Primary Care Track

Children’s National Hospital's Primary Care Track has trained > 200 pediatric residents since 1982. Our graduates choose a variety of careers after residency. Many practice primary care pediatrics in offices around the country, often in academic settings. Others have gone on to fellowships and pursue their primary care careers with a focus in an area such as allergy, adolescent and young adult medicine, health policy or advocacy work. Still others have ultimately chosen subspecialty careers.

The Primary Care Track provides residents with a unique opportunity to apprentice in our busy downtown pediatric faculty practice at Children’s National Pediatricians & Associates (CNPA) at Foggy Bottom. Our patients are nearly all insured; ~25% are insured through Medicaid. They come from across the metropolitan area and from a wide range of socioeconomic and cultural backgrounds. Our 15 faculty members have a wide range of interests and expertise, including medical education, adolescent medicine, mental health and health informatics.  Our faculty also staff a second office, CNPA Capitol Hill, which will undergo significant expansion in late 2025 to include medical education.

Our teaching focus helps each resident hone critical thinking skills, become confident and independent as a practicing pediatrician, understand the value of being part of a team serving patients and their families and to have fun along the way. Faculty and residents enjoy lively debate and discussion during our Wednesday morning academic half days and during clinic time. Being in a smaller setting for concentrated periods of time during your second and third year allows you to develop collegial relationships with faculty and peers.