The education mission at Children´s National Medical Center supports the highest standards of excellence in the care of children by preparing pediatric caregivers, both within CNMC and far beyond our walls, to practice outstanding pediatric medicine in the 21st century.

Graduate medical education sponsored by CNMC encompasses a general pediatric residency training program, as well as, pediatric subspecialty training in a variety of medical, surgical, and related fields. All are supported by a very committed group of faculty educators, a broad and diverse patient population, and cutting edge research. Our Children´s Research Institute (CRI) has continued to grow, and significant new grant applications have been funded. Specifically, CNMC was approved for one of the few NIH-funded Pediatric Clinical Research Centers in the nation, and we are one of only six centers funded by NIH for a Child Health Research Center (CRI, Center VII) to support development of pediatrician-scientists. In addition to these high-profile grants, other NIH funding to CRI investigators increased by an impressive 50% in just the past year.

Training is enhanced by our setting in Washington, DC. The patient population served by CNMC is broad and international in scope. In addition to extensive clinical training, trainees have the opportunity to observe and participate in child advocacy initiatives beyond those seen at most children´s hospitals. Finally, research is augmented in many instances by our close proximity to the National Institutes of Health. We believe CNMC is one of the top centers in the United States for graduate medical education, and welcome the interest of physicians in our training programs.

Departments

Anesthesiology
Cardiology
Dentistry
Emergency Medicine
General Pediatric Residency Program
Infectious Disease
Neonatology
Neurology
Ophthalmology
Otolaryngology

Anesthesiology

Key Contacts:
Richard F. Kaplan, M.D., Director of Education
Mrs. Arlene Gendron, Department Administrator

The goals of the Anesthesiology fellowship program is to train CA-4 pediatric (PGY-5 or higher) anesthesia fellows in all aspects of pediatric anesthesia and pain management. Our fellowship program is an ACGME approved CA-4 fellowship training program in pediatric anesthesiology. Children´s National Medical Center is a large tertiary medical center providing state of the art pediatric care for the Mid-Atlantic States. Approximately 8,000 pediatric general anesthetics are performed each year. CA-4 fellowship training in pediatric anesthesia is for 12 months and includes all branches of pediatric anesthesia. Rotations include anesthesia for neonatal surgery, general surgery, cardiovascular surgery, orthopedic surgery, ENT surgery, etc. Thirteen (13) faculty specifically trained in pediatric anesthesia have over 250 combined years of experience and expertise in all fields. Pediatric fellowship training includes all subspecialties: cardiac, anesthesia greater then 200 open pumps per year, neuroanesthesia, orthopedic anesthesia, neonatal anesthesia, pediatric intensive care unit, emergency room trauma, general surgery, ENT, MRI, and sedation for diagnostic and therapeutic procedures. Acute pain management and regional anesthesia are also emphasized.

How to apply for our program:
Please apply to our Anesthesiology program through the above named key contacts. Contacts will supply additional information as well as our application form.

Cardiology

Key Contacts:
Craig Sable, Fellowship Director
Lakeisa Johnson, Fellowship Secretary

Children´s pediatric cardiology fellowship training program at Children´s National Medical Center is approved by the ACGME and involves clinical, academic, and research training over a 36 month period.

Clinical: Twenty months are devoted to clinical training and include rotations in cardiology inpatient service (Pediatric Intensive Care Unit, Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, Cardiology Ward, and Inpatient Consultations), Cardiovascular Surgery, the Echocardiography Laboratory, the Cardiac Catheterization Laboratory, on the Electrophysiology/Arrhythmia Service and on elective. Pediatric cardiology fellows and attendings work side by side with pediatric intensivists and cardiovascular surgeons to manage postoperative patients. Skills in echocardiography, cardiac catheterization, and electrophysiology are taught with direct supervision by cardiology attendings. Fellows participate in a weekly outpatient continuity clinic throughout the three years of training. In addition, outpatient training is also available at outreach satellite clinics.

