarding post-fellowship career endeavors. The co-fellows are a multidisciplinary, collaborative team of gifted clinicians who have become treasured friends.

Valerie Willis

 Valerie Willis, Ph.D., RN, PPCNP-B, PCNS-BC

 2020-2022 NIH-ACMG Fellow


Current position: Visiting Assistant Professor, Department of Medical and Molecular Genetics, Indiana University School of Medicine

Last updated: October 4, 2023