SEELS scholars will be expected to be fully engaged in program participation including: 

• Mandatory attendance at the two-day, in-person orientation in August
• Mandatory attendance at monthly, in-person educational group sessions and completion of any required pre-work 
• Regular 1:1 meetings with SEELS mentor
• Development and completion of an education-based research project, meeting the scholarly requirements of the American Board of Pediatrics, and submission of at least one abstract to both a local and national conference 
• Contribution to a “SEELS Scholars” team project, such as a professional development session, workshop, teaching session, or similar programming
• Submission of educator’s portfolio consisting of an updated curriculum vitae, teaching matrix, teacher’s statement, and teaching activities along with their effectiveness and impact
• Participation in all program evaluation efforts (e.g. completion of surveys, interviews, etc.) 

Due to the expected time commitment for SEELS scholars, a letter from the fellowship program director is required to ensure program support. Identification of a medical education research mentor is not required to apply.

The SEELS Program is supported by the University of Colorado Department of Pediatrics. SEELS scholars will have access to limited funds for research-related costs (e.g. software, data analysis, incentives) or national conference costs (fees, travel). Scholars will learn how to develop a budget plan to apply for funding. 

Currently, fellowship programs are not responsible for any tuition for the SEELS Program.  

2026-28 SEELS Cohort

Nicole Barsanti, DO – Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology, and Nutrition

Dr. Nicole Barsanti is a second-year pediatric gastroenterology, hepatology and nutrition fellow. She is originally from Northern California, however found herself in Boulder for undergrad, Nevada for medical school at Touro University Nevada and most recently Stanford for pediatric residency. She loves being back in Colorado! 

Her scholarly interest includes curriculum development, teaching trainees, and learning how to increase resident interests in pediatric subspecialties. She is excited to be a part of SEELS and learn more about careers in medical education, meet mentors within the community, as well as meet other fellows with similar interests. She is also excited to learn more about leadership and develop a medical education project. 

Tighrid Brouzine, MD – Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology, and Nutrition

Dr. Tighrid Brouzine is a second-year pediatric gastroenterology, hepatology, and nutrition fellow at Children's Hospital Colorado. She completed medical school at Hassan II university school of medicine and pharmacy and Mercy St Vincent medical center with a strong interest in pediatric liver disease, transplant medicine, and academic scholarship, and is excited to participate in the SEELS program to develop formal skills in medical education, collaborate with educators across pediatric subspecialties, and grow as an academic clinician-educator.

Her scholarly interests include pediatric hepatology, liver transplantation, Fontan-associated liver disease (FALD), and medical education. Her current research focuses on investigating the relationship between the gut microbiome and FALD using multi-omics approaches. In addition to her research, she is passionate about curriculum development, medical students and residents' education, and advancing evidence-based teaching strategies in pediatric gastroenterology and hepatology.

Sarah Fox, MD – Pediatric Hospital Medicine

Dr. Sarah Fox is a first-year Pediatric Hospital Medicine (PHM) Fellow. She attended Northeastern University in Boston for her undergraduate degree, then completed her medical training and residency here in Colorado. She is excited to stay at Children's Hospital Colorado for fellowship to further her career in both PHM and scholarly work. 

Dr. Fox's scholarly interests are largely in medical education, climate health, and mentorship. She is also interested in quality improvement as a new area of focus during fellowship. Her current project is developing a climate centered curriculum for pediatric residents. This focuses on how pediatric health is linked to our environment and planetary health. 

She is excited about the SEELS program as it emphasizes strong, evidence based medical education scholarship, learning in areas of research methodology, and connection within the medical education community including mentorship and peer guidance. 

 

 

 

Laura McWhirter, MD – Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine

Dr. Laura McWhirter is a second-year fellow in Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine. She completed medical school at the University of Colorado School of Medicine and pediatric residency at Oregon Health & Science University. She stayed on for a chief resident year prior to coming back to Colorado to start her fellowship training.

During her training, she developed a growing interest in medical education. Her scholarly interests within the realm of medical education span from professional identity formation to curriculum design to simulation. Her current research focuses on patient care ownership in the intensive care unit setting. She is interested in better understanding the unique challenges that come with developing a sense of patient ownership in the ICU setting and exploring how patient ownership interplays with the professional identity formation of future intensivists. Through this work, she hopes to better understand how clinical learning environments can foster meaningful engagement, autonomy, and leadership development among trainees.

Laura hopes to continue incorporating medical education into her career as a neonatologist and contribute to educational scholarship that improves the experiences of learners and the teams in which they work. She is excited to join the SEELS program to learn from medical educators across disciplines, develop her skills in education scholarship and leadership, and build a community of colleagues who share her passion for medical education. She looks forward to using the mentorship and longitudinal learning opportunities within SEELS to further develop her interests and shape her career as a clinician-educator.

PJ Tran, MD – Pediatric Cardiology

Dr. PJ Tran is currently a second-year fellow in Pediatric Cardiology. She grew up mostly in the Boston area and, after falling in love with the mountains while attending medical school at the University of Vermont, decided to move to Denver for residency and stayed for fellowship. During her training, she realized the important role physicians play in medical education and became passionate about creating a great learning environment and making learning fun through techniques such as interactive, game-based learning.

Her SEELS project focuses on creating and studying educational online escape rooms for residents during their Cardiology rotation. This research will hopefully help support the broader implementation of game-based educational strategies, particularly among pediatric residents.

