National Clinician Scholars Program

What National Clinician Scholars Program does

The National Clinician Scholars Program (NCSP) is a private consortium of six academic medical centers operating a two-year postdoctoral fellowship for physicians and nurses. Founded in 2019, NCSP emerged from the legacy Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF) Clinical Scholars Program, which RWJF had supported for approximately 40 years. The program accepts post-doctoral physicians (MDs/DOs) and nurses with doctoral degrees (PhD/DNP) through a competitive annual application cycle, with applications preferred by July 15 and accepted until August 15 for each cohort. Scholars are placed at one of six university sites: Duke University, UCLA, UCSF, the University of Michigan, the University of Pennsylvania, and Yale University.

NCSP's core product is a unified fellowship curriculum delivered across all six sites, covering health services research methods, implementation science, health policy, leadership, quantitative and qualitative methods, advanced causal inference, and artificial intelligence. Scholars complete coursework, mentored research, and limited clinical work (capped at 20% of time), with opportunities to earn master's degrees at most sites. The program differentiates through its interprofessional model (training physicians and nurses together) and a community partners consortium that provides mentorship, stakeholder engagement, and field placement. Governance rests with a National Program Board composed of deans from each site's schools of medicine and nursing, plus national leaders.

The program is funded through a consortium of institutional partners: NIH T32 training grants, AHRQ grants, and per-site institutional funding. NCSP pays annual stipends to scholars that vary by site based on local cost of living — $87,000 at Yale, $99,000 at UCLA, and $106,127–$113,149 at UCSF depending on postgraduate year — for academic year 2026-27. Revenue is not publicly disclosed; the firmographic profile lists 11–50 employees with a Central Administrative Office in Philadelphia, PA, while most program staff and faculty sit within the six partner universities.

Name

National Clinician Scholars Program

Legal name

National Clinician Scholars Program

Website

https://nationalcsp.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2019

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The National Clinician Scholars Program is a consortium of six academic medical centers that runs a two-year postdoctoral fellowship training physicians and nurses in health services research, implementation science, health policy, leadership, and AI.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Clinical Fellowship Training

NAICS

Colleges, Universities, and Professional Schools (6113), Scientific Research and Development Services (5417)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200), Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731)

akta.pro primary industry

Comprehensive Doctoral Research Universities (Multi-Disciplinary) (EDAHABAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Biomedical Sciences & Medical Research Institutes (University-Based) (EDAHAGAI), Schools of Nursing (EDAHAGAC)

Keywords

• Clinical fellowship program
• Health services research
• Physician scientist training
• Nurse scientist training
• Health policy leadership

Headquarters

HQ city

Philadelphia

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices7 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Others, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Fellowship Stipends: NCSP provides annual stipends to all Scholars. The program is funded through a consortium of institutional partners including NIH T32 training grants, AHRQ grants, and individual institutional funding. The stipend amount varies by site: Yale ($87,000 for AY26-27), UCLA ($99,000 for AY26-27), and UCSF ($106,127 for nurses/PGY-4 physicians, $109,737 for PGY-5, $113,149 for PGY-6).

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

The National Clinician Scholars Program operates a two-year, site-based postdoctoral fellowship for physicians (MDs/DOs) and nurses with doctoral degrees (PhD/DNP). Scholars train at one of six partner universities (Duke, UCLA, UCSF, Michigan, Penn, Yale) through coursework in health services research methods, implementation science, health policy, leadership, quantitative and qualitative methods including advanced causal inference and AI, plus mentored research and limited clinical work (capped at 20%). Participants receive annual stipends funded through NIH T32 training grants, AHRQ grants, and institutional support, and may earn master's degrees at most sites.

Product overview

The National Clinician Scholars Program (NCSP) is a single, unified fellowship/training program offering a two-year postgraduate experience. The program operates across six partner university sites (Duke, UCLA, UCSF, Michigan, Penn, and Yale) but functions as one integrated program with a common core curriculum, shared scholarship requirements, and a national program board. Scholars participate in coursework, mentored research, leadership training, and limited clinical work (no more than 20% of time), with opportunities to earn master's degrees at affiliated institutions. The program does not offer separate software products or modules—it is exclusively a clinical fellowship training program.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• National Clinician Scholars Program (NCSP) Two-Year Postdoctoral Fellowship

