The Clinical and Translational Scholarship Program provides two days of in-person comprehensive training and consultation with the University of Vermont Center on Rural Addiction (UVM CORA) clinicians, faculty, and staff experts. The Program is intended for teams of up to four individuals from practices with a primary care focus in rural counties in Vermont, New Hampshire, Maine, and Northern New York who are hoping to:

  • Learn how to better support patients in rural areas with complex needs related to substance use disorders (SUD) including opioid use disorder (OUD)
  • Receive extensive training on topics related to OUD/SUD with a specific focus on evidence-based best practices and how to enhance prevention and treatment in rural communities, and
  • Explore issues or challenges occurring within their own practice with other experts in the field and gain the skills and resources necessary to make improvements.

Our Approach

We provide a team-focused approach where multiple staff from up to three individual practices are invited to learn together as well as explore needs specific to their clinic. The goal is to support practices to create sustainable, collaborative, continuous improvement and enhance implementation of evidence-based strategies intended to better serve individuals with OUD/SUD in their rural communities. Our secondary goal is to foster connections between rural practices from different regions who can begin to develop a learning community.

Researcher presenting to colleagues in presentation room with projector screen
  • The two-day program agenda is customizable and determined by the needs of the practices and the specific expertise of our clinicians. Participants are asked to bring challenging clinical cases or logistical difficulties from their practice to discuss with the UVM CORA team. Practices selected for the program will have a planning meeting with UVM CORA faculty before the program to customize the two-day program agenda to best suit interests and needs.
  • The program includes a follow up visit from UVM CORA clinicians on site at the participating practices.
  • Ongoing follow-up and support from UVM CORA is provided via e-mail, phone, and video-conferencing with our faculty.
  • Meet our team here and visit our Resources page to get a preview of the type of expertise and evidence-based guidance you can expect from UVM CORA.

Support

Support for travel and lodging is provided by UVM CORA for up to four participants per practice. Additionally, UVM CORA will provide a stipend to account for time spent away from the office, and materials related to the topics covered. Our aim is to support rural practices who may not be able to afford high training expenses or lost work hours. Continuing education credits will be available when possible, based on the needs and professional roles of the participants.

Downtown Burlington Vermont

Application and Program Timeline

Only one application is needed per practice. Applicants should be prepared to include the names and credentials of all staff participating, indicate specific areas where specialized training is needed, and share other topics of interest or needs. Describing unique challenges or concentrations will help the UVM CORA faculty to customize the program in a manner best suited for the participants.

Calendar placed on a wooden desk

Application deadline is January 19, 2023. Applicants will be notified in February, and the program will take place in Burlington, Vermont, on April 20th – 21st, 2023. Education credits will be available when possible, based on the needs and professional roles of the participants.

Apply Here

FAQs

  • Who can apply?

    Teams of up to four individuals from practices with a primary care focus in HRSA-designated rural communities in Vermont, New Hampshire, Maine, or northern New York. Please confirm your practice is defined as Rural by visiting: https://data.hrsa.gov/tools/rural-health.

  • What is the deadline for the application?

    January 19, 2023.

  • When will applicants be notified?

    February 2023.

  • When and where will the training take place?

    The program will take place in Burlington, Vermont on April 20-21, 2023.

  • What areas will the training cover?

    UVM CORA will work with scholarship recipients to customize the curriculum to include epidemiology of use behavior of various drugs in rural areas, screening approaches, diagnosis, evidence-based pharmacological and non-pharmacological treatments, and office systems design.

  • How is the application submitted?

    Please complete the online form here.