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Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine Fellowship
Colorado NICU Fellows
Colorado NICU Fellows
Colorado NICU Fellow
Colorado NICU Fellows
Colorado NICU Fellows
Colorado NICU Fellows
Program Aims
The Neonatal Fellowship at the University of Colorado School of Medicine is a comprehensive program that combines extensive clinical teaching and exposure to rigorous research training to facilitate successful academic careers for graduates.
- To prepare learners to provide patient- and family-centered, evidence-based, comprehensive care for neonates with a particular focus on promoting patient safety, system, and process improvement.
- To provide broad opportunities in scholarship, including basic science and clinical research and the development and implementation of quality improvement and patient safety initiatives, that prepare fellows for successful careers in academic pediatrics.
- To teach trainees strategies to maintain wellness (of self and others), to build resilience, and to prevent burnout.
- To provide ongoing education in career development skills, such as leadership and communication, which promote lifelong success in neonatal medicine.
- To build and maintain an infrastructure to recruit diverse fellows and provide an inclusive learning environment that promotes and celebrates differences.
Program Leadership
Program Director  | Associate Director  | Program Coordinator  |
Jeanne Zenge, MD Program Director Email: Jeanne.Zenge | Nicolle Fernández Dyess, MD, MEd Email: Nicolle.Dyess | Michele R. Bialkowski Program Coordinator Email: Michele.Bialkowski |
Our Hospital
Ranked No. 1 in Rocky Mountain Region
Children’s Hospital Colorado consistently ranks in the top 20 on the U.S. News Best Children’s Hospitals Honor RollUC Health NICU
More than 650 patients every year
UCHealth is the largest Level III NICU in metro DenverChildren's NICU
2000 infants treated each year
Our NICU is designated as a Level IV facility by the American Academy of PediatricsTour UC Health NICU... | Tour Children's Colorado NICU... |
About Our Fellowship - Apply Today!
Overview
The University of Colorado Neonatal-Perinatal Fellowship program aims to provide comprehensive training in clinical neonatology across four key domains:
- Evidence-based patient care
- Academic scholarship
- Medical education
- Leadership
Fellows are supervised by a faculty with a diverse array of academic interests and have the opportunity to care for infants across a broad spectrum of gestational ages and disease processes. Education from direct patient care is complimented by our fellow lecture series, a protected half day of interactive didactic sessions that occurs each week. Fellows attend additional seminars focused on communication, ethics, and diversity and health equity throughout the year.
University of Colorado NICU Research Training
Research/Scholarly training is a major focus of the fellowship training program and fellows are provided substantial protected time throughout their fellowship to engage in rich research experiences. The research program is designed to provide comprehensive scholarly training that prepares all trainees with the background and skills to successfully compete for academic faculty positions and extramural funding at the completion of their fellowship. Although many neonatal fellows are mentored by a faculty member within the Division of Neonatology, the program encourages fellows to consider a broad range of potential mentors. The program will assist in identifying potential mentors, both within the Department of Pediatrics and, when appropriate, from across the School of Medicine campus.
Although we do not limit research topics to those within the neonatology section, we have faculty who are involved in various areas of investigation. Please select an area below for more details.
Click here to see a summary of the scholarly work each of our faculty members pursue.
Research Expectations
Each fellow in the program is expected to undertake a substantive scholarly project during their training. Fellows are expected to participate in all aspects of their individual research projects, including the development of hypotheses and study design, implementation of basic science techniques (such as whole animal surgeries and in-vivo studies or cell and molecular biology techniques) or IRB submission and patient enrollment, data collection and analysis, and abstract/manuscript presentation.