Academic: The academic program includes didactic bedside teaching, formal fellow lectures, cardiology department conferences and hospital-wide conferences. Weekly cardiology conferences include intake rounds and cardiology/cardiovascular surgery catheterization conference. Monthly conferences include catheterization lab complication conference, surgical morbidity and mortality conference, research works in progress, pathology conference, fetal board and journal club. Fellows also can attend a special lecture series focused on preparing fellows for a successful career in academic medicine. All fellows have an opportunity to attend at least two major national scientific meetings. A yearly stipend is provided for purchase of books and journals. A new learning center provides direct access to the latest educational material on computer and videotape.

Research: Research training occupies 16 of the 36 months including a 12-month block in the second year of fellowship. Opportunities for clinical and basic science research are available with full-time Children´s faculty in cardiology and other departments. Fellows are provided support to prepare manuscripts for presentation at national meetings and publication in peer-reviewed journals. In addition to research opportunities at Children´s, fellows become involved in projects at the National Institutes of Health in nearby Bethesda, MD. Recent fellow research projects there included work in three-dimensional echocardiography, cardiotoxicity of HIV medications, transgenic mouse model of cono-truncal defects, pharmacology of antiarhythmic medications, magnetic resonance imaging, molecular biology of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, and gene transfer in pulmonary arteries

Dentistry

Key Contacts:
Man Wai Ng D.D.S., M.P.H., Director, Pediatric Dentistry
Linda A. Hallman D.D.S., Ph.D, Director, Orthodontics
George Acs D.M.D., M.P.H., Chairman

The Department of Dentistry sponsors advanced educational programs in Pediatric Dentistry and in Orthodontics. Each of these programs is two years in duration.

The Pediatric Dentistry program is primarily hospital-based and provides a broad and in-depth experience in all phases of Pediatric Dentistry, including sedation, general anesthesia, trauma and management of malocclusion. Residents provide treatment to many patients with developmental and medically compromising conditions. Residents also have the opportunity to provide care in a suburban satellite setting and have the opportunity to understand issues related to access, public health and health care advocacy.

The Orthodontic residency program is the only Children´s hospital-based program in the nation. With equal amounts of time spent in the hospital and satellite facilities, Orthodontic residents actively participate in the care and management of patients with handicapping malocclusions, including a large population of patients that are part of the Craniofacial Center. Together with consultants in Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, Periodontics and Prosthodontics, residents have the opportunity to provide complex care to patients requiring multi-disciplinary attention.

In addition to daily lectures and seminars that require active resident participation, residents in both programs must complete a data collection driven research project. Residents are expected to present or defend their research at the departmental level, as well as at national meetings.

How to apply for the Dentistry Residency Program

Applications for the residency programs may be obtained in a number of different ways.

Although an application may be requested directly via e-mail (dentist@cnmc.org) or fax (240-209-8893), the Pediatric Dentistry residency participates in the PASS program, administered by the American Dental Education Association. This centralized application process allows a simple and standardized mechanism to submit applications and supporting documentation, and is the preferred application option.

The Orthodontic residency program does not participate with PASS. An Orthodontic residency application may be requested at 202-884-2160, menu choice #7, or by using the previously cited options.

Both the Pediatric Dentistry and Orthodontic programs fully participate in the National Match and must abide by the deadlines and guidelines of that service.

Emergency Medicine

Key Contacts:
Christina Johns, MD, Fellowship Director

The Pediatric Emergency Medicine Fellowship is the oldest of its kind in the country. Fellows complete three years of training, including rotations in Anesthesiology, Intensive Care, Wound Management, Toxicology and Adult Emergency Medicine. The remainder of the time is spent in the pediatric emergency medicine department at Children´s Hospital. The purposes of the fellowship are fourfold, and include comprehensive training in the following areas:

the management of acute illness and injury, including life-threatening multisystem diseases and trauma
the critical review of medical literature, research design and implementation, and evidence-based medicine
teaching
administration and management

How to apply for the Pediatric Fellowship Program:

Applications may be obtained by contacting Hilda Rojas by phone at 202-884-4177, or by e-mail at Hrojas@CNMC.org. Applications are due August 15 of the year prior to the beginning of the fellowship. Children´s Hospital participates in the national residency matching program.

