A physician-scientist in the pediatric residency training program at Children's National Medical Center in Washington received a one-year fellowship to work in the Washington, D.C., office of U.S. Senator Joseph Lieberman, contributing to the development of health-related research and policy statements.

The goal of the project was to equip a physician-scientist to contribute to advancing informed discussion and action on health policy issues, including bioterrorism.

Key Results

• Michelle McMurry, M.D., Ph.D., a resident in the pediatric residency training program at Children's National Medical Center and the National Human Genome Research Institute, Washington, sought out and secured a fellowship opportunity in the office of Sen. Joseph Lieberman. At the close of her fellowship, McMurry planned to return to the medical center to complete her residency training.
  
  During her fellowship, McMurry participated with other members of Sen. Lieberman's staff in researching and developing policy statements on a variety of health-related issues, as well as legislation establishing the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.

After the Grant

On completing her fellowship, McMurry left her residency training program and briefly worked as the hospital program coordinator in the office of the Assistant Secretary for Public Health Emergency Preparedness, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. She is now health legislative assistant in Sen. Lieberman's office. The medical center's fellowship project ended with the close of the grant.

Funding
The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) provided a $50,000 grant to Children's National Medical Center to support the fellowship from March 2002 to February 2003.