Scholarship Oversight Committees
Towards the end of the first year of training, each fellow is assigned a Scholarly Oversight Committee (SOC), composed of at least 3 faculty members. The SOC meets every six months, at a minimum, to evaluate the fellow’s scholarly progress and to help provide support and direction. At the end of training, the SOC is responsible for determining whether the fellow’s work has met the American Board of Pediatrics’ requirement for sub-board.
| Recommended Research Timeline (dependent on type of research and project identified) | ||
| First Year | Second Year | Third Year |
Identify a mentor(s) and project by Fall Potential IRB submission or initial laboratory studies started by Spring | Ongoing data collection/patient recruitment Aim for abstract submission by Winter Attendance/presentation at Spring conferences such as Pediatric Academic Society (PAS) | Ongoing data collection and analysis Manuscript preparation Determination or initiation of follow-up studies |
Basic Science Research
Clinical Research
Health Services
Quality Improvement
Medical Education
Overview
The University of Colorado Neonatal-Perinatal Fellowship program aims to provide comprehensive training in clinical neonatology across four key domains:
- Evidence-based patient care
- Academic scholarship
- Medical education
- Leadership
Fellows are supervised by faculty with a diverse array of academic interests and have the opportunity to care for infants across a broad spectrum of gestational ages and disease processes. Education from direct patient care is complemented by our fellow lecture series, a protected half-day of interactive didactic sessions that occurs each week. Fellows attend additional seminars focused on communication, ethics, and diversity and health equity throughout the year.
Upon graduation, our fellows are prepared to confidently and independently provide newborn resuscitation, perform all necessary hands-on procedures, and manage a broad range of neonatal problems. Our graduates have gone on to pursue careers as:
- Expert clinicians in both academic and private practice careers
- Clinician researchers with expertise in basic science, translational, clinical, and quality improvement research
- Medical educators with advanced training in curriculum development, trainee evaluation, and educational research
- Administrative leaders in both academic and community settings
Scope of Clinical Training
Fellows in the Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine Fellowship Program complete their clinical training at two primary medical facilities on the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus - Children's Hospital Colorado (CHCO) and University of Colorado Hospital (UCH). Both hospitals are affiliated with the University of Colorado School of Medicine and house state of the art Neonatal Intensive Care Units (NICU). The combination of these clinical sites, each with their own distinct patient population, provides fellows with comprehensive exposure to a myriad of neonatal complications.
Interested fellows may request to complete an additional rotation the historic Denver Health Medical Center (DHMC), a University of Colorado affiliated hospital that serves as the primary safety net facility for the city of Denver.
Fellows will have the opportunity to attend unique medical follow up clinics throughout their three years of training. The fellowship clinic experience complements our robust inpatient training to provide a more holistic understanding of our patients’ complex outpatient needs. Options for these clinics include but are not limited to the following:
- Aerodigestive Clinic
- Colorado Fetal Care Center
- Congenital Diaphragmatic Hernia Clinic
- Chronic Ventilation Clinic
- Cleft Lip and Palate Clinic
- Infant Developmental Pediatric Clinic
- Infant Stroke Clinic
- Maternal-Fetal Medicine Clinic
- Pulmonary Hypertension Clinic
- Short Gut Clinic
- SIE Center for Down Syndrome
- Special Care Clinic
- Therapy Follow Up – PT, OT, SLP
Clinical Training Sites
- Largest level IV NICU in Colorado - 82 beds
- 2000+ infants treated every year
- Primarily cares for term or formerly preterm infants with complex medical problems
- Affiliated with the Colorado Fetal Care Center and accepts transfers from the surrounding 7 state region
- Educational focus on cardiopulmonary failure, congenital heart disease, hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy, congenital and postnatally acquired infection, surgical problems, and multiple congenital anomalies
- Exposure to complex delivery planning, tracheostomy and long-term ventilation, selective head cooling, dialysis, and extracorporeal membrane oxygenation
University of Colorado Hospital
- Largest Level III NICU in Colorado – 50 beds
- 650+ infants treated every year
- Primarily cares for preterm infants, some as young as 22-23 weeks
- Destination choice for individuals experiencing medically complicated pregnancies, especially those with threatened preterm delivery
- Educational focus on respiratory failure, growth restriction, hypoglycemia, early-onset sepsis, and surgical problems
- Exposure to a high volume of deliveries and high-risk neonatal resuscitation
- Level III NICU in downtown Denver – 25 beds
- 300+ infants treated every year
- Primarily cares for preterm infants as young as 24 weeks
- Primary safety-net institution for routine and medically complicated pregnancies
- Educational focus on respiratory failure, growth restriction, hypoglycemia, early-onset sepsis, and surgical problems
- Exposure to a high volume of deliveries and high-risk neonatal resuscitation
Procedural Skills
All fellows are highly trained in neonatal resuscitation and are encouraged to become NRP instructors during their first year of fellowship. Additionally, fellows are trained to be competent in all procedures required of an independent neonatologist, including:
- Intubation
- Umbilical catheter insertion
- Central venous and arterial catheter insertion via:
- Percutaneous technique (with and without ultrasound)
- Thoracentesis and chest tube insertion
- Paracentesis
- Pericardiocentesis
- Lumbar puncture
Expectations and Responsibilities
Fellows are directly supervised by full-time neonatology faculty at all times. During the daytime, fellows work alongside faculty and neonatal nurse practitioners to provide high-level care to infants at both clinical training sites. During the night, fellows at Children's Hospital Colorado stay in-house with their attending. At University of Colorado Hospital, the overnight fellow is in-house while the attending takes home call.
