Pediatric Pulmonary Medicine Fellowship

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.

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

The Section of Pediatric Pulmonary Medicine believes that Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion are a core pillar of our section that is included as part of our strategic plan. 

Our current activities to advance this mission include:

Breathing Institute Equity Council

Vision: Creating a culture that centers equity and justice

Mission: Centering equity, inclusion, and diversity in all aspects of pediatric pulmonary care, research, education, and advocacy

Dedicated Leaders in DE&I Within Pulmonary

• Dr. Robin Deterding is the executive sponsor for DE&I activities within pulmonary
• Breathing Institute Equity Council led by Arthur McFarlane, Su Linstrom, and Shanaj Grewal
• Dr. Stan Szefler is co-PI of an NIH grant looking at asthma and disparities for children

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
• DE&I continuing education for entire department, and in particular faculty & fellows involved in the interview process

Pulmonary Representatives on Hospital Diversity & Inclusion Leadership Committees

• Several members of pulmonary sit on the Children's Hospital Colorado DE&I Committee 

Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion Resources on Campus

Community is important, not only within pulmonary, but within the hospital and the medical campus.

• Residency Diversity in Pediatrics Committee  (DIPC)
• Dept of Pediatrics Diversity and Inclusion
• The MARC (Minority & Allied Resident Council): http://tiny.cc/MinorityResidency
• CU SOM Diversity and Inclusion
• CU SOM Diversity and Inclusion Helpful Links and Resources page
• CU AMC Office of Diversity and Inclusion 
• CU Anschutz Inclusivity Alliance
• CU Anschutz Women in STEM
• CU Anschutz Ombuds Office
• CU SOM White Coats for Black Lives Chapter : cusomwhitecoats4blacklives@gmail.com
• CU/CHCO ACCORDS  (Adult and Child Consortium for Health Outcomes Research and Delivery Science)
• CHCO Diversity & Inclusion
• CHCO general contact for D&I questions, requests, training, etc.: ExperienceDifferent@childrenscolorado.org
• Kindred Mamas (part of CHCO Black Health Initiative, supporting African-American new mothers), 720-777-6123, kindredmamas@childrenscolorado.org
• Faculty collaboration: The Faculty Council Committee for Racial & Ethnic Equity  

Community in Aurora

• Pulmonary is proud to have created several novel community programs such as
• AsthmaCOMP-Colorado Comprehensive School-Centered Asthma Program
• Just Keep Breathing- asthma education for families
• Political advocacy with the capitol including vaping mitigation and smoking cessation

Our patient population is diverse and reflects the diversity found in the city of Aurora: 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.

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

Course Work

Clinical Scientist Master’s Program

The MSCS degree program is graduate level course work for individuals who will pursue clinical research such as translational clinical research, clinical trials, or outcomes research. This program is a unique opportunity to provide a comprehensive exposure to training required for a successful career in clinical research. Funding for this program is provided through grant support or directly by the Department of Pediatrics.

Subspecialty Excellence in Educational Leadership & Scholarship (SEELS) Program

The goal of SEELS is to equip pediatric subspecialty 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.  

SEELS scholars will complete this 18-month program that will begin during the second year of fellowship for three-year fellowship programs.The curriculum will include in-person educational sessions for the first 12 months, along with self-directed independent study, a scholarly project, and mentorship throughout the entire 18 months. Educational content will be delivered through approximately once per month sessions including work-in-progress sessions as well as individual meetings with SEELS Program leaders and mentors.

SEELS Program

Conferences

Our program provides regular environments for learning the latest in pulmonary science, innovation, and technology. Some of these meetings include:

Pediatric Pulmonary Grand Rounds (weekly)

This conference is built to teach on core topics of pulmonology, as well as the more rare cases that we see at our hospital. This conference includes case presentations, fellow "research in progress" updates, morbidity and mortality conferences, and lecture topics designed to complement your clinical experience.

 Western States(monthly)

This regional conference is hosted by University of Arizona via Zoom. It provides a unique opportunity to learn about unusual cases from other centers as well as different centers’ approaches to diagnosis and management. Colorado has a strong presence here with at least one of our fellows presenting annually.

 Journal Club (monthly)

Fellows work in tandem with faculty and a biostatistician to present appropriate journals based on the newest publications. Journal club is essential in teaching a fellow how to review a paper and critically analyze the literature. Fellows co-lead journal club about twice a year.

Pulmonary/Radiology/Pathology Conference (monthly)

This multidisciplinary conference focuses on discussion of complex patient cases that required a lung biopsy, imaging, or that resulted in an autopsy. The conference involves a chalk talk review of the patient case and appropriate literature.

Research Council (monthly)  

This conference focuses on fellow training in research, and how to help fellows progress towards the successful completion of their research project. Senior fellows present once a year with pearls/lessons learned about their current research.

Department of Pediatrics Fellowship Retreats

These seminars are training sessions provided for all fellows once or twice a year. They focus on topics like resiliency, personal finance, leadership training, employment contracts, grant writing, bioethics, and much more.