General Pediatric Residency Program

Key Contact:

Bernard L. Wiederman, MD
Director, Pediatric Residency Program

A Message from Dr. Wiedermann

Mark Batshaw, MD
Chief Academic Officer and Chairman, Department of Pediatrics

A Message from Dr. Mark Batshaw

The pediatric residency program has developed rapidly in the past 20 years, becoming one of the most respected and most desired pediatric training programs in the country. The following information will provide an overview of residency training at CNMC.

Philosophy and Objectives

The pediatric residency program at Children´s National Medical Center offers an environment in which the teaching staff and residents acquire and improve knowledge and skills while providing high quality care to a wide spectrum of patients. By delivering comprehensive, continuing, and family-oriented health care, the house officer is given the opportunity, under guided supervision, to increase responsibility as training progresses. The overall objective of the program at Children´s is to train all house officers to become outstanding general pediatricians. The graduate then may enter general pediatric practice or continue an academic career with a comprehensive understanding of pathophysiology of disease as well as normal child care, growth and development and the processes of family life. Special attention is given to assisting residents in acquiring problem-solving competency, improving technical expertise, and developing skills in teaching junior house officers and students. Residents also may participate in research and are given assistance, support and direction in designing their own investigation.

Appointments to Residency Training

Residents are appointed to CNMC on a yearly basis (July 1 through June 30). It is expected that most residents will remain for the full three years to complete their training. Applicants for first-year positions at CNMC are selected via the National Residency Matching Program (NRMP). Applicants for residencies in advanced standing (second or third year) will be considered if openings are available. Applicants must be graduates of a medical school approved by the Council on Medical Education and Hospitals of the American Medical Association. Applicants with proper credentials who are graduates from foreign medical schools also will be considered.

Program Structure

Residency Track

Continuity Clinics

Application Procedure

Residents are appointed to Children´s on a yearly basis (July 1 through June 30). It is expected that most residents will remain for the full three years to complete their training.

Applications for First Year Positions

Applications for first year pediatric residency positions will be accepted via the Electronic Residency Application Service (ERAS). ERAS application materials are distributed from dean's offices in most medical schools. Further information may be obtained from the Association of American Medical Colleges´ web site at http://www.aamc.org Paper applications will be accepted but are discouraged.

Applications for Second and Third Year Positions

Applicants for residency positions at the second or third year training levels should submit a cover letter, curriculum vitae, medical school transcript, dean's letter, letters of recommendation, USMLE and pediatric in-training examination scores, and any other relevant materials to:

Conferences

Numerous conferences are available for house staff. Daily noon conferences are designed as a core lecture series for residents, pinpointing core educational material and highlighting new areas of interest. Also included in noon conferences are housestaff journal clubs, weekly Professorial Rounds, Morbidity and Mortality conferences and case discussion conferences. Inpatient teams also participate in daily intake and thrice weekly attending rounds. Grand Rounds lectures are presented twice monthly for all members of the institution.

Core lecture series for Ambulatory Medicine rotations and for Continuity Clinic are provided daily. Additionally, all required rotations have curricula and learning objectives for housestaff.

Principles and evidence-based medicine and development of critical reasoning skills are emphasized in all conferences and educational sessions.

Infectious Diseases

Key Contact:
Barbara A. Jantausch M.D.
Director, Fellowship Training Program in Pediatric Infectious Diseases

The Infectious Disease Fellowship Program consists of a three year curriculum to train the fellow to develop competence in clinical infectious diseases and research (and regulatory function in the case of our joint FDA program) to meet national and international needs in infectious diseases. The fellowship offers opportunities in areas of basic science research, clinical/epidemiology research and, in one of its tracks, regulatory function of biologics at FDA. There are three tracks in our fellowship: a traditional track with both clinical and research aspects conducted at Children´s Hospital and an intramural Children´s Research Institute (CRI); a joint fellowship with the FDA with regulatory protocol development and statistic experience at FDA, with clinical and research experience conducted at Children´s; and a third track with a joint fellowship with the NIH with clinical aspects conducted at Children´s and the research experience at the National Institute of Health.

