Academic Curriculum

Scholarship Training

Fellows are expected to engage in meaningful scholarly activity leading to “the generation of a specific written work product” during the course of their fellowship training. Scholarly activity may include but is not limited to basic, clinical, or translational biomedical research; health services investigation; quality improvement work; the study of bioethics; educational scholarship; and the development of public policy. The fellow begins to formulate a scholarship plan, with a specific plan and intended work product, in the first year of their fellowship. A Scholarship Oversight Committee (SOC) will be established for each fellow to provide guidance toward successful completion of their project. Specific responsibilities include regular meetings with progress reports, development of a timeline with specific targets for project completion, presentation, and publication of a written work product. 

As above, each fellow will participate in the Combined Curriculum and have the opportunity for training in biostatistics, quality improvement, research design and grant writing.

Conferences and Educational Training

Educational training will be incorporated throughout the three year curriculum. It will include specific events such as conferences, as described below, the Combined Curriculum, and other methodologies.

Pediatric Pulmonology Core Curriculum

Three year curriculum designed to cover the American Board of Pediatrics content for Pediatric Pulmonology Boards. Attended by faculty and fellows.

Pediatric Pulmonary Journal Club

Monthly conference with article presentation and discussion by a fellow or faculty member. Presentation and review will be structured around evidence-based medicine methodology. Attended by fellows, faculty, and pulmonary nurse practitioners.

Physiology Tutorial

Through this one-hour session, fellows gain a clear understanding of fundamental pulmonary physiology and how this physiology is altered by both disease states and therapeutic interventions. Attended by fellows, faculty, and pulmonary nurse practitioners.

Leadership Common Curriculum

Monthly meeting of fellows from all subspecialties. Hospital-wide program to address topics common to all ACGME-approved fellowship programs. Conferences cover topics such as professionalism, medical ethics, fatigue/sleep deprivation, physician impairment, teaching, mentoring and leadership.

Statistics Course

Monthly biostatistics training with introduction into various analysis techniques. Fellows will utilize actual data sets to learn how to choose which statistical methods to use and how to perform them.

Problem Solving for Fellows

Learn and apply a variety of analytical tools and techniques that are effective in continuously improving a Fellow’s approach to practice. This course will also aid in fulfilling the ACGME requirement for quality improvement training and experiential learning.

Grant Writing Curriculum

Teaches trainees how to write a competitive grant application. Upon completion of the course, the fellow will be eligible to apply for a Children’s Mercy Hospital Clinical Fellowship Research Award.

Optional Conferences

• Grand Rounds - Local and national speakers present pertinent pediatrics topics weekly.

• Professor Rounds - Case-based presentations with an educational didactic component for residents, fellows, NP's, pharmacists and faculty prepared and presented by a senior resident each week.

• Academic Scholarship Conference - A unique bimonthly conference covering topics such as quality improvement, advocacy, research and medical education. Presented by Children's Mercy faculty as well as guest speakers and visiting professors.