General Pediatrics

Fellowship

General Pediatrics has two fellowship tracks: primary care and adolescent medicine.

General Pediatrics Fellowship

Columbia University Primary Care Research Fellowship in Community Health

Columbia University offers an exciting 2-year fellowship program in general academic medicine, pediatrics and family medicine, with a focus on urban community health. The Primary Care Clinician Research Fellowship in Community Health is a collaborative effort of the Divisions of General Pediatrics and Medicine and the Center for Family and Community Medicine, the Mailman School of Public Health and NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital. The purpose of this fellowship is to provide a strong academic and clinical foundation for primary care physicians who, for the duration of their careers, will remain dedicated to the care of poor minority children, adolescents and adults and who, as general academic physicians, will become leaders in the campaign to reduce health disparities.

This fellowship focuses on two areas, health disparities and community health research and entails:

1. advanced training in research skills including completion of research projects and a publishable manuscript(s) in urban community health;
2. pursuit of a Master's degree in Public Health or Masters of Science at the Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health;
3. core didactic curriculum in fellows' meetings consisting of research skills and academic development;
4. clinical practice and teaching of primary care in an urban, underserved community in New York City.

Research
Each Fellow is assigned to a research advisor and to a mentor within the Divisions of General Medicine and Pediatrics and the Center for Family and Community Medicine who monitors overall progress of the Fellow and his or her research. At the conclusion of the fellowship, trainees have a broad exposure to primary care research and the necessary in-depth research training to begin careers as independent clinical investigators. Fellows will be expected to prepare their work for presentation at regional and national meetings as well as prepare at least one publishable manuscript. Recent fellows have conducted projects related to mental health, cardiovascularand cardiopulmonary disease, immunizations, diabetes, immigrant health, stroke, health services research, obesity, medical education, medical home, breastfeeding, and child abuse. Research training may focus on core disciplines including health services research, health disparities, epidemiology, and community health. Fellows have the opportunity to draw on the linkages between the three primary care programs and both the Columbia University NIH funded CTSA and the Center for the Health of Urban Minorities, a National Center on Minority Health and Health Disparities (NCMHD) EXPORT center.

Mailman School of Public Health
The Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health is the only accredited school of public health in New York City, and was one of the first schools of public health in the nation. The School of Public Health is committed to addressing health needs, both locally in the Washington Heights and Harlem communities as well as globally, through its research, education, and service agenda. The School offers an outstanding research and degree programs in epidemiology, biostatistics, population family health, health administration, sociomedical sciences and environmental health. Our collaboration with the School of Public Health, not only allows our fellowship trainees to receive advanced training in public health, but also offers opportunities for research and professional collaboration as well as a rich environment of courses and seminars.

Fellows Meetings
Fellows take part in the bi-weekly fellows' meetings. In these meetings, fellows have the opportunity to present their research at various stages of development as well as learn necessary academic skills such as use of statistical software, research ethics, manuscript preparation, grant writing, and job planning.

Clinical Practice
The Divisions of General Medicine and Pediatrics and the Center for Family and Community Medicine have a well-established network of primary care practices in the community staffed by faculty and residents, as well as a commitment to community health. Each of these community health centers is located in an urban, underserved community. Fellows will join one of our practices where they will manage a panel of patients and precept residents and medical students. Fellows will have their own patient panel and see patients for 2 clinical sessions a week. Starting mid-way through their first year, fellows begin to co-precept residents as well. Fellows also have an option to spend two weeks co-attending on the inpatient wards. The Health Resource Service Administration (HRSA) funds the fellowship. Federal guidelines restrict the fellowship to U.S. citizens and permanent residents. Recent residency graduates can expect compensation of approximately $58,000 plus full coverage of the tuition fees at the School of Public Health. We are particularly interested in receiving applications from underrepresented minorities.

Positions are available for July 2010. Interviews are granted on a rolling basis; the deadline for submission is October 15, 2009.

Interested candidates can download an application here or can be obtained from the Division of General Medicine at (212) 305-9379, General Pediatrics at (212) 305-6227 or Center for Family and Community Medicine (212) 304-5214.

Click here to download application.

Click here for a list of current and past fellows.

