Pediatric Hospital Medicine Fellowship

Scholarship

Fellows will have substantial time allocated to developing scholarly projects in clinical and health services research, Medical Education, Clinical Effectiveness, patient safety, Global Health, and Quality Improvement (QI). Our PHM Section has highly qualified mentors with varied interests and expertise (see Program Mentorship tab). The Section is supported by experienced Research Directors, a Research Operations Team, a survey methodologist, and a Process Improvement specialist.

Supplemental scholarship training and education can be obtained through a Master's in Clinical Sciences (MSCS) Program, the Institute for Healthcare Quality, Safety and Efficiency (IQHSE) Certificate Training Program, the Academy of Medical Educators' Teaching Scholars Program, the Colorado Clinical and Translational Sciences Institute (CCTSI), and the Adult & Child Center for Health Outcomes Research & Delivery Science ( ACCORDS).

Fellows will have many opportunities to present their work at local, regional, and national conferences, such as the Pediatric Academic Societies' and Pediatric Hospital Medicine annual meetings.

Medical Education

Our educational mission is to develop leaders skilled in the education of other learners, patients, families, and the community at large. Fellows will teach a variety of learners while conducting family-centered rounds at CHCO and our community hospitals. They will receive training and support to design educational curricula, present small group teachings or didactics in their areas of interest, provide effective feedback, and serve as mentees or mentors to others.

Educational learning opportunities at CU Anschutz include:

• The Teaching Scholars Program
• Subspecialty Excellence in Educational Leadership Scholarship (SEELS) Program
• iTeach Peer Mentoring
• Residents and Fellows as Medical Educators Elective
• Facilitators for Problem-Based Learning Curriculum
• Workshops Presented by the Academy of Medical Educators
• Center for Global Health Education and Courses

Leadership & Administration

PHM fellows are the hospital leaders of tomorrow. Our fellows will gain experience through leading process improvement teams, collaborating on hospital committees, participating in community outreach programs, and developing clinical pathways.

Within the Section of PHM, there are notable leaders in administration, medical education, research, and Quality Improvement who will guide fellows to develop leadership skills and competence (see Mentorship tab). Formal avenues of training include People Development at CHCO, which focuses on leadership style and effectiveness, personal evaluation, crucial conversations, and communication models; the IHQSE Certificate Training Program; and the Academy of Medical Educators Educator Development Pathway.

Program Mentorship

Leadership roles and scholarly interests for some faculty members of our PHM Section are listed in our PHM Mentor List .

Fellows may expand their knowledge and hone their skills through other forums within the Section of Pediatric Hospital Medicine and the Department of Pediatrics:

• Work-in-Progress Sessions
• Morbidity and Mortality conference
• Journal Club
• Morning Report
• Noon Conference

Section of PHM educational, Quality Improvement, and research conferences

Section of PHM Teaching Excellence Among Medical Providers (“TEAM”) Program

Section of PHM HOspital Medicine Mentorship and Engagement (“HOME”) Program

Department of Pediatrics Fellowship Educational Series and Grand Rounds

Health Opportunities, Advocacy, and Professional Engagement

Our fellowship aims to foster an inclusive learning environment, provide culturally competent patient care, and build an infrastructure that retains a diverse workforce and promotes a sense of community. Our fellows have the opportunity to engage with a variety of institutional leaders and participate in related councils, committees, and training programs listed below.

Ways to Get Involved

Children's Hospital Colorado's Diversity in Pediatrics Committee

Scholarship and advocacy opportunities: Our hospitalists are actively engaged in research and advocacy work focusing on interpreter services projects, social determinants of health, firearms injury prevention, depression and suicide screening, and more.

Training Opportunities

• Foundations in Equity Certificate Program
• HEAL Trainings and Workshops
• Captains of Inclusion Training Program
• Health Equity Rounds
• Global Health Certificate Pathway

1st Year Fellow (2026-2028)

Sarah Fox, MD Undergrad: Northeastern University Medical School: University of Colorado School of Medicine Pediatric Residency: University of Colorado Pediatric Residency Program Scholarly Interests: Medical education, climate and sustainability informed healthcare, QI Selected Bibliography: Sarah Nodine Fox, MD; Kirsten Snook, MD; Berry Seltz, MD; Kim O'Hara, MD. Pediatric Resident Perspectives on Professional Identity Formation as Educators Habermehl N, Denny R, Fox S, Stickrath C, Reimer C, Brandenburg S, Riles A. The One Health Trail: Physician Leaders as Advocates for Human, Animal, and Environmental Health. Frontiers in Medicine: Healthcare Professions Education. (Lausanne). 2026 Jan 12;12:1735334. doi:10.3389/fmed.2025.1735334. PMID: 41601766; PMCID: PMC12832391. Kimiko S. Dunbar, Sarah N. Fox, Jacob F. Thomas, Mark S. Brittan, Gayle Soskolne, Jillian M. Cotter. When to Transfer: Predictors of Pediatric High Flow Nasal Cannula Failure at a Community Hospital. Hospital Pediatrics. 2024;14(1):45-51.

