LGBTQ+ Healthcare Fellowship Program

Now accepting applications for July 1, 2025

The objective of Vanderbilt University Medical Center (VUMC)’s LGBTQ+ Healthcare Fellowship is to train future primary care physicians and individuals who may choose to focus their practice on LGBTQ+ health to be sensitive, comfortable, clinically knowledgeable, and culturally competent in delivering health care to sexual and gender minority patient populations. Clinical excellence is the primary training objective.

We further seek to train the next generation of leaders in LGBTQ+ health, and fellows will have an individualized career development training plan focused in the academic area of interest for the fellow. These could include, but are not limited to, academic medicine, community advocacy, health systems science and systems of care, health policy, quality improvement or community practice.

We are actively seeking an Internal Medicine, Family Medicine, or Med-Peds physician for the 12-month fellowship (July 1, 2025 - June 30, 2026). The fellow will have yearlong longitudinal clinical rotations in a variety of VUMC and affiliate clinical sites. There will be additional training opportunities tailored to the trainee’s career trajectory and goals.

Quality healthcare in an inclusive environment

VUMC and Vanderbilt University School of Medicine (VUSM) believe that patient care, research, and educational experiences are optimized when we create a culture that is diverse, equitable and inclusive. We are committed to providing the highest quality care for everyone and to collectively addressing systemic inequities to improve health for our patients, workforce and communities. As such, we strongly encourage applications from candidates who foster and promote the values of diversity and inclusion.

Applicants to the LGBTQ+ Healthcare Fellowship program should have a passion for leadership, teaching, research, advocacy, policy, mentorship, quality improvement, or other area of focus, and a motivation to have an impact on the field of LGBTQ+ health.

To provide dedicated training to allow the physician to become an outstanding clinician in the field of LGBTQ+ medicine.
To develop the trainee’s chosen focus area of excellence to become a leader in LGBTQ+ health in the future.
To advance advocacy skills in order to amplify the impact on LGBTQ+ health beyond the patient population being cared for.
To develop mentorship and teaching skills to amplify impact on LGBTQ+ health.
To develop mentorship and teaching skills to amplify impact on LGBTQ+ health.
To develop research or quality-improvement skills, as appropriate, with a trajectory toward dissemination.
To increase the number of physicians who provide affirming care to the LGBTQ+ community that is comprehensive, team-based, patient-centered, coordinated, accessible, high quality, and safe.

Clinical preceptorship experiences will be found in our primary multidisciplinary LGBTQ health clinic as well as many additional clinics across our network of facilities in Nashville.

The training plan will be customized to the trainee’s goals and will include exposure to gender affirming surgical procedures, behavioral health, fertility, addiction medicine, infectious disease, metabolic health, telemedicine and others.

Additional LGBTQ+ health experiences can be obtained with a number of Nashville area partners.

The 12-month fellowship will begin July 1, 2025, unless alternate arrangements are made. The search, screen and recruitment committee is actively reviewing applications, and virtually interviewing candidates for the 2025-2026 academic year.

Qualifications

Applicants must hold an MD or DO degree.
Applicants must have completed residency in Internal Medicine, Family medicine, or Internal Medicine/Pediatrics combined specialties and must be anticipating an academic or clinical career in primary care and/or a career focused specifically in LGBTQ health. Currently, we are not accepting applications from pediatrics, OB/GYN, psychiatric, or surgical specialties.
Applicants may apply while completing their final year of residency and will need to complete it by June 30, 2025.
Applicants must be a United States citizen or a lawful permanent U.S. resident with a resident alien permit or green card. The fellowship is not able to sponsor J-1 or other visas.

Holistic applicant screening will consider evidence of:

Clinical excellence
Engagement with local, regional, or national LGBTQ+ organizations
Advocacy work or community service, ideally relevant to LGBTQ+ individuals or populations
Personal attributes and professional behaviors, as assessed by letters of recommendation and the content of the candidate statement
Good standing throughout residency (and other post-residency roles if applicable)
Academic work (e.g., presentations, publications, QI projects, education/curriculum contributions), with preference given to contributions in LGBTQ+ health or relevant health equity activities
Demonstrated commitment to advancing health equity

This is a non-ACGME fellowship. Fellows are employed by VUMC and are paid as PGY-4 residents unless they are admitted with advanced standing due to their previous graduate medical education history. Benefits are included.

Apply Here

For additional information, please email the LGBTQ+ fellowship program.