Fellowships

The UCLA Department of Pediatrics fellowship program is designed to train the next generation of academic pediatric subspecialists dedicated to advancing children’s health. The combination of extensive basic scientific resources with a world-class program of clinical investigation results in extraordinary training opportunities which lead UCLA fellows into productive academic careers and make them sought after recruits throughout the country.

Commitment to Children’s Health: UCLA requires from its fellows a commitment to improving the quality of life for all children, a dedication to life-long learning, the desire to teach, and the possession of interpersonal and leadership skills to allow effective interactions with a diverse group of care givers, patients, and families.

UCLA’s pediatric fellowship program enables each fellow to design an individualized program and
curriculum to meet the requirements of the American Board of Pediatrics. The program includes clinical, basic science, research, and teaching components. The three year fellowship program offers a rotation schedule that allows the fellow to move forward from beginner to advanced skills with the appropriate amount of supervision and mentorship throughout their training at UCLA.

Currently, UCLA trains 59 fellows in allergy/immunology, cardiology, critical care, developmental studies, endocrinology, gastroenterology, hematology/oncology, infectious diseases, neonatology, nephrology, neurology, and rheumatology. Typically, the trainee develops clinical skills by maintaining close contact with the patients on the ward, intensive care units, in the operating room, and the clinic.

The trainee acts as a consultant to the pediatric housestaff for all phases of the management of the patient including emergency treatment, pre-operative and post-operative care. Research exposure and participation begins in the first year, but takes an important role during the second year. In the third year of training, the fellow makes a major commitment to basic or clinical research.

Finally, the education program is rounded out with a structured didactic curriculum including a core curriculum in Clinical and Basic Science and Career Development. Fellows participate in leadership, teaching, and educational opportunities such as receiving and giving didactic conferences.

Best in the West: Fellowship training has moved to the new Mattel Children’s Hospital UCLA within the I.M. Pei designed Ronald Regan UCLA Medical Center in mid-June 2008. UCLA Medical Center ranks as one of the top three American hospitals — and the best hospital in the western United States for the 18th consecutive year — according to a U.S. News & World Report survey that reviewed patient outcomes data, reputation among physicians and other care-related factors.

The state-of-the-art Mattel Children’s Hospital UCLA provides the clinical environment for fellowship training.
Mattel Children’s Hospital maintains the country’s leading pediatric organ-transplant program and is renowned for its research into pediatric cancers, stem cell transplantation, and epilepsy, as well as the genetics of childhood diseases.

Extraordinary Education: UCLA and its nationally and internationally recognized faculty provide a singularly unique environment for fellowship training. At the end of the three year fellowship, UCLA educated academic pediatric subspecialists are prepared to deliver high quality patient care, teach effectively, and advance the field of pediatrics through the performance of meaningful laboratory or clinical research. Their UCLA bench to bedside training makes a significant difference in the quality of life for children locally, nationally, and around the globe.

Location, Location, Location

The Department of Pediatrics is at the center of UCLA’s extensive health and basic science research labs and offers multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary learning opportunities. The UCLA Department of Pediatrics, the third largest department within the School of Medicine, is located adjacent to the UCLA School of Dentistry, UCLA School of Public Health, and across the street from the new Mattel Children’s Hospital UCLA, the California Nanosystems Institute at UCLA, the UCLA Henry Samueli School of Engineering and Applied Sciences, the Gonda (Goldschmied) Neuroscience & Genetics Research Center, the Molecular Biology Institute, California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM), Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center, the new Orthopedic Hospital Research Center at UCLA and the Physical and Life Sciences within the College at UCLA. By having the entire UCLA campus within walking distance, fellows have the opportunity to access
research mentors in pediatrics, as well as in areas such as internal medicine, biomedical engineering, nanoscience and many other scientific disciplines.

Mattel Children’s Hospital UCLA

The new Mattel Children’s Hospital has 90 in-patient beds, including a 24-bed Pediatric Intensive Care Unit and a 22-bed Level III Neonatal Intensive Care Unit. There are three dedicated pediatric exam rooms in the Emergency Department. Future plans include the addition of 10 more beds.

