The Emory University Pediatric Pulmonary Fellowship Program is ACGME accredited. We are affiliated with Emory University with the majority of our clinical services provided at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta (CHOA) at Egleston. Pulmonary ambulatory clinics are held next door to Egleston at the Emory Children’s Center and cystic fibrosis ambulatory clinics at the cystic fibrosis center a short distance away.

The broad goal of our pediatric pulmonary fellowship program is to prepare postgraduate trainees for successful careers in academic pediatric pulmonary medicine. To accomplish this goal, trainees will engage in a comprehensive curriculum, which includes diverse clinical assignments, substantial preparation in research design and methodology, and formal teaching. We recognize that applicants will come from diverse backgrounds, and will need to emphasize specific areas to complete their preparation. Although all trainees will participate in core activities, the curriculum is flexible so as to facilitate assimilation into different career paths. Our program offers three unique paths that parallel faculty career tracks: clinician-educator, clinical researcher and basic science researcher. The curriculum through which the trainee will engage in study to achieve these career paths are described below. By identifying career goals early in fellowship, we can help create an education that will prepare our fellows for a successful career in academic pediatric pulmonary medicine.

The Department of Pediatrics at Emory University and the Division of Pulmonology, Allergy/Immunology, Cystic Fibrosis and Sleep Medicine (PACS)

The Department of Pediatrics at Emory University and CHOA are leaders in patient care, education, research, and child advocacy. CHOA has been named one of the top hospitals in America in 2007 by U.S. News and World Report, and was recently named one of the top 10 children’s hospitals by Child Magazine. Emory also has a nationally-recognized pediatric residency training program. The PACS division is a combined division that runs a very busy clinical service focused on the treatment of children with a wide variety of general pulmonary diseases, including those with cystic fibrosis, severe asthma, pulmonary hypertension, chronic respiratory failure, sleep disordered breathing, interstitial lung diseases, chest wall deformities, chronic lung diseases of the premature infant, pulmonary aspiration, sickle cell chronic lung disease, and pulmonary masses. Areas of research focus include severe asthma, cystic fibrosis, sickle cell disease, and acute lung injury as they relate to patient outcomes (including responses to pharmacological and other therapeutic interventions), oxidant stress and redox signaling, airway cellular function, and the molecular regulation of lung inflammation. The division has ongoing collaborations with other subspecialties in the department of pediatrics, the university basic science departments, the Rollins School of Public Health, and the adult pulmonary division. Additionally, the division has active collaborations with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Georgia Institute of Technology.

II. Faculty

III. Program Eligibility

Applicants are eligible for the program if they meet the following requirements:

• Have completed (or will complete by July 1st of expected start year) an ACGME-accredited residency program. A complete listing of ACGME-accredited residency programs is available on-line at: http://www.acgme.org/adspublic/

• Have passed all components of the U.S. Medical Licensure Examination (USMLE), including:
  • Step I
  • Step 2 (clinical knowledge) - Step 2 (clinical skills)
  • Step 3

• Have fulfilled the eligibility requirements for certification by the American Board of Pediatrics.

• Are eligible for medical licensure in the state of Georgia. Refer to website for details: Composite State Board of Medical Examiners.

International applicants must also provide evidence of the following:

• Certification by the Educational Commission of Foreign Medical Graduates (ECFMG). Information on ECFMG Certification may be obtained at http://www.ecfmg.org.

• Successful completion of the ECFMG English Examination.

The Emory University Pediatric Pulmonary Fellowship Program will join the National Resident Matching Program (NRMP) for applications effective for the 2011 interview season. Majority of the accredited and active pediatric pulmonary fellowship programs in the nation are participating in the match.

In 1998, Egleston Children's Health Care System and Scottish Rite Medical Center came together to form Children's Healthcare of Atlanta (CHOA) which is one of the largest pediatric systems in the country. In 2006, Children's assumed responsibility for the management of services at Hughes Spalding Children's Hospital —growing the system to three hospitals and seventeen satellite locations — all designed to better meet the needs of the community. CHOA as a whole has 474 beds within the three hospitals and cares for half a million children annually. In 2007, CHOA at Egleston expanded their clinical facilities by adding a new tower. Currently, Egleston has 249 non-ICU hospital beds, as well as 30 PICU and 37 NICU beds.

