Pediatric Hospital Medicine Fellowship

Overview

Thank you for your interest in the Cleveland Clinic Children's Pediatric Hospital Medicine Fellowship! Established in 2012, our program is one of the oldest fellowships in the country, and as of April 2020, it's officially accredited by the Accreditation Council of Graduate Medical Education (ACGME). Our two-year program exposes future pediatric hospitalists to a broad range of common and complex medical conditions in a culture of evidence-based quality and safety of care.

Why choose Cleveland Clinic Children’s?

Cleveland Clinic has cared for infants, children and adolescents since its doors first opened in 1921. That history of pediatric caregiving has blossomed into Cleveland Clinic Children’s standing today as one of America’s leading and largest providers of comprehensive pediatric care. Cleveland Clinic Children's is consistently ranked as one of the Best Children's Hospitals by U.S. News & World Report. This reputation stems from our premier programs in a wide range of subspecialties, including:

• Cleveland Clinic Children’s' Hospital for Rehabilitation - Featuring one of the nation’s few freestanding pediatric rehab hospitals, and the first pediatric specialty pain rehab program in the world to be accredited by the Commission on Accreditation for Rehabilitation Facilities (CARF).
• Transplantation - Offering the ability to perform any type of transplant in pediatric patients.
• Cardiology and Heart Surgery - Pediatric specialists collaborate with their adult-care Cleveland Clinic colleagues to manage all aspects of the most complex cases of congenital heart disease and ensure superb continuity of care into adulthood.
• Surgery - Offering a breadth and depth of surgical expertise and resources that few children’s hospitals can match.

Fellowship mission statement

The mission of our fellowship program is to provide advanced clinical and non-clinical training to encompass broad and evolving opportunities for academic pediatric hospitalists. These skills include, but are not limited to, a strong clinical acumen, collaborative and compassionate practice, leading and teaching a multidisciplinary team and contributing to the future of medicine through research and quality improvement.

Fellowship aims

Our fellowship program aims to train fellows in:

1. Providing safe, effective, compassionate and holistic management of the spectrum of pediatric disease in a team-based learning environment.
2. Incorporating critical thinking and evidence-based medicine into the care of hospitalized children.
3. Developing expertise in medical education, research, quality improvement and leadership.
4. Refining skills that support life-long learning and a fulfilling career in pediatric hospital medicine.

Fellowship training sites

Pediatric hospital medicine fellows work closely with our experienced team of over 30 pediatric hospitalists and 18 advanced practice providers at Cleveland Clinic main campus, Cleveland Clinic Children's Hospital for Rehabilitation and Fairview and Hillcrest hospitals, our two community hospitals. Our team genuinely invests in our fellows' education and career advancement.

The fellowship's primary clinical setting is at Cleveland Clinic Children’s; a high-volume tertiary referral center with more than 300 pediatric medical and surgical specialists staff, 414 inpatient beds and 52 outpatient clinics. Our department shares the vision of being a market leader in the family experience, medical outcomes, operational processes and publications while offering providers the best place to work in healthcare.

At Fairview and Hillcrest hospitals, fellows work in the inpatient wards and newborn nursery and receive full exposure to the clinical setting of a pediatric community hospitalist.

Just minutes away from Cleveland Clinic campus, Cleveland Clinic Children’s Hospital for Rehabilitation allows fellows a unique clinical experience as its the only pediatric rehabilitation hospital in Northeast Ohio.

We offer a myriad of opportunities for elective rotations to foster individual interests. Examples include sedation, chronic pain and integrative care, simulation, informatics, infectious diseases, medical operations, inpatient psychology, psychiatry, medical education, clinical pharmacology, bioethics, radiology, pediatric surgery and palliative care. These rotations afford unique opportunities for advanced clinical and nonclinical exposure. Fellows select electives based on their individual interests and their evolving career goals within pediatric hospital medicine.

Diversity & Inclusion

Our fellowship program welcomes and values the diverse backgrounds, interests and experiences of individuals in an inclusive, team-based learning environment. Similarly, our faculty represent broad backgrounds, interests and roles, mirroring the diversity of Cleveland Clinic.

• Explore our diversity.
• Understand our culture.
• Learn more about the role diversity and inclusion plays at Cleveland Clinic and at its Graduate Medical Education program and about our diversity and inclusion efforts.

If you have any questions about our fellowship program, please do not hesitate to contact us.

Sangeeta Krishna, MD
Program Director
krishns@ccf.org

Dana Foradori, MD, M.Ed
Associate Program Director
foradod@ccf.org

How to Apply

At Cleveland Clinic Children's, we welcome candidates with varied backgrounds and our Pediatric Hospital Medicine fellows mirror the diversity of the faculty at Cleveland Clinic and Cleveland Clinic Children's. We match fellows based on qualification, regardless of visa status, gender preference, race, marital status, physical or mental disability, pregnancy or ethnicity.