How to apply for the Infectious Disease Fellowship Program:

Prospective fellowship candidates should send a letter of inquiry to:
Barbara A. Jantausch M.D.
Director, Fellowship Training Program in Pediatric Infectious Diseases
Department of Infectious Diseases
Children´s National Medical Center
111 Michigan Ave., N.W.
Washington, D.C. 20010

Neonatology

Key Contacts:
K. Rais-Bahrami, MD, Director, Neonatal Fellowship Program or
Billie Lou Short, MD, Chair, Division of Neonatology

The Neonatal-Perinatal Fellowship Program at Children´s National Medical Center /George Washington University is a 3 year program designed to provide training in neonatal-perinatal medicine for candidates who have successfully completed their pediatric residency training. Clinical training is provided in two state-of-the-art NICUs, one located at Children´s National Medical Center and the other at the George Washington University Hospital.

The NICU at CNMC is a 40-bed quaternary level unit with over 600 admissions per year. The program provides extensive training in management of respiratory distress, with conventional and high frequency oscillatory ventilation, nitric oxide, and extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) capabilities. Infants with a multitude of medical and/or surgical problems are transferred from over 30 hospitals in the region. The neonatology team works with faculty members representing all medical and surgical subspecialties to co-manage infants with specialty needs.

The George Washington University NICU is affiliated with the High Risk Perinatal Program at GWU. Rotations through this unit provide experience in management of the high-risk neonate in the delivery room and post delivery. Prenatal consultative experience is achieved through a multidisciplinary team approach with members of the Perinatology Team. The Neonatal Division presently has seven full-time, board certified neonatologist and six neonatal-perinatal fellows, and fellows are assigned a faculty advisor during their first year. This advisor provides direction and support during the three years of training. The fellow's research project can be developed in several areas. The neonatal attending staff members are involved in research ranging from translational research, physiology research, cell biology research, and epidemiology research. Fellows also have access to the Children´s Research Institute and all faculty working in the CRI, and research grants for fellows are awarded twice a year through the CRI. On-going research in the department includes animal studies investigating various types of ventilation, including nitric oxide, liquid ventilation, and ECMO. Cerebral physiologic studies are ongoing, evaluating the effect of ECMO on the developing brain and altered vascular reactivity. Other members of the department doing research at the cell level are conducting their work off site at NIH. There are opportunities for fellows to develop projects under these attendings at the NIH laboratories. The fellowship program offers opportunities to the academically oriented, as well as the clinically oriented candidate. However, the clinically oriented fellow will participate in research according to the guidelines for the Neonatal Perinatal Boards.

Prior to starting the fellowship, candidates must have completed a 3-year pediatric residency training, be board certified/eligible in pediatrics and be eligible for a D.C. license to practice medicine.

How to apply for the Neonatal-Perinatal Fellowship Program

Applicants should submit in writing or by e-mail a request for a fellowship application.
Application packets consisting of application form, introductory letter, and program objectives are sent to all inquiring applicants.
Completed application and at least 3 reference letters are required prior to interview.
Qualified applicants are notified and invited for a one-day visit to our facilities and an interview.
All candidates are interviewed by the Director and at least one other member of the attending staff at CNMC and 1 member from GWUH.

