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MUSC does education Big Easy style by Chris West Public Relations Shunning the lure and revelry of Bourbon Street, a few of MUSC’s own took on New Orleans in the name of research and education.   Six fellows from the Academic Generalist Fellowship Program recently attended the American Federation of Medical Research and Participating Societies Southern Regional Meeting in New Orleans, March 1 - 3.   Fellows Lea Schwab, Andrea Summer, Angela LaRosa, Patricia McBurney, James High and Scott Stewart attended the 2001 meeting.    The fellows, armed with curiosity and their myriad of presentations, took their place among peers from across the Southeast. It would prove to be a weekend of networking, education and discovery.   The cross-disciplinary fellowship-training program, into its second year of a HRSA funded three-year grant, was established for physicians interested in academic careers in either general internal medicine or general pediatrics. The current cohort of fellows includes three internists,  three doctors and five pediatricians.   Implemented through MUSC's Center for Health Care Research, the two-year program is intended for physicians who have completed residencies in internal medicine or pediatrics and boasts coursework towards a Masters Degree in Clinical Research.   The program also requires, of its fellows, weekly seminars on a variety of academic topics ranging from medical writing to research and grant proposal preparation. Fellows take on research projects with a mentor and receive training in teaching within ambulatory/hospital settings. Patient care and clinical electives make up the rest of the coursework.   The program is structured to address four main fields of study—research, professional development, primary care and teaching. The development, primary care and teaching come from lectures, seminars and teaching opportunities. The research angle comes from work on a specific research project with a preceptor. These were the presentations that made their way to the New Orleans seminar, and were met with great results.    Of the six attending fellows, five brought home awards for their efforts during the seminar.   McBurney was awarded the Southern Society for Clinical Investigation Young Investigator Award for her presentation: Risk Factors for Micro-albuminuira in Children with Sickle Cell Anemia.   Schwab was awarded the Southern Society for Pediatric Research Trainee Travel Award for her presentation (a collaborative effort with James High who could not attend): How Stable are Medical Student Speciality Choices During Senior Year.   The Ambulatory Pediatric Association Regions VII-VIII Research Award went to LaRosa, Summer, Schwab, McBurney and James High.   The attending fellows admitted one of the main benefits of the seminar was the ability to network with other researchers and students and the opportunity to see what was of interest to others around the country.   For more information regarding the fellowship program contact Patricia Holsclaw at 876-1217 or on the web at www.musc.edu/chcr/.