At each stage of training, faculty aim to provide a level of supervision that maximizes fellow education while ensuring patient safety. Fellows assume graduated autonomy as they progress through training. Even early in the first year, fellows begin directing clinical management decisions and coordinating complex care with subspecialty teams.
Fellows are expected to take an active role in independent learning and seek out the most up-to-date information to guide patient care decisions.
Fellows also have the opportunity to serve as primary educators for pediatric residents and medical students rotating through the NICUs at both University of Colorado Hospital and Children's Hospital Colorado.
Clinical Schedule
The clinical schedule is intentionally front-loaded, with fellows spending six blocks on service during the first year and three blocks during both the second and third years. This model allows fellows to develop clinical competency early and provides increasing protected time for scholarly activities as training progresses.
Rotation blocks are typically four weeks in duration, though fellows may request two-week blocks during their second and third years.
| Year 1 | Year 2 | Year 3 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rotation | UCH: 2 blocks CHCO: 4 blocks | UCH: 1 block CHCO: 1 block CICU: 1 block | UCH: 1 block CHCO: 2 blocks |
| Overnight Call | 50-60 nights of call per year Approximately half of overnight calls are home call at UCH, and the other half are in-house at CHCO. | ||
| Clinic | 10 half-days of medical follow-up clinic per year | ||
| Individualized Clinical Time | 1 block of individualized clinical time during the 3-year training program | ||
| Didactics | Weekly protected half-day for formal education | ||
Education
Every Wednesday, fellows attend a full half-day of protected education time, including:
12:00-1:00 Neonatal Noon Conference
- The audience includes Neonatology faculty and fellows, NNPs, neonatal nurses, Pediatric Surgery faculty and fellows, and others depending on the conference topic.
- Topics include updates on clinical management, multidisciplinary problems and management, quality improvement, and review of current research initiatives.
1:15-2:15 Rotating Conferences
- Section Meeting
- M&M Conference
- Case Conference
- Diversity and Health Equity Topics
2:30-4:30 NPM Fellow's Lecture Series
- Faculty lectures on core clinical topics
- Journal Club
- Meetings with visiting professors
- Point-of-care ultrasound
- Skills review twice a year with annual simulation
- Neonatal Board Reviews
- First Year Fellow Lecture Series in July and August
Additional Conferences:
- First Year fellow Regional Boot Camp
- Daily: Surgery Rounds and ECMO and CDH (when applicable)
- Weekly Clinical Conferences: Pulmonary HTN Rounds, Chronic Vent Rounds, Intestinal Rehab Rounds, SPROUTS, CDH, and Radiology Rounds
- Weekly Academic Conferences: Pediatric Grand Rounds, Perinatal Research Facility Research Seminars, Neonatal Outcomes Research Alliance (NORA)
Additional 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 was developed by the Committee on Fellowship Education to address scholarly interests common to all pediatric fellows. Nearly 100 subspecialty physicians in training attend 5-6 half-day seminars throughout their three years of fellowship.