Cleveland Clinic's Equal Employment Opportunity Policy Statement

The Pediatric Hospital Medicine fellowship is currently seeking applicants for the 2024-2025 academic year. Eligible trainees must have completed an accredited pediatric residency in the United States. IMGs must be ECFMG certified. Positions are filled through the NRMP (National Residency Match Program).

Applications are accepted through ERAS from July 5 through August 5, 2023 and must include the following:

• CV
• Personal statement (not to exceed 500 words)
• Three (3) letters of recommendation (one by residency program director)
• USMLE or COMLEX scores
• ECFMG certificate, if applicable

Application review will begin on July 19, 2023. Interviews will be offered on a rolling basis beginning on August 7, 2023. Interviews will be conducted September-October 2023.

For more information, please contact:

Sangeeta Krishna, MD
Program Director
krishns@ccf.org

Dana Foradori, MD, M.Ed
Associate Program Director
foradod@ccf.org

Alice Ewida
Administrative Program Coordinator II
ewidaa@ccf.org

Benefits & Resources

Vacation

• 15 vacation days per year.
• 5 board prep days in PGY4 and 5 career days in PGY5.

Conference attendance

Fellows may apply to attend the AAP Section on Hospital Medicine Fellow's Conference. Additionally, travel and logistical support are provided once per year to each fellow when presenting at a regional or national meeting. 

Insurance

Medical, vision and short-term disability insurance are covered 50% starting on the first day of training.

Salary

As a trainee, you are compensated at the graduate level required to enter the program in which you are starting, regardless of the past training experience you may have acquired. Please visit the GME website for more information.

Additional benefits

• AAP membership as training fellow (including PREP Hospital Medicine access).
• Free access to Cleveland Clinic fitness facilities (state-of-the art cardio and weight machines, Olympic sized swimming pool, basketball courts and fitness classes).
• Yearly on-site Pediatric Board Review course provided at a discounted rate.
• Moonlighting opportunities.
• Cleveland Clinic discounts (dining, computers, cellphone carriers, and more).
• iPhone, which is also used as a pager and for Epic, work-related communication, and library access.
• Wellness grants offered through the House Staff Association.

Curriculum

In partnership with the Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine (CCLCM) and the Department of Graduate Medical Education, Cleveland Clinic Children's provides a unique community with tremendous career development, education, and foundations of research, leadership, quality improvement, and personal growth. Our ACGME-accredited program balances structured, advanced clinical experiences with individualized flexibility to meet fellows’ needs and interests. Our fellowship provides:

• Leadership, communication, presentation skills, and career development seminars.
• Opportunity to obtain the Distinguished Trainee Educator Certificate (through the Cleveland Clinic Education Institute Essentials Program for Health Professions Educators).
• Opportunities to obtain basic, intermediate, or advanced level certification via the Quality and Patient Safety Education Program.
• Coursework in research fundamentals at the Case Western Reserve University.
• Research support staff and mentors for consultation through our research center.
• Numerous opportunities for resident and medical student education: simulation (including participation in the Simulation Educator Workshop), mock codes, journal club, morning report, resident longitudinal lecture series, CCLCM acute care preceptorship program.
• Opportunities for mentored abstract and workshop reviews for content submitted to national conferences.
• Mentorship and preparation for job interviewing and contract negotiation.

In addition, fellows are encouraged and provided with opportunities to engage and network within the PHM community on a regional, national, and international scale via workshops, webinars, town halls, special interest groups, and authorship/editorship offered through the APA, AAP SOHM, SHM, and PAS, to name a few!

Clinical experience

Fellows gain tremendous ongoing clinical experience reflective of diverse career opportunities in our fellowship. Rotations are completed across the following hospital sites:

• Cleveland Clinic Children’s main campus: Tertiary/quaternary care and subspecialty electives.
• Hillcrest Hospital: Community care, newborn delivery and newborn nursery experience.
• Fairview Hospital: Community care, newborn delivery and newborn nursery experience.
• Cleveland Clinic Children’s Hospital for Rehabilitation: interprofessional care, including acute rehabilitation, complex medical care, pain rehabilitation, minimally aware program.