National Conferences

All fellows will be supported to attend either the North American Cystic Fibrosis Conference (NACFC) or the American Thoracic Society Conference (ATS) each year, as long as they have submitted an abstract or poster. Additional conferences may be arranged at the discretion of the faculty research mentor and the fellowship director.

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.

Cotton Conference

Cotton Conference 2024 Program

The Breathing Institute hosts a yearly mountain retreat and conference called the “Cotton Conference.” Aptly named after the founder of our fellowship and a pioneer in the field of pulmonary medicine, our 2024 Conference marks the 34th anniversary of this historic tradition. This event serves as an opportunity to refine fellow presentation skills, learn from national pulmonary leaders, and engage with fellows past and present. We take great pride in hosting a nationally recognized conference that offers a yearly opportunity for research presentation and rejuvenation. All fellows in our program present along with our faculty members, researchers, and a nationally recognized guest speaker. Former fellows, along with clinicians and researchers working in all corners of pulmonary medicine from around the United States, regularly join our group for a weekend in the mountains.

PAST SPEAKERS

2023

Terri Laguna, MD

Seattle Children's Hospital

2022

Carol Rosen, MD

Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine

2021

John P. Clancy, MD

Vice President of Clinical Research, Cystic Fibrosis Foundation

2020

Theresa Guilbert, MD, MS

Cincinnati Children's Hospital

As one of the biggest Pediatric Pulmonary Sections in the country, we can offer the best clinical & research opportunities. Learn more about the diverse areas of practice we have. 

Aerodigestive Clinic One of the most complete aerodigestive multidisciplinary programs in the U.S. Find out more here!	Asthma Clinic Offering the latest in diagnostic testing and treats more children with asthma than any other hospital in Colorado. Find out more here!	Fontan Clinic The only program in a seven-state region dedicated to complex cardiac care. Find out more here!
Cystic Fibrosis Research & Care Center The largest CF clinical care center in the U.S. Find out more here!	chILD Program One of the leading referral centers in the world for children with rare lung conditions. Find out more here!	Neuromuscular Clinic Patient-based care & support with individualized patient treatment plans. Find out more here!
Pulmonary Hypertension Program First multidisciplinary program for children in the U.S. One of only three programs accredited by the Pulmonary Hypertension Association. Find out more here!	Sleep Center Multidisciplinary team performing over 4,000 sleep studies a year with a complementary inpatient sleep consult service. Find out more here!	Ventilator Care Program Multicenter collaboration with referrals/consults from 11+ states providing complex care consisting of three overlapping clinical units. Find out more here!

Rotation Schedule:

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

Innovation

We have been busy changing the world of medicine. Here are just a few examples of what we've been up to.

• Colorado was the first state in the country to perform newborn screening for CF.
• Our Aerodigestive clinic is one of the most complete multidisciplinary programs of its  kind, treating complex airway, respiratory, and gastrointestinal tract disorders.
• The Interstitial Lung Disease (chILD) Program is world renowned for treating a rare lung disease. Dr. Deterding created two organizations to advance this work: The nonprofit chILD foundation and the chILD Research Network.
• Founded by Dr. Deterding, The Center for Innovation is transforming pediatric medicine. Find out more about our center here.
• Formation of a new company called Triple Endoscopy focused on endoscopy innovation that is being taught to over a dozen hospitals that have traveled to Colorado to learn about this new technique.
• Participation in pivotal CFTR modulator trials in cystic fibrosis.
• Recognized therapeutic benefit of inhaled nitric oxide use in pulmonary hypertension and severe bronchopulmonary dysplasia.
• Leader in groundbreaking laboratory science in inhalation injury due to chemical warfare agents and vaping.
• Member of the Genetic Disorders of Mucociliary Clearance Consortium leading pivotal research in diseases such as primary ciliary dyskinesia. 

Fellow Research Resources

You will be successful. And here is how.

• 26 months set aside for research throughout the fellowship (3 months in year 1, 10 months in year 2, and 10 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 biostatistician and research coordinator support- 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. Edith Zemancik, 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:

• Annemarie Wolfe, MD – University of Texas at Austin

“Case report: Cystic fibrosis with kwashiorkor: A rare presentation in the era of universal newborn screening.”

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36683818/

• Daniel Hinds, MD – University of Iowa

“Acute vaping in a golden Syrian hamster causes inflammatory response transcriptomic changes. “

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36041220/

• Mfonobong Udoko, MD – University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati Children's Hospital 

“Social Determinants of Health in Asthma Through the Life Course”

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35033702/

• Monica Vielkind, MD, MS, MSCS- University of Rochester, Galisano Children’s Hospital

“Airwave oscillometry to measure lung function in children with Down syndrome”

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34326475/

• Erin Khan, MD- University of Missouri-Children's Mercy Kansas City

"When in Doubt, Change it out: A Case-Based Simulation for Pediatric Residents Caring for Hospitalized Tracheostomy-Dependent Children”

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33473377/

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. 

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)

ERAS Application Timeline

NRMP Fall Match Timeline

Interview Day

The interview day can last anywhere between 8 am to 5 pm MST and will occur via video conference.

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 CU School of Medicine - Graduate Medical Education website.