- Attendance is mandatory, and trainees are excused from clinical responsibilities.
- Sessions provide core educational material and create opportunities for trainees across disciplines to interact in an informal, collegial environment.
- Occurs several times per year throughout fellowship with fellows from different subspecialties.
Pediatric Biostatistics for Clinicians Course
This course is primarily intended for second- and third-year Department of Pediatrics fellows as part of the comprehensive fellowship educational program. It is designed to help fellows become critical consumers of medical literature and develop familiarity with commonly used statistical methods.
- This course consists of six 2-hour sessions.
- Designed for second-year fellows, although any fellow or resident may register.
Advanced Degrees Available at CU
Welcome to the University of Colorado
Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine (NPM) Fellowship!
Our program has a rich history of matching and training quality neonatologists who have made significant contributions to Neonatal-Perinatal medicine. Join us!
Eligibility
To be considered for admission to our program, applicants must have successfully completed training in a 3-year ACGME-accredited residency program in Pediatrics.
We particularly hope to attract applicants who are motivated and self-directed learners who want to develop academic careers based on excellence in research, scholarship, and clinical neonatology. We are particularly interested in receiving applications from members of groups Underrepresented in Medicine
Required Application Materials
All application material should be submitted through the Electronic Residency Application Service (ERAS). We participate in the National Residency Matching Program (NRMP) and do not offer any positions outside of the match. Required applicates on materials include:
- Completed ERAS common application form
- USMLE (or COMLEX/ECFMG) transcript
- Personal statement addressing your interest in Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine
- At least 3 letters of recommendation
ERAS Application Timeline
| Date | Activity |
| Monday, May 31, 2026 | ERAS 2026 season ends at 5 p.m. ET. |
| Wednesday, June 3, 2026 | ERAS 2027 season begins at 9 a.m. ET. |
| Thursday, June 4, 2026 | EFDO will release tokens to fellowship applicants. |
| Wednesday, July 1, 2026 | July cycle fellowship applicants may begin submitting applications to programs at 9 a.m. ET. |
| Wednesday July 15, 2026 | July cycle fellowship programs may begin reviewing applications at 9 a.m. ET. |
| May 31, 2027 | ERAS 2027 season ends at 5 p.m. ET. |
NRMP Fall Match Timeline
| Dates | Activity |
| Wednesday, August 26, 2026 | Match Opens |
| Wednesday, September 30, 2026 | Ranking Opens |
| Wednesday, October 28, 2026 | Quota Change Deadline |
| Wednesday, November 18, 2026 | Rank Order List Certification Deadline |
| Wednesday, December 2, 2026 | MATCH DAY |
Interviews
Our pediatric fellowship will be conducting virtual interviews this upcoming interview season. We look forward to sharing our programs with you and getting to know more about you.
Interviews will be held mid September to end of October.
On the interview day, candidates will:
- Gain a broad overview of the program
- Meet individually with 4 members of the faculty. If an individual candidate is interested in meeting with a specific faculty member, we will try to accommodate those requests.
- Meet with current fellows
If you have questions about the online application and interview process, please contact our program coordinator, Michele Bialkowski via email at [email protected].
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.
Please address further questions as necessary to:
Program Coordinator
- Michele R. Bialkowski
- Email: Michele.Bialkowski
1st Year Fellows (2026-2029)
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Erin E Clark, DO
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Isabel C Elliott, DO
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Nazanin Kazemi-Butterfield, MD, PhD
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Dakota Jason Salazar, MD
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Sean Trueman Wickers-Krentz, MD
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2nd Year Fellows (2025-2028)
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Andrea Marian Colarelli, MD
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Laura Jane-Helen McWhirter, MD
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Harisa Spahic, MD
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Sandra Patricia Zoubovsky, MD, PhD
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3rd year Fellows (2024-2027)
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Zayna Marwa Bakizada, MD
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Kylie Anne Mena, MD
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Mariana Nino de Guzman Ramirez, MD, MPH
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Arjun Dipak Patel, DO
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