Pediatric Critical Care Medicine Fellowship
“We believe in the spirit and resiliency of the children entrusted to our care, and we will relentlessly push the field of critical care forward to ensure we find even better ways to treat them"
Overview
The Section of Pediatric Critical Care Medicine (PCCM) and the Department of Pediatrics at the University of Colorado School of Medicine (CU SOM) offer a fully accredited pediatric critical care fellowship for up to 12 fellows at a time (average 3 per year) designed for board-eligible pediatricians planning a career devoted to the care of the critically ill child. Our program mission is to train the future leaders of pediatric critical care, who will provide compassionate and high-quality care and contribute to the advancement of critical care medicine. To achieve this mission, we have the following:
Program Aims
- To prepare physicians to provide high quality, patient-centered, and comprehensive care for critically ill pediatric patients and their families using an interdisciplinary team approach.
- To provide outstanding opportunities to engage in a range of scholarly activities that promote lifelong learning, reflective practice, critical thinking, and discovery, advancing the field of pediatric critical care medicine.
- To develop effective educators of learners with variable backgrounds and needs, including patients and families.
- To promote longevity within PCCM practice by teaching strategies to maintain wellness, build resilience, and minimize burnout.
- To build and maintain an infrastructure to recruit diverse fellows and provide an inclusive learning environment that promotes and celebrates differences.
The PCCM fellowship program offers broad-based training in both the practice of pediatric critical care medicine and the advancement of scholarship related to pediatric critical care. The section of PCCM consists of 20 faculty, all board certified or board eligible in pediatric critical care medicine, with two dual-boarded in pediatric pulmonology, four full-time PhD investigators and 16 advanced practice practitioners (PA/NP). In addition, several members of the Departments of Pediatric Pulmonology, Cardiology, and Anesthesiology provide key roles in the education and training of the fellows.
The primary clinical training site for the fellowship is the Children's Hospital Colorado, a free-standing children's hospital affiliated with the University of Colorado School of Medicine. The 32-bed Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) admits approximately 2,600 patients per year from the Denver metro area and surrounding Rocky Mountain Region, serving active programs in pediatric general surgery, trauma surgery, solid organ and bone marrow transplantation, ENT, and orthopedic surgery. In addition, there is a separate Cardiac Intensive Care Unit (CICU) providing care to cardiology and cardiac surgery patients. PCCM fellows participate actively in the multidisciplinary teams responsible for the care of every patient in the PICU and the CICU.
First Year
The first year is designed to provide the fellow trainee with the necessary experience to become an excellent clinician and teacher in the field of critical care medicine. The year is fully structured and almost entirely clinical. The required clinical rotations include:
- Seven months of clinical service in the ICU, on both the pediatric ICU (5 months) and cardiac ICU (2 months) services. Fellows are primarily responsible for all medical patients in the PICU, and they co-manage all surgical patients.
One month of pediatric anesthesiology in the first half of the year; this is designed to teach airway management, intubation, vascular access, and sedation skills.
One month on the pediatric pulmonary medicine service at Children's Colorado. Fellows gain bronchoscopy experience during this month, as well as a broader view of pediatric pulmonary disease.
Second and Third Years
The educational goal of the second and third year clinical rotations is to solidify the knowledge and skills attained during the first year, and to develop their leadership, team management and supervisory skills. The expectation is that fellows will have increasing independence through these years. The required rotations during the second and third years include:
- 3 – 4 months of clinical service in the ICU, on both the pediatric ICU (2 – 3 months) and cardiac ICU (1 month).
All Years
In addition to the clinical rotations, the PCCM fellows at the University of Colorado receive the following educational opportunities:
- Multi-disciplinary high-fidelity simulation experiences through the CHCO simulation center
- Ultrasound-guided point of care procedure training
- Weekly divisional educational conferences
- Monthly Evidence-Based Medicine conference
- Monthly Morbidity & Mortality and Quality, Safety and Practice Council conferences
- Departmental Fellows Core curriculum, which covers topics relevant to all pediatric fellows, including Evidence-Based Medicine, Quality Improvement and Safety, Ethics, Communication, Teaching, Mentoring, Scientific Writing and Career Development
Fellows participate in Children's Hospital Emergency Transport Service and manage, with supervision from the ICU attending, transports and admissions to the PICU. Night call is taken in-house and averages every 5-6 nights. At least one PICU attending is in-house 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, to ensure a safe balance between clinical demands and educational needs of the fellows.
