Overview

The CFVH GME research program fosters a culture of curiosity and offers resources and provides support to enhance scholarly activities for residents, fellows, and faculty. Our goal is to promote physician scholarship that improves medical education, evidence-based treatments, and patient outcomes in the Cape Fear Valley region and beyond.

Key Features

Our program is committed to developing and supporting opportunities to develop quality scholarly activities based on your passion.

  • We provide research mentoring and didactics integrated in all residency/fellowship programs.
  • Access to a dedicated Research Director and Research Program Administrator for project guidance and implementation
  • Access to health science library,  medical librarian, and  statistician
  • Opportunities to present work at Cape Fear Valley Health research symposium
  • Funding for publication and travel to present at conferences.
  • Residency program Journal Clubs
  • Opportunities for collaboration with institutions across the region
  • Opportunities to contribute to clinical trials research.
  • Comprehensive guidance and support for our IRB and GME research submission process.

Meet Our Staff

Miranda van Tilburg, PhD

  • Research Director
  • Graduate Medical Education
  • Cape Fear Valley Health System

Dr. Van Tilburg is the GME Research Director at Cape Fear Valley Medical Center as well as the Associate Dean for Research and professor at Methodist University Cape Fear Valley Health School of Medicine. Dr van Tilburg holds Professor positions at the University of North Carolina (Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology), University of Washington (School of Social Work), and Campbell University (School of Osteopathic Medicine).

Before joining Cape Fear Valley, she served as the Vice Chair of Research in the Department of Internal Medicine at Marshall University in West Virginia, overseeing scholarly activities of the Internal Medicine residency program, and fellowship programs in Gastroenterology, Pulmonology Critical Care, Hematology-Oncology, and Endocrinology.

Dr. Van Tilburg is a leading expert in psychogastroenterology, with a research lab focusing on Brain-Gut treatments for gastrointestinal disorders, particularly in children with abdominal pain. Her lab has received continuous grant-funding for over two decades. Her work includes mentoring students and faculty across diverse health-related disciplines who have achieved notable research and career outcomes. 

Dr. Van Tilburg earned her doctorate in Medical Psychology and a master’s degree in Behavioral Economics from Tilburg University in the Netherlands and completed a postdoctoral fellowship at Duke University, NC. You can explore her publications on PubMed: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/myncbi/1d12yyeSs9u5M/bibliography/public/ 

Shawn Leming, BA, CIP

  • Research Program Administrator & HRPP/IRB Administrator
  • Graduate Medical Education
  • Cape Fear Valley Health System

Shawn Leming is the GME Research Program Administrator & HRPP/IRB Administrator at Cape Fear Valley Health System in North Carolina and a Certified IRB Professional. She ensures all GME Fellows, Residents and trainees scholarly activities meet the requirements of the GME Program, Institutional and federal regulations. Prior to starting at Cape Fear Valley, she worked in the HRPP/IRB of Campbell University & the Medical College of Wisconsin. Ms. Leming spent over 30 years working in Gastrointestinal research specializing in the effects and mitigation of acute radiation sickness on the digestive system while working in the MCW: Department of Surgery – Otterson Lab located at the Zablocki VA.