Didactic education & resources

Fellows actively lead or participate in several departmental and pediatric fellowship-wide longitudinal educational didactic series, including the following:

• Career development: job search, CV-building, and interview skills.
• Professional identity development: leadership, precepting clinical teams, coaching, mentorship, professionalism, and medical ethics.
• Addressing well-being and burnout: fatigue mitigation, wellness action planning, reflections about practice.
• Research Resources: project mentoring, statistical support, IRB process review, presentation skill development, scientific writing.
• Billing, coding, and documentation.
• Social determinants of health and implicit bias.
• PHM journal clubs.
• PHM clinical case conferences.
• PHM board review series.
• Advanced healthcare communication training through the R.E.D.E. to Communicate Program, as desired.
• Extensive online training opportunities in health systems science, as desired, including courses on implicit bias, healthcare policy, informatics, and emotional intelligence.

Numerous specialty-specific conferences are also available based on fellow interests.

Fellows are encouraged to participate in various committees to explore and solidify interests. Examples of committees include patient safety, EHR steering committee, quality council, bioethics, patient experience, and medical operations.

Participation in various committees such as Patient Safety, Child advocacy, EMR Steering Committee, Quality Council, and Medical Operations.

Curricular highlights

Concentration	Weeks in PGY4	Weeks in PGY5
Research Training	4	-
Research, Education and Scholarship	12	16
Clinical (Tertiary and Community hospital wards, Nursery, Complex Care and Rehabilitation, Pediatric Emergency Medicine)	16	16
Individualized curriculum and electives (Examples: Sedation, Palliative Medicine, Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Critical Care, Pediatric Psychology, Medical Operations, Medical Education, Clinical Pharmacology, Bioethics, Radiology, Pediatric Surgery)	16	16

Note that flexibility is based on individual interests and prior experience, with the opportunity to design new elective experiences, as needed.

Each fellow is required to comply with the ABP fellows' scholarship activity. We offer world-class resources to our fellows to achieve scholarly requirements.

Opportunities through Cleveland Clinic Graduate Medical Education (GME)

As a large training institution, Cleveland Clinic GME supports a wide variety of additional training opportunities for fellows. Examples include an administrative elective, educator skill development, safety training, simulation training, board preparation and career guidance.

 

Fellows

Current Fellows

Jessica Boerner, MD, PGY4

Residency: Children's Mercy Kansas City, Kansas City, MO

"Throughout my medical training, I feel like I've always struggled to decide exactly what I want to specialize in, and for me the beauty of pediatric hospital medicine is that you get a little bit of everything! There is variety not only among the patients we see and treat, but also within other aspects of clinical work like medical education, clinical informatics, research, global health, etc. I've always been passionate about medical education, but during residency, I realized my list of professional interests kept growing. I'm excited to use my fellowship experience to learn more about opportunities within quality improvement and clinical informatics. I look forward to starting my career in PHM and seeing where it takes me!”

Catherine "Catie" Brown, MD, PGY5

Residency: West Virginia University, WVU Medicine Children's Hospital, Morgantown, WV

"I love the variety of patient experiences that come through the pediatric hospital medicine service-- from observational visits for minor illnesses, to new diagnoses, to management of chronic illnesses. I'm excited to continue to grow my knowledge and experience with high quality inpatient care over the next few years in fellowship. I'm also excited to learn more about the other "hats" that hospitalists commonly wear. I hope to use my background as a chief resident expand my understanding of hospital administration, systems-based practice, quality improvement and medical education. I look forward to the opportunities to come!"

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Recent Graduates

We are thrilled to announce a 100% PHM board pass rate for graduated fellows who took the PHM boards at their initial offerings in 2019 and 2022!

Michael "Cory" Lever, MD - 2023 Graduate

Residency: Atrium Health, Levine Children's Hospital, Charlotte, NC

Awards

• Cleveland Clinic Caregiver Celebrations Appreciation Award
• Cleveland Clinic Caregiver Celebrations Teaching Award (demonstrates passion for teaching)
• Simulation Educator
• Distinguished Trainee Educator award
• Fellow of the month, March 2023

Jennifer Kaczmarek, MD - 2022 Graduate

Current Employment: Associate Staff, Department of Pediatric Hospital Medicine, Cleveland Clinic Children's

Awards

• Cleveland Clinic Caregiver Celebrations Appreciation Award, 05/2021
• Cleveland Clinic Caregiver Celebrations Teaching Award (demonstrates passion for teaching), 11/2021
• Cleveland Clinic Caregiver Celebrations Excellence Award, 07/2022 
• Awarded for providing timely, specific and actionable feedback to students, utilizing teaching moments appropriately and being respectful of various learner levels in teaching content  

