Pediatric Critical Care Medicine Fellowship

PICU

 

“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

  1. 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.
  2. 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. 
  3.  To develop effective educators of learners with variable backgrounds and needs, including patients and families. 
  4. To promote longevity within PCCM practice by teaching strategies to maintain wellness, build resilience, and minimize burnout.   
  5. 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.

 

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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 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.

Two weeks 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 learn important triage, communication and patient management skills through facilitating patient transfers to our pediatric intensive care unit from our 5-7 state referral region. They serve as medical command, with supervision from the ICU attending, for critically ill children being transported by the Children’s Hospital Colorado transport team. Night call is taken in-house with variable frequency within the work hour rules mandated by the ACGME.  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.

 

PICU research

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, medical education 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.

PICU ED

Learning Opportunities:

Subspecialty Excellence in Educational Leadership & Scholarship (SEELS) Program :

  • The University of Colorado Department of Pediatrics is proud to offer the Subspecialty Excellence in Educational Leadership & Scholarship (SEELS) Program for subspecialty pediatric fellows committed to an academic career in medical education.
  • The SEELS program guides fellows through an 18-month program that provides research mentorship, coaching, and instruction.
  • The overall  goal of SEELS is to equip these fellows with the necessary knowledge/skills/attitudes for success as future medical educators through educational scholarship and professional identity development, faculty and peer mentorship, and engaging in an educational community of practice.

Pediatric Fellowship Educational Series

This educational series has been developed by the Committee on Fellowship Education to address areas  of scholarly interest common to all pediatric fellows. Nearly 100 sub-specialized physicians in training will attend 5-6 half-day seminars spread across their 3 years of fellowship.

  • Attendance is mandatory and the trainee is excused from clinical responsibilities.
  • In addition to providing core educational material, these sessions allow trainees in different disciplines and throughout the department to meet and interact with one another in an informal and collegial environment.
  • Occurs several times per year throughout fellowship with fellows of different subspecialties

Pediatric Biostatistics for Clinicians Course:

This course is primarily intended for 2nd and 3rd year Department of Pediatrics fellows as part of the comprehensive fellowship educational program. Designed to help fellows to develop an ability to be a critical consumer of the literature and develop familiarity with many commonly used statistical methods.

  • This course comprises for six  2-hour sessions
  • Designed for second year fellows, but any fellow or resident an register for the course.

Advanced Degrees Available at CU:

Masters of Public Health

Masters of Science in Clinical Science

1st Year Fellows

Isabelle

Isabelle Dagher, MD

  • Medical School: Indiana University School of Medicine
  • Residency: University of North Carolina School of Medicine/UNC Hospitals
  • Research Interest: TBD

Jessica

Jessica Frelinger MD

  • Medical School: Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine
  • Residency: Children's Hospital Los Angeles
  • Research Interest: TBD

Anneliese

Anneliese Grewing, DO

  • Medical School: KCU's College of Osteopathic Medicine 
  • Residency: Baylor College of Medicine, Texas Children's Hospital
  • Research Interest: TBD

Lizzie

Elizabeth A. McGinn, MD

  • Medical School:  University of Nebraska College of Medicine
  • Residency: University Of Colorado Pediatric Residency
  • Research Interest:  TBD

2nd Year Fellows

Nader

Maria Fouad Abou Nader, MD

  • Medical School: American University of Beirut Medical School
  • Residency: Indiana University School of Medicine, Pediatric Residency
  • Research Interest:

 

Baker

Matthew Stephen Baker, MD

  • Medical School: George Washington University School of Medicine
  • Residency: Children's Hospital Los Angeles
  • Research Interest:

 

Pablo

Pablo Jose Napky Raudales, MD

  • Medical School: Universidad Catolica de Honduras
  • Residency: Nicklaus Children's Hospital
  • Research Interest:

 

Wilkening

Reid V. Wilkening, MD, PhD

  • Medical School: University of Illinois College of Medicine
  • Residency: University of Colorado Pediatric Residency
  • Research: 

3rd Year Fellows

Huber

Lorel Riley Huber, MD

  • Medical School: University of Texas Southwestern Medical School
  • Residency: University of Colorado Pediatric Residency
  • Research: Simulation education for pediatric residents

Jana

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

Snyder

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

 

PICU Axe

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 17, 2024.  Completed ERAS applications are screened and selected applicants are invited to travel to Denver to meet with faculty, fellows and tour our facilities.  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 2024.

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

DateActivity
Monday, May 31, 2024ERAS 2024 season ends at 5 p.m. ET.
Wednesday, June 5, 2024ERAS 2025 season begins at 9 a.m. ET.
Thursday, June 5, 2024EFDO will release tokens to fellowship applicants.
Wednesday, July 3, 2024July cycle fellowship applicants may begin submitting applications to programs at 9 a.m. ET.
Wednesday, July 17, 2024July cycle fellowship programs may begin reviewing applications at 9 a.m. ET.
May 31, 2025    ERAS 2025 season ends at 5 p.m. ET.

NRMP Fall Match Timeline

Dates Activity
Wednesday, August 21, 2024Match Opens 
Wednesday, September 25, 2024Ranking Opens
Wednesday, November 6, 2024Quota Change Deadline
Wednesday, November 20, 2024Rank Order List Certification Deadline
Wednesday, December 4, 2024MATCH 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

Diversity / Equity / Inclusion

Diversity

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

Be well

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. 

Visit our Pediatric Well-Being and Resilience website...

 

Department of Pediatrics

CU Anschutz

Administrative Pavilion

13123 E. 16th Ave.

B065

Aurora, CO 80045

720-777-2715

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