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Utah Quality Advancement Laboratory (UQuAL) Scholars

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Utah Quality Advancement Laboratory (UQuAL) Scholars

Hospital Medicine Academic Mentorship Program

Purpose

Utah Quality Advancement Laboratory (UQuAL) Scholars is a 1-year mentorship and education program designed to assist hospital medicine clinicians (APCs are eligible) in carrying out a successful scholarly research/ QI project, presenting and publishing their work, and to help more experienced faculty develop their mentorship skills. 

Goal

At its most basic level, UQuAL Scholars is a program that links people together to create productive partnerships and build a community that supports academic growth.

Program Structure

UQuAL Scholars’ program structure includes the following:

  • A primary mentor: This person works closely with the mentee to provide ongoing support and advice during the program
  • A senior mentor: This individual supports both the mentee and mentor, providing tactical and strategic advice and periodic assistance with projects as needed
  • Educational curriculum: UQuAL Scholars is supported by Division of General Internal Medicine faculty and staff, who provide an educational structure to sessions:
    • Valerie Vaughn, MD, MSc, UQuAL Director and Hospitalist Investigator with experience in health services research; provides leadership and support to mentees, and oversees curriculum
    • Stacy Johnson, MD, UQuAL Co-Director and Hospital Investigator with clinical outcomes and survey research experience; contributes to the research curriculum and provides support to mentees on research design and methods
    • Molly Conroy, MD, MPH, FACSM, FAHA, Professor and Chief of the Division of General Internal Medicine; provides program support and mentorship 
    • Andrea White, PhD, provides support to mentees on regulatory processes and assists with UQuAL Scholars sessions
    • Chaorong Wu, provides data analysis support to UQuAL Scholars

 

Topics Covered

  • Defining a good research/ QI study
  • Developing a research question
  • Identifying your study population and sampling
  • Systematic Reviews
  • Survey Research Methods and Tools
  • Solidifying your Project – design, scope, barriers
  • Refining Project Details – statistics, publications, authorship
  • IRB and Protocols
  • Drafting your Methods
  • Presenting your Work – Tables and Figures
  • Composing your Introduction
  • Charting your course for the next 6 months

Selection Process

UQuAL Scholars program selection is a competitive process open to hospitalists interested in quality improvement or hospital medicine research. Typically, faculty should be in at least their 2nd year on faculty and have at least a rough idea of a potential research project and research mentor.

UQuAL provides a lot of resources to help you learn and successfully complete a research project! We expect at least 80% attendance, monthly “homework”, and for the project to be submitted as an abstract and a manuscript. In addition, we will call upon you in the future to “pay it forward” as a future mentor!

How Do I Apply?

For questions, please contact Andrea White at andrea.white@hsc.utah.edu.

Applications are closed for 2026. For the 2027 recruitment season, completed applications must be submitted to valerie.vaughn@hsc.utah.edu by July 15, 2027. Finalists will undergo an interview in July to discuss potential projects and mentors. Scholars will be announced August 11, 2027, and the program will begin on September 7, 2027.

Download the Application Form Here

Meet the UQuAL Class of 2025-2026

Headshot of Gregrey S. Berry, MD

Gregrey S. Berry, MD

Assistant Professor of Internal Medicine

Headshot of Alekses Raye Clifton, MD

Alekses Raye Cifton, MD

Assistant Professor of Internal Medicine

Headshot of Alex S. Jepsen, MD

Alex S. Jepsen, MD

Assistant Professor of Internal Medicine

Mark Kelly

Mark M. Kelly, MD

Clinical Instructor of Internal Medicine

Headshot of Rachel D. Kroencke, MD, FACP

Rachel D. Kroencke, MD, FACP

Assistant Professor of Internal Medicine

James Willey

James Willey, MD

Assistant Professor of Internal Medicine

Previous UQuAL Scholars

UQuAL Class of 2022-2023

Headshot of Heather Balch, MD, MS

Heather Balch, MD, MS

Associate Professor of Internal Medicine

Primary UQuAL Project: "Effect of best practice alerts on documentations of discharge medication summaries"

Headshot of Lara A. Hayes, MD, SB

Lara A. Hayes, MD, SB

Associate Professor of Internal Medicine

Primary UQuAL Project: "Effect of bumetanide vs furosemide on health outcomes in treatment of ascites in cirrhosis patients: a retrospective study"

Jared Huber, MD

Jared S. Huber, MD

Associate Professor of Internal Medicine

Primary UQuAL Project: "Effect of Huntsman Hospital at Home program on caregiver burnout"

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Kira C. Watson, MD, MPH

Associate Professor of Internal Medicine

Primary UQuAL Project: "Depression screening in community health clinics"

UQuAL Class of 2021-2022

Headshot of Danielle Babbel, MD

Danielle Babbel, MD

Associate Professor of Internal Medicine

Primary UQuAL Project: "A Mixed-Methods Study of Barriers to Initiating Suboxone Treatment in Hospitalized Patients"

Headshot of Claire Ciarkowski, MD, FACP, SFHM

Claire Ciarkowski, MD, FACP, SFHM

Associate Professor of Internal Medicine

Primary UQuAL Project: "Implementing an Oxygen Weaning Protocol in Acute Care Patients"

Headshot of Ryan D. Murphy, MD, MS

Ryan D. Murphy, MD, MS

Associate Professor of Internal Medicine

Primary UQuAL Project: "Implementation of an inpatient Diabetes Management Orderset"

Headshot of Sara W. Wikstrom, MD, FACP, MEd, MS

Sara W. Wikstrom, MD, FACP, MEd, MS

Associate Professor of Internal Medicine

Primary UQuAL Project: "Why do women leave careers in academic medicine? A qualitative study of women who have left medicine"