The completed application includes:

• a standard application form with demographic information.
• a personal statement, of no more than 500 words, with background, interests, and career goals of the applicant.
• a copy of your c.v., with emphasis in research experiences.
• two letters of recommendation from faculty members (a letter from the Chairman of the Department of Medicine/Pediatrics/Family Medicine (as per field) or residency program director is recommended)

Internal Medicine candidates:
Steven Shea MD, MS
ss35@columbia.edu
Division of General Medicine, Columbia University
630 West 168th Street, PH 15, New York, NY 10032
Tel (212) 305- 9379
Fax (212) 305-9349

Family Medicine candidates:
Richard Younge, MD, MPH
rgy2103@columbia.edu
Center for Family and Community Medicine, Columbia University
630 West 168th Street PO Box 100, New York NY 10032
Tel (212) 304 7244
Fax (212) 544- 1938

Adolescent Medicine Fellowship

The NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital, Columbia University Medical Center offers a Fellowship Training Program in Adolescent Medicine. This three year ACGME-accredited program is designed to prepare young physicians for careers in clinical and academic adolescent health care. Although based in the Department of Pediatrics at Columbia University Medical Center, this training program also utilizes resources and faculty from the Weill Cornell Medical College at the New York Hospital and the Mailman School of Public Health at Columbia University. This fellowship opportunity is open to physicians who have completed residencies in either Pediatrics, Medicine/Pediatrics, Internal Medicine or Family Medicine.

Fellowship Overview:
This three year ACGME-accredited program, which is administered by the Section of Adolescent Medicine in the Division of General Pediatrics at the Morgan Stanley Children's Hospital of New York-Presbyterian, is designed to prepare young physicians for careers in clinical and academic adolescent health care.

The Adolescent Medicine fellowship is based primarily based at the Morgan Stanley Children's Hospital of NewYork-Presbyterian, one of the top-ranked children's hospital in the nation. However, fellows also participate in clinical and academic activities at our affiliated institutions, the Weill Cornell Medical College at the New York Hospital campus, the New York State Psychiatric Institute, and the Mailman School of Public Health at Columbia University. Below is a description of the training program, by year of fellowship.

First Year of Fellowship:
The focus of the first year of fellowship is on clinical training and the development of a research project. Adolescent Medicine fellows spend 4 sessions each week providing primary ambulatory care in the General Adolescent Practice where they see their own patients under faculty supervision. Over the year, time is also spent at a Family Planning /Adolescent Gynecology Clinic, a Young Men's Clinic, a Teen/Tot Clinic, a Psychiatry Clinic, and pediatric subspecialty clinics. Additionally, for 12 weeks, under the supervision of an attending physician, fellows provide consultative care for adolescent patients admitted to the hospital. Educational conferences include the following: core adolescent medicine lectures, sessions on research design, public health, program development, and advocacy, an adolescent seminar series, and adolescent psychiatry collaborative rounds. During their first year, fellows begin to develop their research projects. Coursework in epidemiology and biostatistics at the Mailman School of Public Health, scheduled for the end of the first year of training, help solidify fellows' research skills. The goal is that fellows will have developed a well-defined research question by the end of their first year.

Second Year of Fellowship:
The second year of training is devoted to acquiring research skills and strengthening teaching and clinical skills. At least 50% of the fellows' time is protected for research and conference activities. In addition to continuing to provide general adolescent ambulatory care, fellows gain expertise in managing patients with eating disorders during a one month rotation with the New York Psychiatric Institute's Eating Disorder Inpatient Treatment Unit. They also rotate through college health and school-based health clinic settings and work on the inpatient consult service for 12 weeks, under the supervision of an attending physician. Fellows continue to be active participants in clinical and research conferences, leading discussions about journal articles and presenting their research work at formal conferences. Those who have not completed an MPH or equivalent prior to starting fellowship are encouraged to pursue elective coursework at the Mailman School of Public Health. Fellows are responsible for designing a research or scholarship project, and, with mentorship, completing it over their second and third years of fellowship.

Third Year of Fellowship:
The third year of training is devoted to advancing research, scholarship, teaching, and clinical skills. The Adolescent Medicine fellows have an average of three adolescent outpatient clinical sessions per week; during at least one clinic, they precept residents and medical students, functioning as co-attending physicians. They again provide 12 weeks of inpatient adolescent medicine consult service. Between 50 and 70% of their time is protected for research and scholarship endeavors. The third year Adolescent Medicine fellows are expected to take a leadership role in administrative work, education and conferences, and program development. They are encouraged to submit at least one paper reporting their original research to an established medical journal prior to the completion of training.

Faculty:
Click here to view a list of faculty from both Columbia/Cornell and the School of Public Health who work with fellows in Adolescent Medicine.

Application and Information:
Click here to download an application for a fellowship in Adolescent Medicine.

For more information, contact:

Karen Soren, M.D.
Associate Clinical Professor of Pediatrics and Public Health
Director, Adolescent Health Services
Columbia University Medical Center
Morgan Stanley Children's Hospital of New York Presbyterian
622 West 168th Street, VC-4, 402
New York, NY 10032
Tel:(212) 305-8195
Fax:(212) 305-8819
Email: ks23@columbia.edu