Research and Accomplishments

Leadership in Advocacy, the Underserved, and Community Health (LAUnCH) Track Resident Research

LAUnCH track residents are required to participate in the REACH Program to evaluate a community health, policy or advocacy intervention. Track directors assist residents in developing their proposals and connecting to mentors.

Residents will have a half-day per week through the REACH Program during their second and third years to work on their project. Further time in the third year is devoted to work on completing the project during the research rotation.

By the end of their training, residents will be expected to:

Develop and implement a research project focused on community health, advocacy or health equity
Submit an abstract to present work at a regional or national meeting
Plan for scholarly dissemination of their work

Project Examples

Creation of a program to reduce the rate of teen pregnancy and decrease the transmission of sexually transmitted infections among adolescents in Ward 8, Washington, DC
The “Use of Community Benefit as Catalyst for Improving Health Outcomes” project looks at Children’s obligation to provide a community benefit can be used to improve health outcomes in the community.
Early Head Start Project that places residents in an Early Head Start classroom and then teaches them skills to provide a health information session for parents of those children.
FitFamily: A Nutrition and Wellness program for the Prevention of Childhood Obesity evaluation looking at how to improve program compliance among the African American community and how obesity programs may be expanded to additional neighborhoods in DC.
Community Acceptance and Patient use of a mobile phone messaging program to Improve Hospitalization follow-up in Quito, Ecuador.

Residents are also encouraged to:

Apply for a CATCH (Community Access to Child Health) grant through the American Academy of Pediatrics or other similar grant
Join committees and attend events hosted by the DC Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics
Attend educational opportunities about advocacy or other areas of interest (such as American Academy of Pediatrics Advocacy Conference, Children’s National Resident Day on the Hill)
Pursue elective experiences related to advocacy and community health (such as American Academy of Pediatrics Federal Affairs Internship, Indian Health Services elective, global health elective)

Leadership in Advocacy, the Underserved, and Community Health (LAUnCH) Track Resident Accomplishments

Grant Funding Received:

Children’s National Child Health Center Board Grant
Global Health Research Grant, University of Michigan Center for Global Health
Children’s National Child Health Center Board Resident International Travel Grant
AAP Community Pediatrics Training Initiative Residency Training Grant
AAP Resident CATCH Grant
Coleman Fund for Resident International Travel Grant
HRSA Primary Care Expansion Grant

Projects Presented at:

Region IV Academic Pediatric Association Conference
Pediatric Academic Societies Annual Meeting
American Academic of Pediatrics National Conference & Exhibition
Society for Adolescent Health and Medicine Annual Meeting
National Association for Children’s Hospitals and Related Institutions Annual Conference
Annual Global Health Education Consortium Conference
American Federation for Medical Research Eastern Regional Meeting
Society of Academic Emergency Medicine Annual Meeting
NMA Pediatric Section Scientific Assembly
American Federation for Medical Research Eastern Regional Meeting

Awards Received:

First Prize in the Education, Training and Program Development Category, 10th Annual Children’s National Health System Research Day
ACGME David C. Leach Award
Emerging Physician Leader Award, Health Care Without Harm
New Century Scholars, Academic Pediatric Association

Articles Accepted for Publication in:

Academic Pediatrics
Journal of Health Care for the Poor and Underserved
Journal of Loss and Trauma
Current Opinions in Pediatrics
Pediatric Research
International Journal of Gynecology and Obstetrics
Journal of Hand Surgery
Journal of Pediatric Gastroenterology and Nutrition
Pediatric Emergency Care
MedEd PORTAL

Education Focused on the Future

At Children's National Hospital, our internships, residency programs, fellowships, graduate medical education and continuing medical education offer trainees and providers ample opportunities to develop skills that will enable them to provide the best possible care to children. With more than 50 faculty members with a master’s degree in medical education, our faculty not only teaches, but also conducts research to develop the most innovative and effective teaching strategies.

In fact, our educators are consistently recognized for their excellence. Children's National has received national GME Accreditation from the Accredited Council for Graduate Medical Education, reflecting our commitment to providing world-class training experience for pediatric residents. We teach clinicians how to improve child health through clinical care, education, advocacy and research.