Alumni Notes Winter 2019

Dear CHOP Alumni Family,

Remember our CHOP Alumni Motto: Keep … Tradition, Keep … in Mind, Keep … in Touch!

For this column, I am starting a new TRADITION. I have invited our 4 fabulous chief residents to provide an update on the Residency Training Program at CHOP. For those of you who trained many years ago, it might be hard to imagine that this coming year there will be 55 new interns at CHOP—how we’ve grown! Read on for more updates. A special thanks to Aditi, Betsy, Emily and Nina.

From the chief residents

Thie Pediatric Residency Program at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia has continued to grow to better train the next generation of pediatrician leaders. We are pleased to share some highlights.

We are welcoming more than 350 applicants to interview after receiving a record number of 2100 applications for 55 spots in the class of 2022. This group will be composed of diverse disciplines including our categorical and global health residents, as well as those from combined programs of pediatric-neurology, pediatric-genetics, and medicine-pediatrics.

Education strategy

The Residency Program has continued its redesign to allow more flexibility and diversity in resident clinical experiences. By working to reset the balance between service and education, residents are able to participate in customized educational experiences to prepare them for their next steps in training.

The Pediatric Residency Program has continued to partner with advanced practice providers, such as nurse practitioners and physician assistants, to create blended interprofessional staffing models that allow prioritization of education. These team models have been successful in our ICUs, emergency department, oncology, cardiology, and gastroenterology units. This year, we’ve begun the process of expanding to our neurology team. Bringing together this diverse group of providers has been of tremendous benefit to all parties involved as it has allowed for shared knowledge and interprofessional teaching. These models have allowed us to decrease the time commitment dedicated to inpatient service, allowing residents to further explore educational experiences focused on their own individual educational goals. We’ve also introduced a new clinical experience into the intern year that allows residents an additional rotation to explore an inpatient or outpatient area of clinical interest. We’re excited to be able to support residents further exploring clinical areas of interest for their future careers.

Vital Talk

Under the guidance of Dr Lisa Zaoutis, the Residency Program has introduced a communication training session into the intern year that focuses on relaying difficult news to families. The Residency Program is thrilled to continue to develop new curricula, such as Vital Talk, to ensure our residents are prepared for all aspects of their future clinical roles.

Thank you

We thank the CHOP Alumni Association for its ongoing support of resident education and wellness. With sponsorship from the CHOP Alumni Association, the first week of March 2019 celebrates Fellow and Resident Appreciation Week, a week of activities, meals, and social gatherings of faculty and staff to show appreciation for our trainees. In spring 2019, we look forward to the Resident and Fellows Grand Rounds series, sponsored generously by the CHOP Alumni Association.

Chief Residents: Nina Fainberg, MD; Betsy Salazar, MD; Aditi Vasan, MD; and Emily Watkins, MD, Internal Medicine-Pediatrics

Until next time, when I resume my writing duties. Best,

Cindy Cindy W. Christian, MD
President, CHOP Alumni Association