Meg Van Der Bosch, MD – Pediatric Cardiology

Dr. Meg Van Der Bosch is a second-year fellow in pediatric cardiology. She is originally from Chicago, where she attended medical school at the University of Illinois College of Medicine. She ventured out of the Midwest for the first time to pursue pediatric residency at the University of Colorado, where she also completed a chief resident year.

Her scholarly interests include single ventricle heart disease and medical education, with a particular interest in how to balance the increasing demands on learner time with the ever-expanding necessary knowledge core of the general pediatrician. Her current project aims to design a standardized curriculum to supplement the hands-on experience of the pediatric resident cardiology rotation. The curriculum aims to use principles of gamification to engage learners and improve their exposure to core pediatric cardiology topics.

In joining the SEELS Program, Dr. Van Der Bosch is excited to connect with other members of the medical education community, expand her understanding of career paths within medical education, and deepen her formal training background to enrich the quality of her scholarly work.

 

 

The application deadline is generally in February.

Applicants will be notified of the selection committee’s decision by April.

The August 2026 – January 2028 Cohort will begin with orientation in August 2026. 

Mandatory, in-person, monthly educational sessions are currently planned for the first Tuesday afternoon of the month from 1-5pm. 

All pediatric fellows completing 3-year ACGME-accredited fellowships within the Department of Pediatrics at the University of Colorado School of Medicine are encouraged to apply.  We will consider fellows starting a 2-year ACGME-accredited fellowship in July, if a scholarly component is required for the fellowship and the program director guarantees the time and resources for SEELS program participation requirements. Selection will be based on academic career goals, balance of educational needs, and diversity.

Please submit your application online using the following link. Applications are due on February 16, 2026.

Fellow Application Information and Questions:

1. Name
2. Fellowship Training Program  
3. Fellowship Program Director
4. Year in fellowship as of July 
5. Why are you applying to the SEELS Program, and what do you hope to gain by becoming a SEELS scholar? What would be the impact if you did NOT participate in SEELS? Please include a description of any prior training in medical education (for example, a certificate training program or education pathway during residency) and future academic career goals (for example, leadership positions, scholarship goals, or Master programs) related to medical education.  500 word maximum
6. What mentorship do you currently receive (for example, in the medical education research/scholarship, leadership, and/or career development domains)?  Current mentors may be local or from other institutions. What are your mentoring needs or gaps for which the SEELS Program may fulfill, and why? 300 word maximum
7. What medical education project or scholarly idea do you have for completion during the SEELS Program? Please include background information, such as your motivation to complete this project and any relevant literature, project goal(s)/aim(s), and stage of development.  300 word maximum
8. Do you have a primary research mentor identified for the medical education project/idea described in the prior question, or would you need help identifying a primary research mentor for this project/idea? If you have a primary research mentor identified, please share their name, institution, and role(s). It is NOT required to have a mentor selected before starting SEELS and does not impact your application. 
9. The University of Colorado School of Medicine is committed to supporting a body of diverse learners and faculty who value belonging and inclusiveness. The SEELS Program is also dedicated to creating an welcoming learning environment that promotes respect from the classroom to the bedside. How would you enhance this mission for the SEELS Program and/or the University-at-large?  300 word maximum
10. Do you have funding from your fellowship program for conducting a research project?
11. Do you have funding from your fellowship program for attending conference(s)?
12. The SEELS Program currently meets in-person on the first Tuesday of the month from 1-5pm. Please provide any conflicts that you would have during this time, and list any other times that you have other mandatory, recurrent meetings or conflicts (for example, clinic schedule or Section meeting on the second Wednesday of every month from 1-5pm). **Answers to this question are used for planning purposes and do not impact one's acceptance into the Program.**

Curriculum Vitae:  Please highlight specific education-related experiences. Upload as an attachment within the electronic application above. 

Letter of Recommendation  from Fellowship Program Director I nstructions:

• Please describe why the fellow should be selected, based on characteristics, career goals, accomplishments-to-date, program/division availability for mentorship, gaps in training, etc.
• Please explain how the SEELS Program will enhance the fellow's training and if the fellow has identified a primary research mentor for their medical education scholarly project. It is not required to identify this mentor ahead of time; in which case, please describe the specific role(s) that the PD would envision the SEELS Program faculty mentors having for the fellow ( e.g. serving as the primary research mentor, serving as the educational co-mentor on a mentorship team, coaching or advising on the project, etc).
• Please provide your support that the fellow's proposed scholarly project for SEELS would serve as their fellowship's scholarly activity requirement or explain if that cannot be the case.
  • For 2-year fellowships , please also describe in detail the scholarly requirements for the fellowship and the structure of the fellows' scholarly time during the 2 years (e.g. protected time, mentorship, etc).
• Please include a statement of support, such as: “I support the application of [insert fellow’s name] to the SEELS Program. I agree to provide the protected time for [insert fellow’s name] to attend mentorship meetings, orientation, and SEELS’ monthly educational sessions, during which the fellow will be unavailable for clinical, Section, or other duties. In addition, I understand that [insert fellow’s name] may need to be available on other dates/times to attend conferences or other learning opportunities as part of the SEELS Program. I will offer or help facilitate the mentorship needed for [insert fellow’s name] to complete the SEELS Program.”  
• Please email letter of recommendation directly to  SEELS@childrenscolorado.org  by February 16, 2026 .

If you have any questions about the SEELS Program or application, please contact SEELS@childrenscolorado.org .