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 1,300 RWJF Clinical Scholars alumni currently serving as change agents
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers9 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• Duke UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerDuke NCSP offers scholars an exceptional fellowship training program with comprehensive didactic and experiential learning opportunities, experienced mentors, and direct training and engagement with community partners. Located at Duke Clinical and Translational Science Institute, the program prepares Scholars for leadership in health services, community-engaged, population health, and health policy research.
• University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUCLA site provides training with access to a uniquely broad range of diverse local and national communities, partners, and agencies. Mentors at UCLA, RAND, and Los Angeles County Health Agency expose Scholars to meaningful networks. Located on UCLA main campus with access to cross-campus resources spanning business administration, computer science, public health, urban planning, medicine, and nursing.
• University of California, San Francisco (UCSF)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerUCSF site aims to train the next generation of researchers, leaders, and change agents dedicated to improving health and healthcare. Based at UCSF's Philip R. Lee Institute for Health Policy Studies, the program is a partnership between UCSF's Schools of Medicine and Nursing.
• University of MichigancoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMichigan site is based in the University's Institute for Healthcare Policy and Innovation, providing clinical, organizational, and community-partnered research training. Emphasizes intensive mentorship, leadership coaching, and fostering collaborations among peers.
• University of PennsylvaniacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPenn's NCSP builds health services researchers and health policy leaders equipped to advance learning healthcare systems. Offers interdisciplinary strengths in healthcare innovation, behavioral economics, implementation science, and community health with proximity to Harrisburg and Washington DC.
• Yale UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerYale site is committed to generating and using evidence to drive change in health and health care. Supports post-doctoral physicians and nurses through rigorous academic coursework, hands-on stakeholder engagement, and mentorship from nationally recognized faculty.
• Community Partners ConsortiumcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerA consortium of community and academic partners including local public health institutions, grassroots community organizations, and everything in-between. Consortium members contribute guidance and resources to support Scholars and their research, as well as the curricular and administrative core of the program.
• National Program BoardcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerProgram oversight is provided by a National Program Board consisting of deans from each site's schools of medicine and nursing, local partners, and national leaders who advise and advance the program while supporting the careers and aspirations of the Scholars.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• University of Washington Health Services Research Fellowship: University of Washington's postdoctoral fellowship program in health services research, including the legacy RWJF Clinical Scholars site at UW. Direct comparator to NCSP site-based model.
• VA Health Services Research & Development Career Development Awards: Federal career development awards supporting postdoctoral research training in health services research within the VA system. Comparable to NCSP in focus area, federal funding source, and population (post-residency clinicians).
• Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Health Policy Research Scholars: RWJF's national postdoctoral fellowship program for early-career researchers from diverse backgrounds, training in health policy and population health research. Highly comparable to NCSP in mission, target population, and direct sponsorship.
• Harvard Program in Clinical Effectiveness: Harvard's flagship postdoctoral training program in clinical/health services research methods, closely comparable to NCSP's curriculum in epidemiology, biostatistics, causal inference, and research design. Targets post-residency physicians similarly to NCSP.
• Commonwealth Fund Mongan Fellowship in Minority Health Policy: Postdoctoral fellowship at Harvard for physicians and nurses focused on health policy, health equity, and leadership for underrepresented populations. Mirrors NCSP's focus on training clinician leaders in health policy research.
• Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health Postdoctoral Fellowships: Postdoctoral research training programs in health services, health policy, and population health at Johns Hopkins, chaired by an NCSP alumnus (G. Caleb Alexander). Comparable mission and doctoral-level research training.
• AHRQ Institutional National Research Service Award (T32) Programs: AHRQ-funded institutional training programs at multiple universities for health services research, which NCSP itself relies on for funding. Directly comparable in training mission, federal sponsor, and target trainees.
• Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health Postdoctoral Programs: Postdoctoral training programs in health policy and health services research at Columbia. Comparable to NCSP in training clinicians as health policy and research leaders.
• Northwestern University Health Services Research Fellowship: Fellowship training at Northwestern focused on health services and outcomes research, with a similar physician-researcher target audience. Comparable to NCSP in curriculum and post-residency model.

Broad incumbents

• AcademyHealth: The professional society for health services and health policy research, which supports research training and dissemination that NCSP alumni directly contribute to and often lead. Overlapping community and visibility into the same trainee pool.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/NationalCSP
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UC8G7t8RX_9pf1e3_wogMGQQ/videos
• Facebookfacebook.com/NCSPYale
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/national-clinician-scholars-program

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about National Clinician Scholars Program