Clinical Electives
PCCM fellows at the University of Colorado School of Medicine have the additional opportunity to participate in two structured clinical electives during their second or third year:
An international cardiac intensive care elective with one of our PCCM faculty, Dr. Vohwinkel, through the International Children’s Heart Foundation
An elective at Denver Health Pediatric Intensive Care Unit, affiliated with the University of Colorado, which offers the opportunity to practice in a smaller community-based PICU under the supervision of board-certified PICU faculty.
Numerous funded academic and
research opportunities are available to critical care fellows. This includes
but is not limited to basic science and translational research in pulmonary
vascular disease, developmental lung biology, oxygen radical-induced injury,
biomechanical engineering, and neuro-trauma. Clinical research is supported
through an active and growing critical care research program, and
outcomes-based research and quality improvement projects are also available to
interested fellows.
The research portion of the
Pediatric Critical Care Medicine Fellowship occurs all three years, with 2
months in the first year and 7 – 8 months the second and third years. During
this time, fellows will be expected to engage in scholarly projects that
require critical thinking and to acquire the knowledge and skills for advancing
the field of critical care. The scholarly activity will be performed
under the guidance of a research mentor and team, who will be identified during
the first year of fellowship. Fellows will be expected to disseminate their
findings at national scientific meetings and within peer-reviewed journals.
Our pediatric fellowships will be conducting virtual interviews for this upcoming interview season. We look forward to sharing our programs with you and getting to know more about you. Our planned virtual interview dates are forthcoming.
If you have questions about the online application and interview process feel free to reach out to our program coordinator.
Nationally, Pediatric Critical Care Fellowship programs use the ERAS application system. For our program the application period will begin July 5, 2023. Completed ERAS applications are screened and selected applicants are invited to meet with faculty, fellows and tour our facilities for virtual interviews on Zoom. The selection criteria are based on prior academic performance, the strength of clinical training and performance, and scholarly interests and pursuits. Letters of support from PCCM supervising physicians are strongly recommended. Our interview season begins in August and ends in November of 2023.
Fellow selection is accomplished by participation in the National Residency Matching Program Match service, which occurs in the fall each year. Applicants must be eligible for a Colorado medical license. International medical graduates must have a valid ECFMG (see below)
ERAS Application Timeline
| Date | Activity |
| Monday, May 31, 2023 | ERAS 2022 season ends at 5 p.m. ET. |
| Wednesday, June 7, 2023 | ERAS 2023 season begins at 9 a.m. ET. |
| Thursday, June 8, 2023 | EFDO will release tokens to fellowship applicants. |
| Wednesday, July 5, 2023 | July cycle fellowship applicants may begin submitting applications to programs at 9 a.m. ET. |
| Wednesday, July 19, 2023 | July cycle fellowship programs may begin reviewing applications at 9 a.m. ET. |
| May 31, 2024 | ERAS 2023 season ends at 5 p.m. ET. |
NRMP Fall Match Timeline
| Dates | Activity |
| Wednesday, August 31, 2023 | Match Opens |
| Wednesday, September 27, 2023 | Ranking Opens |
| Wednesday, November 1, 2023 | Quota Change Deadline |
| Wednesday, November 15, 2023 | Rank Order List Certification Deadline |
| Wednesday, November 29, 2023 | MATCH DAY |
Salary and Benefits
The University of Colorado offers salary and benefits packages that are competitive with other fellowship programs across the country. Current salary levels can be found at the School of Medicine - Graduate Medical Education Stipends.
International Medical Graduates
In order for International Medical Graduates to be eligible to enter our program, you must meet the following criteria:
- Have a valid ECFMG Certificate
- Be able to legally work in the United States:
Fellows in our program must be a U.S. citizen, lawful permanent resident, refugee, asylee, or possess the appropriate documentation to allow Resident to legally train at the University of Colorado School of Medicine. Currently, we are only able to support applicants with a J-1 visa AND who have completed a training program with an accredited U.S. institution. - Minimum selection criteria of the University of Colorado School of Medicine. Visit the Graduate Medical Education website to view the criteria.
