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The Arkansas Good Medicine, “Primary Care Training Enhancement (PCTE): Training Primary Care Champions” Fellowship, is a collaborative work of the Arkansas Foundation of Medical Care (AFMC), the Arkansas College of Osteopathic Medicine (ARCOM) and ARcare, a federally qualified health center. The fellowship is funded by a grant from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Health Resources and Services Administration. This online program welcomes health care providers from all fifty states to apply.

This fellowship program will provide five to seven fellows with the opportunity to study and have an impact on their community through an individual health care practice transformation project.

Learn more about our fellows.

The program goals are:

  • Enhance leadership skills
  • Improve understanding of how social factors affect health
  • Disseminate strategies to implement trauma-informed care
  • Teach methods to build team-based care
  • Improve quality

It is designed so primary care providers may continue working while participating in the fellowship program. Fellows will receive a $1,600 monthly stipend.

The 12-week program curriculum includes learning modules, case studies, assigned readings and discussions. The training will also identify best practices for trauma-informed care for adverse childhood experiences (ACEs), opioid abuse, mental health care, childhood obesity. Each fellow will actively participate by creating and implementing a nine-month, health care practice transformation project that will enhance their practice of medicine and their community.

Fellows will submit their final project report to a peer-reviewed journal for publication. At the end of the program, selected fellows will present their work at the 2023 Arkansas Good Medicine Kickoff meeting.

Arkansas Good Medicine timeline

  • Application released: August 1, 2021
  • Application due: 11:59 p.m. April 29, 2022
  • Selection: May 2 - 4, 2022
  • Notice of acceptance: May 5 -13, 2022
  • Kick-off meeting: May 24, 2022
  • Online curriculum: June 6, 2022
  • HRSA PCTE Washington D.C. Trip: August 2022
  • Transformation project begins: November 2022
  • Transformation project presentations & final reports submitted: May 2023

Eligibility requirements

Applicants must meet the following minimum requirements:

  • Practicing two years as an MD, DO or PA
  • Practice in the field of internal medicine, family medicine, general practice or pediatrics
  • Medical license in good standing

Program requirements

The Arkansas Good Medicine fellowship has the following expectations:

  • One-year time commitment
  • Complete six two-week modules online
  • Completion of a transformational project focused on obesity, mental health,  opioid use and/or trauma-informed care
  • Submit transformation project to at least one peer-reviewed journal
  • Peer presentation of transformation project at local, state or national conference

Applications must be emailed to ARgoodmedicine@afmc.org

Download the PDF of the flier to share.

Download the application

 


HRSA Primary Care Training & Enhancement: Training Primary Care Champions Toolkit

The purpose of this toolkit is to provide context to the Arkansas Primary Care Training Enhancement (PCTE) Arkansas Good Medicine (AGM) Fellowship grant program; to describe the academic-community partnerships it created; to describe the curriculum utilized during the AGM Fellowship; and to provide a resource list of research, briefs, and publications from government agencies and nonprofits that shaped the foundations of the Fellowship and the projects executed during its tenure.

Download the toolkit

Arkansas Good Medicine Fellow Spotlights

AFMC’s Arkansas Good Medicine Fellowship Program is proud to highlight the success and hard work of our current and past fellows. Since September 2018, AFMC has graduated 13, DOs, MDs, and PAs from the AGM fellowship program. Our fellows worked very hard researching and implementing their health care transformation projects within their communities, culminating in a final written report which will be published here soon.

Amber Acord, PA-C – Cohort 3, 2021 – 2022
Ratcliff, AR

“Hello everyone! I'm a native Arkansan, currently residing in Fort Smith, AR. I attended undergrad at Arkansas Tech University and PA school at Harding University. Since 2019, I have been practicing rural family medicine at River Valley Primary Care Services, a federally qualified health center in Ratcliff, AR. What I have enjoyed most about the Arkansas Good Medicine Fellowship is becoming aware of the impact of adverse childhood experiences on the development of chronic diseases in adulthood.”

Monica Bomar, PA-C – Cohort 1, 2019 – 2020
Bald Knob, AR

“I graduated from University of Central Arkansas in 2008 with Bachelor of Science in Biology and minor in Physical Science. I then attended Physician Assistant school at Harding University and graduated in 2011 with a Master of Science in Physician Assistant Studies. My first job as a PA started at ARcare in 2012 and I have been with the company since. I'm passionate about primary care and providing care to the underserved populations in our state.

When asked what she enjoyed most about the AGM fellowship, Monica stated, “The AGM fellowship was a great learning experience for me. I was able to learn more about adverse life experiences and how they affect all aspects of patient care and outcomes. It has really helped me view my patient care differently and be able to apply my knowledge to my treatment plans with regards to total patient care, mentally and physically.”

David Brightwell, PA-C – Cohort 2, 2020 – 2021
Melbourne, AR

“Hi, my name is David L. Brightwell, PA-C. I live in Melbourne, Arkansas and currently work at a rural health care facility, ARcare. I have been with ARcare going on 9 years. I have been practicing medicine in this area since 2009. My wife, Tamra is a 4th-grade teacher with Melbourne School District. We have 4 children: Natalie age 17, Daylee age 15, Zori age 8, and Dewey age 7. We love family nights and staying active in our community. We attend the Melbourne Church of Christ.

