Pediatric Pulmonary Medicine Fellowship

The experiences we offer our fellows can be summed up in two words:

 

Customization-

Want to delve into the work of allergy and immunology? Aerodigestive Procedures? Sleep Medicine? Down Syndrome? Neuromuscular Disease? Cutting edge Cystic Fibrosis treatment? Healthcare innovation and machine learning? We've got it all!

 

Opportunity     

Life should extend beyond the workplace. Our faculty and fellows work together inside and outside of the workplace and consider each other as part of the same family. Riding in the Courage Classic to raise money for the hospital? Check. Volunteering at Roundup River Ranch to give sick kids a normal summer? Check. Participating in the CF Climb in our Mile High Football Stadium to raise money for our patients? Check. Sampling some of the 148+ microbreweries available in Denver? Very important. 

 

 

 

Rotation Schedule:

​FIRST YEAR	​TIME PERIOD
​Orientation in Pulmonary	2 weeks
​Sleep physiology and testing	2 weeks
​Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU)	​2 weeks
​Continuity Clinic	½ day per week
​Children’s Hospital Colorado Consult Service Shadow	2 weeks
​Children’s Hospital Colorado Consult Service	10 weeks
Children’s Hospital Colorado NICU Consult Service	3 weeks
​Children’s Hospital Colorado Inpatient Service	6 weeks
​Elective time	4 weeks
​Outpatient clinics/Research*	​18 weeks
​	​
​SECOND YEAR	​TIME PERIOD
​Children’s Hospital Colorado Consult Service	​3 weeks
Children’s Hospital Colorado NICU Consult Service	2 weeks
​Children’s Hospital Colorado Inpatient Service	2 weeks
​Continuity Clinic	​½ day per week
Research	44 weeks
​	​
​THIRD YEAR	​TIME PERIOD
​Children’s Hospital Colorado Consult Service	4 weeks
Children’s Hospital Colorado NICU Consult Service	1 week
​Children’s Hospital Colorado Inpatient Service	​2 weeks
​Continuity Clinic	​½ day per week
​Research	​44 weeks

 

Research is a core pillar of the Pediatric Pulmonary Department. You are joining renowned pulmonary faculty who are leaders in their respective fields and have a passion for education.

 

Fellows are supported in research in a myriad of ways, including:

• 26 months set aside for research throughout the fellowship (4 months in year 1, 11 months in year 2, and 11 months in year 3)

• Over 55 faculty research projects currently being performed in the areas of basic, clinical and translational science, quality improvement, medical education, and more!

• Three dedicated biostatisticians- Dr. John Brinton, Dr. Brandie Wagener,  and Maxie Meier, MS

• Scholarly Oversight Committee-dedicated group of faculty  members from both outside and within the department who meet regularly to support fellow progress

• Portfolio of research resources built exclusively for fellow use including: Fellowship Research Timeline, Roadmap for Research Career Development, Manuscript Development Template and Resources, Scholarly Oversight Committee Presentation Template, and much more!

• Dedicated faculty research mentors for each fellow

• Fellowship Director of Research, Dr. Stan Szefler, who supports fellow research through meeting regularly with fellows, supports department research operations, and advocates for fellow research with department leadership 

Recently Published Fellow Research:

Benjamin Hughes, MD- The Impact of Altitude on Sleep-Disordered Breathing in Children Dwelling at High Altitude: A Crossover Study

Stephen Hawkins, MD- High-Flow, Heated, Humidified Air Via Nasal Cannula Treats CPAP-Intolerant Children with Obstructive Sleep Apnea

Matthew McGraw, MD- Bronchiolitis Obliterans and Pulmonary Fibrosis after Sulfur Mustard Inhalation in Rats

Amanda Messinger, MD- Novel Pediatric-Automated Respiratory Score Using Physiologic Data and Machine Learning in Asthma

Heather De Keyser, MD, MSCS- Can We Predict Fall Asthma Exacerbations? Validation of the Seasonal Asthma Exacerbation Index.  

Faculty Research Highlights:

Steven Abman, MD is a nationally recognized leader in pulmonary hypertension and founded the PPHNet and the BOD Collaborative. He holds the prestigious NIH T-32 Grant that helps fund the pulmonary fellowship. Two of his current grants involve physiological phenotyping of respiratory outcomes in premature infants, and the Colorado StARR program in Medicine and Pediatrics. Dr. Abman currently has 379 publications in PubMed.

Robin Deterding, MD is an internationally known specialist in rare and diffuse lung diseases in children who founded the chILD Research Network and the chILD Foundation and research. She held an ATS Foundation grant in 2012 and currently holds an ATS documents grant under which she is co-chairing the first set of medical guidelines for proper supplemental oxygen levels in children. Dr. Deterding is active in 4 grants and has worked with 51 additional grants. She currently has 101 publications in PubMed. 

Scott Sagel, MD, PhD has multiple research initiatives centered around the biomarkers of lung disease in children with cystic fibrosis (CF). His early research established that sputum is a rich, noninvasive source of biomarkers of inflammation and infection. Sputum is now routinely used in CF clinical trials. Dr. Sagel is currently studying the development of CFTR-targeted drugs, research which is expected to revolutionize the care of CF patients in a profound way. Dr. Sagel has had 9 grant funded research projects in the past three years, and currently has 94 publications in PubMed.