2nd Year Fellow (2025-2027)

Julia Emma Kozlowski, MD Undergrad: Duke University Medical School: University of Michigan Medical School Pediatric Residency: University of Colorado Pediatric Residency Program Scholarly Interests: Medical Education (both medical student and resident education), clinical teaching and evaluation, Quality Improvement Selected Bibliography: Kozlowski, J., Wiesler, J., Ramos, P., Slater, B., Johnson, M., Pallant, B., Mason, N., Tchou, M., Soskolne, G., Dunbar, K., Cotter, J. Transforming Inter-Hospital Transfers: Evaluating the Impact of Updated High Flow Transfer Policies on Rates of Unnecessary Transfers of Infants with Bronchiolitis from a Community Setting. Works in Progress Poster Presentation at Pediatric Academic Societies Meeting, Honolulu, Hawaii, April 24-28, 2025. Kozlowski, J., Tran, P., Seltz, L. Using a Socialization Framework to Implement an Evidence-Based Medicine Journal Club for Pediatric Residents. Table Top Presentation at the Academic Pediatric Association Regions 9 & 10 Meeting, San Diego, CA, February 9-10, 2024.

Alumni

Kelsey Berry, MD

• PHM Fellowship Training Years: 2024-2026
• Undergrad: University of Mississippi
• Medical School: University of Mississippi Medical School
• Pediatric Residency (2020-2023): University of Virginia
• Chief Residency (2023-2024): University of Virginia
• Scholarly Interests: Student and resident medical education, global health, curriculum development

Chinma Ugorji, MD, MSc

• PHM Fellowship Training Years: 2024-2026
• Undergraduate: Texas A&M
• Medical School: Baylor College of Medicine (Houston, TX)
• Graduate School: London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine
• Internal Medicine-Pediatrics Residency (2020-2024): Geisinger (Danville, PA)
• Scholarly Interests: Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion; Social Determinants of Health; Medical Education

Rachita Gupta, MD

• PHM Fellowship Training Years: 2023-2025
• Undergraduate: University of Toronto, Victoria College
• Medical School: Boston University School of Medicine
• Pediatric Residency: Kaiser Permanente Oakland Medical Center
• Scholarly Interests: Quality Improvement, Medical Education, Mentorship, Clinical Pathway Development, Surgical Co-management

Lauren McIntosh, MD

• PHM Fellowship Training Years: 2023-2025
• Undergraduate: University of Michigan
• Medical School: University of Michigan Medical School
• Internal Medicine-Pediatrics Residency (2018-2022): Medical College of Wisconsin
• Chief Residency (2022-2023): Internal Medicine-Pediatrics at the Medical College of Wisconsin
• Scholarly Interests: Pediatric to Adult Transition of Inpatient Care, Medical Student and Resident Education, Clinical Reasoning

Brandy Hoyt, MD

• PHM Fellowship Training Years: 2022-2024
• Undergraduate: University of Florida
• Medical School: Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine
• Pediatric Residency: University of South Florida
• Chief Residency: University of South Florida
• Scholarly Interests: Quality Improvement, Medical Education & Curriculum Development, Antibiotic Stewardship

Kimiko Dunbar, MD

• PHM Fellowship Training Years: 2021-2023
• Undergraduate: The College of William and Mary
• Medical School: University of Michigan Medical School
• Pediatric Residency: Boston Combined Residency Program
• Chief Residency: Boston Combined Residency Program
• Scholarly Interests: Medical Education, Feedback and Assessment, Prevention of Bias in Evaluation

Brendan Mulhern, MD

• PHM Fellowship Training Years: 2021-2023
• Undergraduate: University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
• Medical School: University of Minnesota Twin Cities
• Pediatric Residency: University of Colorado Denver
• Chief Residency: University of Colorado Denver
• Scholarly Interests: Clinical Informatics, Quality Improvement