Emory University and CHOA at Egleston are located near the heart of downtown Atlanta. The city of Atlanta is a vibrant and diverse city with excellent entertainment, restaurants and activities. For more information, please visit the following helpful websites:

IV. Curriculum

The goal of our pediatric pulmonary fellowship program is to provide didactic training for pediatric physicians to prepare them for a career in academic medicine. Our core curriculum is structured such that the majority of clinical training will occur during the first year, allowing fellows to focus on research training during the second and third years.

Fellows will engage in specific training experiences according to the career path selected during their first year. The three career paths offered by our program include the clinician educator track, the clinical research track, and the bench research track.

A. Core Curriculum

While the specific career path will differ between fellows, all fellows will complete a core curriculum. This curriculum is designed to foster the clinical skills and knowledge of fellows in order to prepare them for subspecialty certification. This curriculum will also provide an introduction to research.

Year One

During year 1, fellows will focus primarily on clinical training. This includes 6 modules (each module is 4 weeks) of inpatient care at CHOA at Egleston. During this time, fellows will care for patients admitted to the pulmonary service as well as perform consultations and bronchoscopies. Fellows will be expected to cover the service during the daytime and be first call at night half of the time. They will also have weekend call (approximately 6-8 weekends per year). Other rotations during the first year include (1 module each) sleep medicine/pulmonary function and private pulmonary practice with our colleagues at Georgia Pediatric Pulmonary Associates (GPPA). This latter experience will include 2 weeks of covering the pulmonary service at CHOA/Scottish Rite (our sister campus) and 2 weeks in the clinic (GPPA). Fellows will also have the opportunity for 2 (s)elective rotations during their first year. There are several (s)electives from which to choose: allergy/immunology (required 2 weeks during fellowship), ENT (required 2 weeks during fellowship), PICU (strongly encouraged), anesthesia (encouraged), NICU and interventional bronchoscopy. Other elective options may be chosen with approval from the program director. Additionally, fellows will be required to spend intensive time in various ambulatory clinics (total 1 module; general pulmonary, adult and pediatric cystic fibrosis, GPPA, apnea/sleep, sickle cell lung disease, aerodigestive, lung transplant, interstitial lung disease). Near mid-year, fellows will have 1 research month where they will visit various labs/mentors and with the direction of the program director and division chief, will choose a career path. This decision will help tailor their subsequent training to meet their individual goals.

Years Two and Three

Fellows will focus largely on research activities during their 2nd and 3rd years. They will have >75% of their time (9.5-10 modules) protected to focus on research training. At the start of the 2nd year, each fellow will be expected to prepare a project proposal. Additionally, fellows will be scheduled for 1 module inpatient pulmonary service yearly at CHOA/Egleston. Fellows will be expected to cover the service during the daytime and be first call at night half of the time. They will also have some weekend call (5-6 weekends per year). Fellows will also be scheduled for 1 module yearly at CHOA/Scottish Rite and GPPA. The primary expectation during year 2 is that the fellow will start to accumulate preliminary data so that by the end of the 3rd year, fellows will begin analyzing their data and prepare manuscripts/project summaries. Throughout their fellowship, fellows will continue their involvement with journal clubs, research seminars, fellows’ conferences, and pediatric chest rounds.

Continuity Clinic

Notably, during all rotations for all 3 years, fellows will be required to attend their own general pulmonary continuity clinic, which will be scheduled for 1 clinic session per week. At least once monthly, this will be a CF clinic (approximately 1 in 4 sessions).

Lectures

The didactic curriculum includes department fellow courses, such as introductory research, ethics and teaching as well as division journal clubs and research seminars. Clinical lectures will be provided in fellows’ conferences and pediatric chest rounds.

Fellows will be required to attend department fellows’ courses (research, teaching, ethics); pulmonary fellows’ conference (didactic lectures held weekly aimed at preparing the fellow for the ABP subspecialty pulmonary boards), chest rounds (multidisciplinary case conference held twice monthly), immunology conference and PACS journal club and research seminars (held weekly). Additionally, fellows are encouraged to attend resident lectures, pediatric grand rounds as well as conferences within other divisions (particularly critical care medicine and infectious diseases). Fellows will also be expected to provide clinical lectures to residents. During research training, fellows will be expected to attend PACS research seminars, as well as those of their lab mentors. Additionally, they will present their ongoing project results and future proposals to their committee at biannual meetings.