Scholarly activity

• Kaczmarek J, Krishna S, Molas-Torreblanca K. Behavioral and Mental Health Conditions, Question Writing Contributor. In: Kulkarni D, Kamzan A and Newcomer CA, eds. Pediatric Hospital Medicine Board Review. Oxford University Press 2022.
• Kaczmarek J, Krishna S. Hyperthyroidism. In: Gershel JC, Rauch DA, eds. Caring for the Hospitalized Child: A Handbook of Inpatient Pediatrics, 3rd edition. American Academy of Pediatrics, Will go to press 2022.
• Kaczmarek J, Tavella-Burka SK, Liu W, Corder JH, Sowunmi L, Bhakta H. Pediatric Hospitalist Evaluation and Management of Unexplained Agitation and/or Irritability in Children with Severe Neurological Impairment (platform presentation). Douglas Moodie, MD Pediatric Research Day, Cleveland, Ohio, 05/2022.
• Kaczmarek J, Tavella-Burka SK, Liu W, Corder JH, Sowunmi L, Bhakta H. Pediatric Hospitalist Evaluation and Management of Unexplained Agitation and/or Irritability in Children with Severe Neurological Impairment (poster presentation). Pediatric Hospital Medicine National Conference, Lake Buena Vista, Florida, 07/2022.
• Kaczmarek J, Tavella-Burka SK, Liu W, Corder JH, Sowunmi L, Bhakta H. Pediatric Hospitalist Evaluation and Management of Unexplained Agitation and/or Irritability in Children with Severe Neurological Impairment (poster presentation). Pediatric Academic Societies’ Annual International Meeting, Denver, Colorado, 04/2022.
• Kaczmarek J, Tavella-Burka SK, Liu W, Corder JH, Sowunmi L, Bhakta H. Pediatric Hospitalist Evaluation and Management of Unexplained Agitation and/or Irritability in Children with Severe Neurological Impairment (poster presentation). Academic Pediatric Association Region V/VI Meeting, held virtually, 03/2022.
• Kaczmarek J, Tavella-Burka SK, DiMauro K, Panupattanapong S, Krishna S. Neonatal Lupus Erythematosus with Central Nervous System Involvement (poster presentation). Academic Pediatric Association Region V/VI Virtual Meeting,03/2021.

Marc Miller, MD – 2021 graduate

Current Employment: Associate Staff, Department of Pediatric Hospital Medicine, University of Chicago

Awards

• Caregiver Celebrations Teaching Recognition Award (5/2020), Scholarship in Teaching Award: “Virtual White Boards, Aquifer Patients, and Zooming Everywhere: The Milestones of a Pediatric Virtual Clerkship Curriculum” (04/2021)

Scholarly Activity

• Quality Improvement Education in Pediatric Residency: A National Survey (ongoing)
• Risk Stratification Strategies for Early Sepsis in Newborn Compared to Universal Treatment (ongoing)
• Miller MR. PHM20 Virtual: Common incidental findings seen on pediatric imaging. The Hospitalist. Electronically published Aug 13, 2020

Chionye Ossai, MBBS – 2020 graduate

Current Employment: Associate Staff, Department of Pediatric Hospital Medicine, Cleveland Clinic, Assistant Professor, Pediatrics, Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine, Cleveland Clinic Children's Hospital

Awards

• Cleveland Clinic Caregiver Appreciation Award for excellence in medical student teaching
• Cleveland Clinic Foundation (CCF) House Staff Association Professional Development Grant

Scholarly Activity

• Ossai C, McDonnell J, Behairy M, Schelzig C, Larkin L, Jones J, Liu W, Worley S, Das A. Association of Parent Portals with Breast Feeding Rates in Infants. Pediatric Academic Societies (PAS) 2020 meeting, Philadelphia, PA (meeting canceled due to COVID-19 outbreak). Poster Presentation
• Ossai C, Rezaee F. Unusual Case of Plastic Bronchitis in a Patient with Complex Congenital Heart Disease: A case report. Academic Pediatric Association Region 5 2020 Regional Conference. Poster Presentation
• P.M Anderson, S Zahler, S Sartoski, M Stanton, C Ossai, R Hanna. Virtual Visits and USB Flash Drives Can Provide Electronic Information to Reduce Oncology Treatment Toxicity. International Society of Paediatric Oncology 2019 Conference, Lyon, France (was not the presenting author). Poster Presentation
• Ossai C, Pu L, Kaelber DC. Using Aggregated Data from 1.4 Million Pediatric Patients to Describe the Epidemiology and Demographic Characteristics of Appendicitis. AAP 2019 National Conference and Exhibition (SOHM), New Orleans. Poster Presentation
• Im J, Adeyanju O, Tchou M, Hogan A, O’Hara K, Farrell M, Ossai C, Rudnick M, Patel A. Apps for Busy Hospitalists - tools to facilitate teaching and learning in the digital age. Pediatric Hospital Medicine Conference. Atlanta, GA, 2018. Workshop Presentation

