Pulmonology Fellowship

The Pediatric Pulmonary Fellowship at Children’s National Hospital is a three-year program that trains individuals to become board-certified pediatric pulmonologists with emphasis on clinical expertise and research experience. The fellowship is accredited by the American Council on Graduate Medical Education and meets all the requirements of the sub-board of Pediatric Pulmonology of the American Board of Pediatrics. Overall goals of Children's Pediatric Pulmonology Fellowship Training Program are:

• To develop competence in the pathophysiology, diagnosis and treatment of respiratory disorders in infants, children and adolescents.
• To develop expertise in the selection, performance and evaluation of procedures necessary for morphologic and physiologic assessment of pulmonary diseases.
• To develop expertise and counseling skills in the psychosocial aspects of chronic pulmonary disease.
• To offer instruction through faculty interaction, courses, workshops, seminars and laboratory experience to provide an appropriate background in the basic and fundamental disciplines related to the lung.
• To develop research capabilities through participation in all stages of a research project.
• To develop teaching skills by conducting lectures, seminars and clinical conferences, and by preparing written reports and teaching material.

The clinical program is located at Children’s National, a 283-bed tertiary care center. It is a free-standing Children’s Hospital with referrals from 4 states. We are located in the Nation’s capital, a multicultural city with a diverse patient population.

Our division includes eight board certified pediatric pulmonologists, a board certified sleep physician, and a board certified sleep psychologist, who participate in clinical activities, teaching and research. In addition we are privileged to work with a basic science researcher, two adult pulmonologists, and three nurse practitioners, one of whom works with the adult team. There are six fellows (two in each year of training).

Fellows receive approximately 16 months of combined inpatient/outpatient clinical training during the three-year program. The first year emphasizes clinical training with approximately five months of inpatient duties, and an introduction to research. The second and third years have four and three months of inpatient training respectively. The outpatient experience includes participating in subspecialty clinics, and a weekly continuity clinic. Over 160 patients with cystic fibrosis are actively followed by a multidisciplinary team in our Cystic Fibrosis Center. In addition, we care for a large number of children with asthma, bronchopulmonary dysplasia, apnea, and a variety of other respiratory conditions. There is a fully equipped clinical pulmonary function lab with body plethysmography, spirometry, and exercise testing. The Sleep Center performs 25-30 polysomnographic studies each week. Fellows also receive instruction and practice in performing flexible bronchoscopies.

Fellows participate in a respiratory physiology review each year. We have weekly Fellows Conference that includes Journal Club, monthly clinical case conferences and Board Review sessions. The faculty and fellows are involved in clinical and basic science research in sleep disorders, asthma, cystic fibrosis and viral respiratory infections, which is being carried out within our “state-of-the-art” Children’s National Research Institute as well as in collaborating institutions such as the National Institute of Health.