Mentoring

Fellows will meet regularly with the fellowship faculty. A career path will be selected during the first year. Each fellow will have a scholarship oversight committee according to the path chosen. This committee will be identified at the end of their 1st year and will include their research mentor, division chief/program director and 2 other faculty members, at least one of whom will be outside the division and one of whom must have a PhD. Based on the recommendations of the committee, fellows will prepare and submit a competitive grant application to an appropriate institution, the funding of which will not affect their position in the fellowship. This mentoring committee will consist of the primary mentor (selected by the fellow and agreed upon by the division director) and two additional faculty members. One member of the mentoring committee will come from a different division. Committee meetings will be held at regular intervals to assure the continued success of the fellow.

B. Specialty Paths

The following paths are designed to ensure that we prepare fellows in training for a career in academic medicine and parallel faculty career tracks many universities offer. We understand that not all fellows will know what faculty career path they want to pursue, particularly during their first year or may change their path once chosen. Therefore, these paths are designed to be easily tailored to the individual fellows’ needs and are not binding.

Clinical Educator Path

The clinician educator path is designed for physicians who want to focus their careers on clinical patient care and the education and mentoring of trainees (medical students, residents, and fellows). In addition to the core curriculum requirements, elective coursework on effective teaching strategies and presentation skills will be encouraged. In addition, fellows pursuing this path are expected to engage in activities which promote child advocacy and enhance the overall quality of patient care. Research projects may include clinical outcomes studies related to selected medical therapies or patient care delivery.

Clinical Researcher Path

The clinical researcher path is designed for physicians who want to focus their careers on clinical research. Given the complex nature of human research, particularly with regard to research ethics, study design and analyses, fellows pursuing this track will be encouraged to complete a fourth year of fellowship training. In addition to the core curriculum requirements, fellows will complete coursework on clinical research ethics, biostatistics, and clinical research design and analysis. Fellows will also be encouraged to attend seminars on research grant writing skills. Research projects may include epidemiological studies of disease, clinical outcome-based studies, characterization studies, and clinical trials (recommended for fourth-year fellows only).

Bench Researcher Path

The bench researcher path is designed for physicians who want to focus their careers on basic or translational science. Like the clinical researcher path, the bench researcher path requires additional coursework beyond what is offered in the core curriculum and may entail a fourth year of fellowship training. Elective coursework in the basic sciences (e.g., cell biology, biochemistry, molecular physiology) is encouraged. Fellows will be encouraged to attend seminars on research grant writing skills. Fellows pursuing this track will have the opportunity to visit several laboratories and learn a variety of bench laboratory techniques. Research projects may include animal or human translational research related to airway physiology, cellular structure and function, and molecular mechanisms of redox signaling and lung inflammation.

V. Application Procedure

For eligible applicants interested in the Emory University Pediatric Pulmonary Fellowship Program, we will participate in the National Resident Matching Program (NRMP) Pediatric Pulmonary Match for the selection of first-year fellows. Applicants apply directly to our program AND register with the NRMP.

To apply to the Emory University Pediatric Pulmonary Fellowship Program, we require the following completed items:

1. Completed application form with current photograph—please indicate your preferred method of correspondence.
2. Personal statement—we would appreciate a description of your clinical and research experience, your reason for an interest in pediatric pulmonology, and your career goals.
3. Current curriculum vitae (CV).
4. Copy of ECFMG certificate (if applicable)
5. Three letters of recommendation
a. One must be from your residency program director
b. All letters should be mailed directly to address below

Applications should be addressed to:

Dawn Simon, M.D.
Director, Pediatric Pulmonology Fellowship Program
Emory Children’s Center
2015 Uppergate Dr, #338
Atlanta, GA 30322
dmsimon@emory.edu

Application Timeline and Selection Procedure

We will screen our applications and invite eligible applicants for on-site interviews. We will not have a position available until July 1, 2011.

We thank you for your interest in our program and look forward to telling you more about the exciting happenings at Emory University.

For questions or more information, please contact:

Barbara Reynolds
Program Coordinator, Pediatric Pulmonary Fellowship
Emory Children’s Center
2015 Uppergate Dr
Atlanta, GA 30322
barbara.reynolds@oz.ped.emory.edu