Cory Henson, MD –2019 graduate

Current Employment: Staff, Associate Program Director Pediatric Hospital Medicine Fellowship, Baylor San Antonio Children's

Jane Im, MD –2018 graduate

Current Employment: Assistant Professor of Pediatrics at UCONN School of Medicine, Pediatric Hospitalist at Connecticut Children's

Oloruntosin “Tosin” Adeyanju, MD –2017 graduate

Current Employment: Assistant Professor of Pediatrics, Division of Pediatric Hospitalists, Co-Director, MS4 Capstone Course, Assoc. Program Director, Pediatric Residency Program, Washington University in St Louis School of Medicine

Prabi Rajbhanadri, MD –2016 graduate

Current Employment: Assistant professor, Division Lead for Quality Improvement, Site Lead for High-Value Pediatrics Practice Alliance, and Pediatric Research in inpatient settings (PRIS), Akron Children's Hospital  

Tatiana Gurevich Panigrahi, MD –2015 graduate

Current Employment: Staff, Akron Children’s Hospital

Justen Aprile, MD –2014 graduate

Current Employment: Department of Pediatrics, Division of Inpatient Pediatrics, Associate Program Director, Pediatrics, Assistant Professor for Pediatrics and Humanities, Penn State Health Children's Hospital

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Examples of scholarly activity during our fellowship

Selected examples of fellows' scholarly activity, including clinical and education:

1. Does implementation of resident sign-out tool decrease PMETs and SERS?
2. Identification of Routine Use of Post-Operative Acid Suppression (GI Prophylaxis) Rate in Non-Critically Ill Pediatric Surgery Patients.
3. Improving documentation of inpatient problem list in Electronic Health Record - A quality improvement project.
4. What's your plan? (Evaluating the use of a written asthma action plan prior to Hospitalization for Asthma Exacerbation).
5. Resident Perceptions of their Role as Student Educators.

Our fellows received several awards such as Distinguished Educator, Excellence in Teaching, and Scholarship in Teaching. Numerous local, regional, and national publications and presentations, during and at their current positions. More details are available via the internet or by contacting us.

Selected publications and presentations during fellowship:

• P.Rajbhandari, S.Krishna, Endocrine Emergencies, Caring for the Hospitalized Child: A Handbook of Inpatient Pediatrics. American Academy of Pediatrics, 2nd edition
• Adeyanju, S Krishna, A Rivera-Sepulveda, L Voegele, N Vidwan. The Febrile Traveler: Infections to Consider in Febrile Children Returning from Overseas. Presented at 2016 Pediatric Hospital Medicine Conference; Chicago, IL. 07/31/2016.
• Fever in the Overseas Returned Child. O. Adeyanju, S. Krishna, Caring for the Hospitalized child. A Handbook of Inpatient Pediatrics. AAP, SOHM. Eds Rausch and Gershel (2nd edition)
• Im J, Adeyanju O, Tchou M, (2018, July). Apps for Busy Hospitalists - tools to facilitate teaching and learning in the digital age. Pediatric Hospital Medicine Conference. Atlanta, GA
• Residents-as-Teachers Educational Curriculum. Project lead for six session curriculum meant to empower residents to be future educators .PHM conference. Seattle. 2019

About Cleveland

Located approximately 2 miles from the Cleveland Clinic campus, downtown Cleveland features a host of cultural and recreational attractions for an ethnically diverse mid-sized city. Many of Cleveland's neighborhoods such as Ohio City, Tremont, Lakewood, and Cedar-Fairmount are overflowing with cultural heritage, as well an eclectic offering of restaurants and nightlife.

Take advantage of all this beautiful city has to offer! Champion sports teams, culture, museums, an internationally renowned orchestra, and the largest theater district outside NYC. Take advantage of all this beautiful city has to offer! The food scene is outstanding, with multiple James Beard award-winning restaurants. Outdoor activities are plentiful, with an extensive citywide metro park system and lakeside activities. There really is something for everyone here in Cleveland.

• Find Out Why Cleveland Is Right For You
• This is Cleveland
• Cleveland Metroparks

Building a local community

Fellows develop relationships within the department of pediatric hospital medicine. In addition, our pediatric fellows meet and network with other fellows during orientation and throughout the common fellowship curriculum. The Cleveland Clinic House Staff/Spouse Association also offers opportunities for networking and local events. Fellows also develop relationships with other pediatric hospital medicine fellows through the annual AAP SOHM fellows’ conference, as well as networking at regional and national conferences.