Contact the following for an application packet:
K. Rais-Bahrami, MD, Fellowship Director
Division of Neonatology
Children´s National Medical Center
111 Michigan Ave., NW
Washington, DC 20010
Phone: 202-884-5448
Fax: 202-884-3459

Neurology

Key Contacts:
Roger J. Packer MD, Professor and Chairman
Director, Neurology Fellowship Training Program

Phillip L. Pearl MD
Assistant Professor and Coordinator, Neurology Fellowship Training Program

The child Neurology fellowship is an ACGME-accredited fellowship offering a three year training program to achieve board eligibility and full qualification for a career in pediatric neurology. The fellowship is coordinated with the adult neurology program at George Washington University School of Medicine and includes one year of adult neurology, one year of clinical child neurology, and one year of electives that include neuropathology at the AFIP (Armed Forces Institute of Pathology), neuroradiology, neurophysiology, epilepsy, and neurooncology. Eligible candidates will have completed at least two years of pediatric residency, or one year of pediatrics and one year of internal medicine or neuroscience research. Children´s has a large neurology faculty with wide clinical and research interests, including several members having research programs based at the NIH.

This is a highly competitive fellowship and it has been filled continuously for the past seven years. There are multiple opportunities for fellows to develop research expertise both in the subspecialty programs in the department of Neurology at CNMC and in programs at the National Institutes of Health and the National Cancer Institute which have working relationships with the Department of Neurology. Neurology fellows have elected to extend their fellowship for one to two years to take advantage of the programs available at the National Institute of Health.

Recent Graduates of the Child Neurology Program have pursued both clinical and research careers. Areas of research of recent graduates include neurocognitive disorders of childhood, epilepsy, childhood movement disorders, neurogenetics and headaches (with special emphasis on pain management).

Neurogenetics Clinic

The Neurogenetics Clinic participates in the educational component of the fellowship training program, and pediatric and adult neurology residents may elect to rotate through the clinic. Lecture series are integrated into the existing curriculum. Appointments may be made through the department of Neurology at Children´s National Medical Center.

Residents and Fellows

The Child Neurology program at CNMC coordinates multiple educational programs. For residents and fellows, there are weekly electroencephalography conferences, evoked potential/neurophysiology conferences, didactic lectures and clinical (intake) rounds, in addition to weekly neuroradiology conferences and monthly neuropathology conferences. There is also a monthly brain cutting session.

To Apply

Send a note of inquiry to:
Phillip L. Pearl, MD
Coordinator, Neurology Fellowship Training Program
Department of Neurology
Children´s National Medical Center
111 Michigan Ave
Washington, DC 20010-2970
e-mail: ppearl@cnmc.org

Ophthalmology

Children´s Department of Ophthalmology hosts the premier and most prestigious Pediatric Ophthalmology and Strabismus fellowship program in the nation. As the "gold standard" of Pediatric Ophthalmology training programs, the CNMC Fellowship Training Program, became the model for the accreditation program of fellowships by the American Association for Pediatric Ophthalmology and Strabismus. Around one fourth of all Pediatric Ophthalmologists in the United States and Canada obtained their formal sub-specialty training at CNMC.

The number of fellowship positions has been reduced with time, in response to the slowly decreasing but still existent national needs. We presently offer three one-year training positions per year: 2 funded and 1 partially funded. The latter position is dedicated to an international fellow who is committed to return to his/her country. The three clinical fellows have the same rotations and medical and surgical responsibilities. International fellows should have passed the United States Medical Licensing Examination (U.S.M.L.E.) or its equivalent and be sponsored by the Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates (E.C.F.M.G.*) for an exchange visitor visa. All three fellowship positions are approved by the American Association for Pediatric Ophthalmology and Strabismus.

Program Goals

To gain medical and surgical expertise in the delivery of comprehensive eye care to children (cataract, glaucoma, ROP, etc.)
To acquire expertise in the diagnosis and management of strabismus in children and adults
To further develop knowledge and teaching skills so that information may be passed on to others.

Extensive medical and surgical experience is provided. Fellows are asked to give lectures, and to organize and manage journal clubs and monthly conferences. Research experience is not a mandatory part of this one-year clinical fellowship. However, most fellows complete a clinical research project, supervised by the faculty. The schedule of didactic lectures and conferences is quite extensive and covers a host of subjects in Pediatric Ophthalmology. Ample exposure to other pediatric specialties is offered and clinical research is encouraged. In addition to the fellows, (PGY-3) Ophthalmology residents rotate through our Department. The residents have a separate and well-defined curriculum.

