GENERAL QUESTIONS
1. What is the purpose of this program?
According to a 2011 Institute of Medicine report, in the future, there will not be enough physicians and other health professionals trained to handle the number of people who will need HIV testing and treatment. The HIV Clinical Leadership Program is a first-of-its-kind program offering community-based, advanced training for physicians committed to careers in HIV Primary care for the underserved communities. With a growing shortage of primary care providers focused on HIV and the continuing need to improve treatment and access to care for people living with HIV, this program aims to develop the next generation of physicians specializing in HIV and caring for underserved communities.
This shortage of healthcare providers focused on HIV was also highlighted as a key issue in the White House’s “National HIV/AIDS Strategy for the United States: Updated to 2020.” This report calls for “deliberate steps to increase the capacity of systems as well as the number and diversity of available providers of clinical care and related services for people living with HIV.”
2. Why was LA County DHS chosen as a collaborator?
As the second largest public health system in the United States, DHS cares for more than 670,000 individuals each year. Many people in the system are from low-income or minority populations and groups disproportionately impacted by HIV. At the end of 2013, more than 47,000 people were living with HIV in Los Angeles County.
3. Why is the physician workforce for HIV care declining?
Many academic, clinical and community physicians in HIV are among the “first generation” of HIV providers. These individuals are reducing their practices or retiring, and relatively few new health professionals are choosing to specialize in HIV care.
4. What barriers may prevent new physicians from pursuing a career in HIV medicine?
Student loan burdens for medical school graduates are a contributor to declines in new doctors entering primary care fields such as HIV; graduates instead choose to enter more lucrative medical specialties to offset debt. According to the American Medical Association, in 2006:
In addition to the fellowship, the program will also offer student loan repayment to graduates dedicating at least 50 percent of their time during a three-year period to HIV clinical care and/or HIV related health services research.
According to a 2011 Institute of Medicine report, in the future, there will not be enough physicians and other health professionals trained to handle the number of people who will need HIV testing and treatment. The HIV Clinical Leadership Program is a first-of-its-kind program offering community-based, advanced training for physicians committed to careers in HIV Primary care for the underserved communities. With a growing shortage of primary care providers focused on HIV and the continuing need to improve treatment and access to care for people living with HIV, this program aims to develop the next generation of physicians specializing in HIV and caring for underserved communities.
This shortage of healthcare providers focused on HIV was also highlighted as a key issue in the White House’s “National HIV/AIDS Strategy for the United States: Updated to 2020.” This report calls for “deliberate steps to increase the capacity of systems as well as the number and diversity of available providers of clinical care and related services for people living with HIV.”
2. Why was LA County DHS chosen as a collaborator?
As the second largest public health system in the United States, DHS cares for more than 670,000 individuals each year. Many people in the system are from low-income or minority populations and groups disproportionately impacted by HIV. At the end of 2013, more than 47,000 people were living with HIV in Los Angeles County.
3. Why is the physician workforce for HIV care declining?
Many academic, clinical and community physicians in HIV are among the “first generation” of HIV providers. These individuals are reducing their practices or retiring, and relatively few new health professionals are choosing to specialize in HIV care.
4. What barriers may prevent new physicians from pursuing a career in HIV medicine?
Student loan burdens for medical school graduates are a contributor to declines in new doctors entering primary care fields such as HIV; graduates instead choose to enter more lucrative medical specialties to offset debt. According to the American Medical Association, in 2006:
- The median debt burden for graduates of public and private medical institutions rose to more than $119,000 and nearly $150,000, respectively
- Forty-one percent of students with educational debt reported in excess of $150,000; some reported debt as high as $350,000
In addition to the fellowship, the program will also offer student loan repayment to graduates dedicating at least 50 percent of their time during a three-year period to HIV clinical care and/or HIV related health services research.