What I enjoyed most about the Fellowship lies the in personal goals that I set prior to beginning the project. My goals in participating in this research allowed me to gain a greater insight into practicing evidence-based medicine while increasing my knowledge and confidence in my ability to comprehend and educate others. The result of this research has made a lasting impact on my personal relationship with the patients that participated in this study and thus has led to better health outcomes—that alone represents the essence of why I went into health care, simply put, to help others.”

Cassidy Cooper, PA-C – Cohort 3, 2021 – 2022
Bradford, AR

“My name is Cassidy Cooper. I am a Physician Associate and was accepted for the Arkansas Good Medicine Fellowship program in 2020 as part of their 3rd Cohort. During the Fellowship, I practiced in Bradford Arkansas at the Bradford School-Based Medical Center. I enjoyed learning about Trauma-Informed Care and putting those principles into practice. The knowledge gained in this fellowship completely transformed my practice and allowed me to provide better care for my patients in rural Arkansas.”

Broderick “Brody” Eaton, DO – Cohort 2, 2020 – 2021
Wynne, AR

“My name is Brody Eaton, and I am a family medicine physician for ARcare. I have practiced in Wynne for the past four years, and I also practice in McCrory one day a week. I am passionate about diabetes management and preventative care for all underserved Arkansans. In addition to my clinical responsibilities, I am also the Director of Clinical Education for ARcare, & Medical Director of our Mississippi Care clinics. I currently reside in Wynne with my wife Claire, and our two daughters, Elle and Lucy.

My favorite thing about participating in the AGM fellowship was getting to know my patients on a deeper level due to the in-depth ACEs questionnaire that I had them fill out as a part of my research. I also really enjoyed working with and getting to know the wonderful staff at AFMC.”

Kristin Martin, DO, MS, FAAFP – Cohort 3, 2021 – 2022
Russellville, AR

Dr. Kristin Martin is a Board-Certified Osteopathic physician who practices Primary Care, Addiction Medicine, and Emergency Medicine. She is the Medical Director of River Valley Medical Wellness outpatient program that is based in Russellville with offices in Hot Springs and Fort Smith. Her passion, however, is the rural and underserved who suffer from substance use and mental health disorders. Dr. Martin did her medical school training at Oklahoma State University – Center for Health Sciences in Tulsa, Oklahoma, and graduated her residency in Family Practice at UAMS – AHEC – Pine Bluff in 2011. She became ASAM Board Certified in Addiction Medicine in December 2020.

“For me, I believe that the training on trauma-informed care and social determinants of health has been revolutionary to my practice. My understanding of these areas was superficial prior to becoming a Fellow of this program. I have now not only been given a deeper understanding but also guidance on how to implement new tools and screenings into my practice. I had wanted to perform research in the area of mental health, substance use disorders, and Adverse Childhood Experiences, but I was intimidated about how to manage the research data and statistics while daily still practicing medicine. AFMC has made that so much easier and provided guidance and resources to let me focus on the patient while still completing my research and improving my practice!!”

Olabode Joel Olumofin, MD, MPH, – Cohort 3, 2021 – 2022
Pine Bluff, AR

Olabode Joel Olumofin, MD MPH is a current Arkansas good medicine fellow for the year 2020/2021 session. He is the Medical Director of First US Clinic PA who is passionate about providing expert evidence-based patient care to all patients both in the hospital and at his clinic aligning wellness and wholeness.

When asked what he enjoyed most about the AGM Fellowship Dr. Olumofin stated, “I definitely loved the freshness and relevance of the materials that not only reinforces knowledge but it’s practical and applicable to improving patients’ health.”

Lidwina “Winny” Powers, PA-C – Cohort 1, 2019 – 2020
Jonesboro, AR

Lidwina Powers is originally from southern California, and she has been a Physician Assistant for 13 years. She graduated from Western University of Health Sciences in 2008, and she worked in women's health for eight years. She transitioned to family practice in 2017 when she moved to northeastern Arkansas. She is married and has two beautiful daughters.
“The thing that I enjoyed most about the AGM Fellowship was researching the many and varied factors that affect a patient's overall health. Understanding how to treat the patient as an entire person and not just a set of biological processes is a perspective that will aid me significantly in my practice moving forward.”

Randy D. Walker, MD – Cohort 2, 2020 – 2021
De Queen, AR

Randy D Walker, MD is a board-certified family practice physician who has an active primary care practice in De Queen, Arkansas.
When asked what he enjoyed most about the AGM Fellowship Dr. Walker stated, “I enjoyed reviewing the data and information on my patients and coming up with workflow processes that would better meet their needs. You cannot fix what you do not know. Without data, we are practicing reactive medicine.”

Interested in joining our next cohort? Applications are open until January 28, 2022.

Have questions? Please email: ARgoodmedicine@afmc.org


This website is supported by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) as part of an award totaling $1,533,901.00 with 0% financed with non-governmental sources. The contents are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent the official views of, nor an endorsement, by HRSA, HHS, or the U.S. Government. For more information, please visit HRSA.gov.