Stanley Szefler, MD is our research medical director, and fellowship research director, who has served as a PI and CO-I for 6 NIH Asthma networks, including the current NHLBI AsthmaNet and PrecISE Networks. His research has focused on inhaled corticosteroids and steroid resistance. Currently, his research is focused on personalized medicine for asthma management, and immunomodulators in asthma therapy. Dr. Szelfer has also brought in a strong focus on social determinants of health as well developing a school centered asthma program. Dr. Szefler has had 11 grant funded research projects, and has 1 additional grant funded project in progress. He currently has 448 publications in PubMed. 

 

Education is a cornerstone of our department. Our conferences are led by faculty and multi-disciplinary leaders.

 

Conferences

   Pediatric Pulmonary Grand Rounds (weekly)

  Journal Club (monthly)

Pulmonary/Radiology/Pathology Conference (monthly)

  Western States(monthly)

  Research Council (monthly)  

  Cotton Conference  

  National Conferences

Our fellowship curriculum is designed to customize the learning experience to each fellow’s interests and career goals. For fellows who are interested in furthering their education through coursework, some pulmonary-specific resources are listed below. There are numerous resources also available through the University of Colorado.

 

Diversity Matters: The University of Colorado Denver - Anschutz Medical Campus is committed to recruiting and supporting a diverse student body, faculty and administrative staff. The university strives to promote a culture of inclusiveness, respect, communication and understanding. We encourage applications from women, ethnic minorities, persons with disabilities and all veterans. We are committed to diversity and equality in education and employment.

The Department of Pediatric Pulmonary Medicine believes that Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion are part of the core mission and strategic plan of our department. Our current activities to advance this mission include:

• Social Justice Book Club
  • Currently reviewing "How to Be an Anti-Racist," by Ibram X. Kendi
• Holistic Review Process for Fellowship Applicants
  • USMLE Scores are removed from application
  • Headshots are removed from application
  • Volunteer activities and entire application are weighted along with academic qualities
• Implicit Bias Continuing Education for entire department, but especially faculty & fellows involved in the interview process
• Pulmonary representatives on hospital Diversity & Inclusion Committee

Fellow Support: Community is important, not only within pulmonary, but within the hospital, the campus, and the city.

Pulmonary: Diversity & Inclusion Committee and Subcommittees

Hospital: Diversity in Pediatrics Committee (led by Vice Chair of Diversity & Inclusion)

Campus: Minority Allied Residents Council

City: Community programs such as AsthmaCOMP (Colorado Comprehensive School-Centered Asthma Program), Just Keep Breathing asthma education, and political advocacy (vaping mitigation, smoking cessation, etc.)

Our patient population and community in Aurora is also diverse: 16% of residents identify as Black or African American, 28% identify as Hispanic or Latino, 6% identify as Asian, and 5% identify as two or more races.

Find out more at the Anschutz Medical Campus Office of Diversity & Inclusion.

1st Year Fellows
	Daniel Hinds, MD, MS Research Project: Identifying Vaping Aerosols and Defining the Impact of Vaping on the Lung
	Mfonobong Udoko, MD   Research Project: Building a Better Model for Evaluating and Managing Social Determinants of Health in Severe Pediatric Asthma
2nd Year Fellows
	Patricia M Lenhart-Pendergrass, MD, PhD Research Project: Host-Pathogen Interactions in Mycobacterium Avium Infection in Cystic Fibrosis
	Spencer Poore, MD  Research Project: Inflammatory Pathways and its Relation to Fungal Disease in Patients with Cystic Fibrosis
3rd Year Fellows
	Monica Vielkind, MD, M.Sc Research Project: Lung function in the Down Syndrome Population: Feasibility and Results of Airwave Oscillometry
	Erin Khan, MD Research Project: Pediatric Resident Education in Pulmonary (PREP) Boot Camp: A Novel Subspecialty Preparatory Curriculum

 

Our program has a long and successful history of training pediatric pulmonologists that now practice in academic centers around the country and are nationally and internationally recognized.

We are committed to matching the highest quality candidates with our exceptional educational program. Join our family!

To be considered for admission to our program, applicants must have successfully completed training in an ACGME-accredited residency program in Pediatrics. Unfortunately, due to funding sources for the fellowship, we are only able to accept fellows who are US citizens or ECFMG certified.

Required Application Materials

All application materials should be submitted through the ERAS website. We participate in the NRMP Fall Match and typically do not offer any positions outside of the match.

Required application materials through ERAS include:

1. Completed ERAS common application form
2. Curriculum vitae
3. USMLE (or COMLEX/ECFMG) transcript
4. Personal statement addressing your interest in Pediatric Pulmonary Medicine
5. 3 letters of recommendation (We do not require the standardized letter of recommendation)

​All items, included letters of recommendation, are initially pulled from ERAS by fellowship leadership on the first day ERAS opens: August 12th

Important Dates

June 6, 2020	ERAS Registration Opens for Applicants
July 5, 2020	Applicants Can Begin Applying to Programs
July 15, 2020 August 12, 2020	ERAS Applications Released to Programs
December 2, 2020	Rank Order List Deadline
December 16, 2020	Match Day!

Interview Day

The interview day can last between 8 am to 5 pm MST. For the current recruitment cycle, occurring summer of 2020, we will be holding all interviews via Zoom Videoconferencing. 

Salary and Benefits