Indiana University School of Medicine

 

 

 

 

 

 

Goals and Objectives

Clinical Training
During the first year of fellowship training, the fellow focuses on the principles and practices of clinical pediatric pulmonology. This year’s core curriculum includes an introductory month centered on pulmonary physiology, pulmonary function diagnostic testing and its applications to clinical care. The fellow is then introduced to the diverse patient population and the many specialized pulmonary Care Centers at Riley by rotating through the Infant Care Clinic, Chronic Ventilator Clinic, Sleep Disorders Clinic, High Risk Asthma Clinic, Cystic Fibrosis Clinic, and the general pulmonary clinics. The year continues with a rigorous and diverse exposure to inpatient clinical care, specialty areas of pulmonary medicine such as the sleep lab and chronic ventilator care for technology dependent children, allergy and immunology and consultative services. One month is spent in the ICU under the direction of pulmonary critical care physicians with an emphasis on the physiology of the acutely ill respiratory patient. Fellows acquire skills in flexible bronchoscopy, pulmonary function testing and make the adaptation to the subspecialist role in caring for a patient. During the first year, the fellow is assigned individual mentors in cystic fibrosis and general pediatric pulmonary medicine that will oversee their respective continuity clinics throughout the three years of fellowship training.

The focus for the second and third year of training is the completion of a scholarly project usually in the area of basic or translational research. During the last two years, fellows participate in a total four to six months of clinical activities with increasing independence on the ward and in the clinics applying the skills required for clinical care and advanced decision making. During the last year, a professional mentor is assigned that will assist in the development of skills required as a clinician educator in an academic program.

Research Training
During the first year, the fellow begins the mentored research experience and spends 18-20 months of the final two years working on a supervised project. The basic science group of the Section of Pediatric Pulmonology and related laboratories within the Indiana University School of Medicine offer a robust and diverse wealth of research possibilities. The research project chosen by the fellow must be relevant to pediatric pulmonary medicine and be a rigorous project that can be pursued in depth over the two year period. Faculty from the Section of Pediatric Pulmonology’s current research interests include:

  • Asthma and allergic disease
  • Cytokine biology
  • Airway physiology
  • Lung development and function
  • Viral infections
  • Molecular immunology
  • T helper cell development
  • Dendritic cell function
  • Mechanisms of resistance in CF lung infections

During training, motivated and eligible candidates are encouraged to participate in Indiana University School programs offering Masters degrees in clinical research or public health.

Supplemental Degree Programs
The Pediatric Pulmonology Fellowship Program at Riley Children’s Hospital strives to facilitate an environment that provides our Fellows with wide ranging opportunities that ultimately enhance the fellowship experience while creating additional educational, social, and career options.

Prospective fellowship applicants with an interest in a career as a pediatric researcher, physician-scientist or future academic leader will have the opportunity to participate in The Morris Green Academic Scholars Program. The Morris Green Program was created to identify and support pediatric residents and fellows. As a result The Morris Green Academic Scholars Program provides additional support for research with seminars, mentorship and meeting funds. For more information about this program see Morris Green Scholar Program.

Another unique and beneficial opportunity available through the Pediatric Pulmonology Fellowship Program is the Clinical Investigator Training Enhancement Program (CITE). The purpose of this program is to prepare health care professionals for a career in clinical research. Following completion of the program, graduates can embark on a career in clinical research with the skills necessary to successfully compete for grant funding, conduct and analyze research findings, and publish their work in scientific journals.

By participating in the program, CITE trainees will accomplish two primary objectives:

  1. Complete a two-year formal clinical research curriculum, at the end of which they will receive a Master of Science in Clinical Research degree.
  2. Conduct clinical research under the mentorship of a faculty scientist whose discipline or area of clinical investigation corresponds to the research interests and career aims of the CITE enrollee.

For more information about CITE.