- Any other criteria as determined by the program.
Thanks again for your interest in our program and best wishes in your future endeavors.
Feel free to Contact:
Angela S. Czaja, MD MSc
Associate Professor of Pediatrics
Director, Pediatric Critical Care Fellowship
Critical Care Medicine
13121 East 17th Avenue
P.O. Box 6508
Aurora, Colorado 80045
Tel: (303) 724-2393
Email: angela.czaja@childrenscolorado.org
or
Fellowship Program Coordinator
Joyce Carpenter
Tel: 303-724-2393
fax: 720-777-7324
Email: Joyce.Carpenter@childrenscolorado.org
1st Year Fellows
Maria Fouad Abou Nader, MD
Medical School: Foreign Medical School
Residency: Indiana University School of Medicine, Pediatric Residency
Matthew Stephen Baker, MD
Medical School: George Washington University School of Medicine
Residency: Children's Hospital Los Angeles
Pablo Jose Napky Raudales, MD
Medical School: Foreign Medical School
Residency: Nicklaus Children's Hospital
Reid V. Wilkening, MD, PhD
Medical School: University of Illinois College of Medicine
Residency: University of Colorado Pediatric Residency
2nd Year Fellows
Lorel Riley Huber, MD
- Medical School: University of Texas Southwestern Medical School
- Residency: University of Colorado Pediatric Residency
- Research: Simulation education for pediatric residents
Anna M Janas, MD, PhD
- Medical School: Columbia University College of Physicians & Surgeons
- Residency: Stanford University Child Neurology Residency
- Research: Functional MRI for predicting outcomes in brain injury
Jessica Persson, MD
- Medical School: Northeastern Ohio College of Medicine
- Residency: University of Colorado Pediatric Residency
- Research: Functional MRI for predicting outcomes in brain injury
Patrick Drexel Snyder, MD, MBA
- Medical School: University of North Carolina School of Medicine
- Residency: University of Alabama at Birmingham Pediatric Residency
- Research: High value care in pediatric hospitalizations, use of laboratory testing, practice patterns, costs
3rd Year Fellows
Christopher Haberkorn, MD
- Medical School: Creighton University School of Medicine
- Residency: Walter Reed National Military Medical Center
- Research Interest: Testing IM vs IV TXa in a swine hemorrhage model. Developing an inhaled chlorine gas model in swine. In the planning stages, working on developing my skills in the lab with placing central lines and administering medications to pigs during the experiments
Grace Logan, MD
- Medical School: University of Central Florida, College Of Medicine
- Residency: St. Louis Children's Hospital, Washington University
- Research Interest: Development of a novel pediatric outcome measure for use in pediatric critical care clinical trials. Association of in-hospital outcomes in the pediatric intensive care unit with post-discharge quality of life and functioning
Christina Osborne, MD
- Medical School: University of Colorado School of Medicine
- Residency: University of Colorado Pediatric Residency
- Fellowship: Pediatric Infectious Diseases
- Research Interest: Molecular diagnosis of suspected lower respiratory tract infection in critically ill patients using RT-PCR and metagenomic next generation sequencing. Laboratory evaluation, diagnosis, and treatment of Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in Children (MIS-C)
Diane Peng, MD
- Medical School: George Washington University School of Medicine
- Residency: University of Michigan Pediatric Residency
- Research Interest: TBD
- Research Interest: Associations between acute air pollution, specifically fine particulate matter (PM2.5) levels, and pediatric ICU admissions across the United States
| Diversity / Equity / Inclusion |
We are committed to creating a diverse environment for students, residents, fellows, and faculty. We believe that an environment of inclusiveness and respect promotes excellence and that a setting where diversity is valued leads to the training of physicians who are prepared to practice culturally effective medicine and meet the needs of the various populations we serve. Visit our Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion webpage for more.... |
| Well-Being / Resilience |
By embracing wellness and improving personal resiliency, physicians can reconnect with the meaning of their work and fend off stress. Reducing or eliminating burnout also has practical implications for the entire department such as improving patient safety, student advancement, and the overall campus environment. |