John "Jay" Watson, MD

• PHM Fellowship Training Years: 2020-2022
• Undergraduate: Vanderbilt University
• Medical School: University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Medicine
• Pediatric Residency: University of Colorado Denver
• Chief Residency: University of Colorado Denver
• Scholarly Interests: Leveraging Clinical Decision Support Tools to Improve Patient Outcomes; Lower Respiratory Tract Infections and Their Role in Asthma Development

Kristin (Kalita) Carter, MD, MSCS

• PHM Fellowship Training Years: 2019-2021
• Undergraduate: Loyola University Chicago
• Medical School: Loyola University Stritch School of Medicine
• Pediatric Residency: University of Colorado Denver
• Scholarly Interests: Pediatric palliative care, care of medically complex children, global health, opioid prescribing practices, qualitative research

Cristin Fritz, MD, MPH

• PHM Fellowship Training Years: 2018-2020
• Undergraduate: Washington and Lee University (2006-2010)
• Medical School: Vanderbilt University School of Medicine (Combined MD and MPH Program, 2010-2015)
• Pediatric Residency: Vanderbilt University Medical Center (2015-2018)
• Scholarly Interests: Social Determinants of Health, social risk screening and resource connection, population health, quality improvement

Laura Zastoupil Lockwood, MD, MEd

• PHM Fellowship Training Years: 2017-2019
• Undergraduate: University of Denver, BS in Biology
• Medical School: Chicago Medical School at Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science
• Pediatric Residency: University of Colorado Denver
• Chief Residency: University of Colorado Denver
• Scholarly Interests: Improving trainee medical education through curriculum development, personal and professional development of learners, and educational scholarship

Jillian Cotter, MD, MSCS

• PHM Fellowship Training Years: 2017-2019
• Undergraduate: University of Pennsylvania, BA in Biology and Economics
• Medical School: Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai
• Pediatric Residency: University of Colorado Denver
• Scholarly Interests: Evaluating and improving the use of rapid diagnostic stool tests in diarrhea, specifically relating to Clostridium difficile; investigating the cost-effectiveness of commonly ordered interventions

Justin Lockwood, MD, MSCS

• PHM Fellowship Training Years: 2016-2018
• Undergraduate: Michigan State University Lyman Briggs College
• Medical School: Michigan State University College of Human Medicine
• Pediatric Residency: University of Colorado Denver
• Scholarly Interests: Health Outcomes Research, Quality Improvement, Care Escalation/Rapid Response Systems, Sepsis

Kimberly O'Hara, MD

• PHM Fellowship Training Years: 2015-2017
• Undergraduate: Cornell University
• Medical School: Chicago Medical School at Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine and Science
• Pediatric Residency: NewYork-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center
• Chief Residency: NewYork-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center
• Scholarly Interests: Medical education including curriculum development and faculty development, high-value care, qualitative research

Sarah Luthy, MD, MSCS

• PHM Fellowship Training Years: 2014-2016
• Undergraduate: Amherst College
• Medical School: University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine
• Pediatric Residency: University of Michigan Health System
• Scholarly Interests: Palliative Care

Application Process

The University of Colorado Pediatric Hospital Medicine Fellowship program is designed for the motivated, self-directed learner who wants to develop a career based on excellence in scholarship, education, leadership, and clinical pediatric hospital medicine. To be considered for admission to our program, applicants must be in the process of completing training in (or have completed) a 3-year ACGME-accredited Pediatric Residency program. We encourage applications from members of underrepresented minority groups.

ERAS Application Timeline

NRMP Fall Match Timeline

If you are interested in applying to our fellowship program, the application period will open on July 1, 2026 in alignment with dates provided by ERAS. Fellow selection is accomplished through participation in the National Residency Matching Program Match service, which occurs in late fall each year.

Submitting Your Application

Our fellowship participates in the Electronic Residency Application Service (ERAS) . Please submit your application through ERAS. Interview invitations will be offered on a rolling basis after July 15, 2026. Virtual interviews will be held in September-October 2026.

While completing the ERAS online application, applicants should make certain to provide the following documents:

• Current curriculum vitae
• Personal statement outlining the reasons for choosing this specialty and the applicant's career plans
• At least three (3) but no more than four (4) letters of recommendation from physicians or mentors familiar with the applicant

Please note that as an ACGME-accredited program, our fellows must have passed the USMLE Step 3 examination or COMLEX Level 3. Currently, we require non-US applicants to possess a valid certificate from the Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates (ECFMG). The ACGME requires fellows to have completed pediatric residency training in a U.S. or Canadian ACGME-certified program prior to subspecialty fellowship training.

For additional questions about our fellowship program, please contact: [email protected]