The full-time staff of the Department of Ophthalmology at Children´s National Medical Center consists of Drs. Mohamad S. Jaafar, Marijean M. Miller and Jennifer A. Dunbar. A partial list of the voluntary staff involved in the fellowship training program would include: Drs. Marshall M. Parks, John F. O´Neill, Marshall P. Keys, James B. Sprague, Nancy J. Ronsheim, William S. Gilbert, Paul T. Gavaris, David F. Plotsky, David J. Seidman, Narieman A. Nik and Salim I. Butrus. Certified orthoptists and ophthalmic technicians assist in performing special procedures.

To request an application for our Pediatric Ophthalmology fellowship program, please contact:

Ms Milagros "Milly" Corbett
Sr. Administrative Assistant
Department of Ophthalmology
Children´s National Medical Center
Tel.: 202-884-3017
Fax: 202-884-6520

or: mcorbett@cnmc.org

The fellowship positions are offered through the Fellowship Match Program. Please contact the San Francisco Match office to obtain an application and detailed information:

Mr. Douglas Perry
P.O. Box 7585
San Francisco, CA 94120-7584
Telephone #: 415-447-0350
Web address: http://sfmatch.org/

*Education Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates
3624 Market Street
Philadelphia, PA 19104-2685, U.S.A.
Telephone: 215-386-5900

Otolaryngology

Key Contacts:
George H. Zalzal, MD, Chairman, Department of Otolaryngology

The two-year Pediatric Otolaryngology Fellowship at Children´s National Medical Center provides training in all aspects of Pediatric Otolaryngology and prepares the Fellow for a career in academic medicine with an appointment as a staff physician at a major tertiary care Children´s hospital.

The Fellow will have exposure to a wide range of disorders that are encountered in clinical practice, and a large volume of experience will involve the management of middle ear disorders and airway problems. In addition, the Fellow will gain experience in diagnosis and management of children with disorders of the paranasal sinuses, congenital abnormalities of the head and neck, craniofacial anomalies, hearing impairment and tumors of the head and neck.

The Fellow will gain experience in otologic surgery consisting of tympanoplasty, mastoidectomy, ossicular reconstruction, repair of aural atresia and repair of perilymph fistula.

Experience in endoscopy shall include flexible and rigid direct laryngoscopy, suspension microlaryngoscopy, surgery with the carbon dioxide and KTP laser, bronchoscopy, removal of foreign bodies from upper aerodigestive tract, nasal endoscopy and endoscopic sinus surgery and surgical management of complications of acute sinusitis.

Experience in head and neck surgery shall include repair of laryngotracheal stenosis, excision of benign and malignant masses in the head and neck, excision of thyroglossal duct and branchial cleft abnormalities.

The Fellow will attend a series of lectures given by the members of the full time and voluntary Medical Staff at Children´s National Medical Center. The lectures shall be planned in order to provide the Fellow with basic science and clinical information pertaining to Pediatric Otolaryngology.

Additional pediatric teaching sessions include Radiology and Audiology conferences.

Craniofacial Clinic--meets on a weekly basis, offering exposure to craniofacial anomalies.

Kendall School at Gallaudet College--monthly clinics are held allowing the Fellow to gain experience with the hearing impaired.

The Fellow is expected to initiate and complete a research project during the fellowship. One month prior to beginning training, the Fellow is expected to present a protocol for a research project. This project must be completed one month prior to the end of Fellowship training and a scientific manuscript is to be prepared. The manuscript should include a summary of the project design, methods and materials, and the outcome of the project. Facilities for research include an excellent animal laboratory with full-time caretakers.

How to apply for the Pediatric Otolaryngology Fellowship:

Individuals who are board certified or board eligible in Otolaryngology may apply to the program. License eligibility in the District of Columbia is required.