• Serving children since the1950s and designated as a children’s hospital by NACHRI in September 1995
• Named “Mattel Children’s Hospital UCLA” in recognition of a $25 million gift from Mattel Inc. in 1998
• Total outpatient visits:  100,316
• Children’s Health Center visits:  41,237
• Satellite:  59,079

UCLA Department of Pediatrics

• 170 faculty
• 270 staff employees
• 13 divisions and 4 programs
• Total grant funding:  $28,439,460
• NIH = 20,222,330
• Other awards:  $8,217,130
• Ranked 9th nationally in NIH funding
• Awarded one of 20 Child Health Research Career Development Awards from NICHD
• National Children’s Longitudinal Study awarded $46 million

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Total outpatient visits: 100,316
- Children’s Health Center visits: 41,237
- Satellite Clinics: 59,079
UCLA Department of Pediatrics
- 170 faculty
- 270 staff employees
- 13 divisions and 4 programs
- Total grant funding: $28,439,460
- NIH = $20,222,330
- Other awards: $8,217,130
- Ranked 9th nationally in NIH funding
- Awarded one of 20 Child Health Research Career Development Awards from NICHD
- National Children’s Longitudinal Study awarded $46 million

DEPARTMENT OF PEDIATRICS

FELLOWS ETHICS COURSE REQUIREMENTS

(Revised 9/12/2008)

1. All 2nd year and 3rd fellows are required to take the Ethics Course once. First year fellows who feel they have the time, may take the course.

2. Every effort should be made to complete the course in one year. If this is not possible, please speak with your Program Director, or Dr. Kathleen Sakamoto or Dr. Kuk Wha-Lee.

3. If a fellow is taking another Ethics course as part of a degree or a training grant, they are exempt, although they must show a certificate of completion.

4. If a fellow fails the test, she/he must retake the exam.

5. Fellows can interface with Dave Tomita (dtomita@biomath.ucla.edu) in Dr. Stanley Korenman’s office directly to register for the course or if they need to retake the exam.

6. Once the exam is passed, fellows must provide their Program Director with a copy of their certificate of completion before obtaining their fellowship certificate.

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The Janet and Ray Scherr Fellowship Loan Repayment Endowment Program
Mattel Children’s Hospital UCLA

The program will provide loans for fellows from the Janet and Ray Scherr fellowship fund. The candidate must exhibit documented loans and will be selected based on merit from a selection committee.

Loan Amount & Repayment

• The loan amount will be a maximum of $10,000 per individual and interest free while not in repayment.

• The program will begin in January 2009 with up to a maximum of 5 loans awarded. The candidate must apply by November 1st, 2008. The next disbursement will be in July 2009 and annually thereafter.

• For every year after graduation that the trainee stays in academic pediatrics, one half of one year repayment will be forgiven if the individual remains in a full time academic pediatric position.

• For every year after graduation that the individual remains on the faculty at Mattel Children’s Hospital UCLA, a full year’s repayment will be forgiven. (If they remain on as faculty for 2 years, then 2 years would be forgiven, etc).

• If the trainee does not stay in academic medicine, the entire amount must be repaid within three years of the date the amount financed becomes due and payable. The due and payable date is one year after completion of the fellowship or immediately if the fellow withdraws from the program or does not pursue a career in academic Pediatrics.

• The loan amount that is forgiven is subject to federal and state taxes.  

Criteria

• Pediatric fellows with verifiable documentation for current loans (not deferrable) are eligible to apply.

• The applicants would need to apply annually for the loans.

• Fellows/Program Directors should submit the following for the application process to Dr. McCabe’s office by November 1, 2008:
• Copy of entire fellowship application file
• Cover letter to include candidate statement and potential for academic post-fellowship
• Letter from Program Director
• Recommendation Letters
• Documentation of loan burden, e.g., with bank documents, etc.

• All applicants in a year will be evaluated on a competitive basis depending on their potential for an academic career post-fellowship.