Fellowship Curriculum
Structured for individual goals and growth
First-year fellows participate in the Simulation-Based Clinical Orientation for Pediatric Providers (SCOPE) Boot Camp in collaboration with Baylor College of Medicine/Texas Children’s Hospital, alongside pediatric emergency medicine, pediatric hospital medicine, pulmonology, and fellow pediatric critical care trainees, providing a strong foundation in critical care procedures, teamwork, and simulation-based learning. Fellows are also encouraged to participate in institutional educational programs and symposia-focused on topics such as trauma care, ECMO, and other advanced critical-care therapies.
A core principle of our fellowship is graduated autonomy. As fellows advance through training, they assume increasing responsibility for patient care, team leadership, and clinical decision-making. Second- and third-year fellows lead multidisciplinary rounds and supervise trainees, while senior fellows complete “acting attending” experiences that prepare them for independent practice after graduation.
In addition, there are numerous elective opportunities available in the various divisions at Children’s Memorial Hermann and Memorial Hermann–TMC. Educational experience is structured around a comprehensive didactic core curriculum and simulation-based curriculum. Research mentorship in clinical, translational, and basic science areas relevant to critical care is available. There are also opportunities to obtain graduate certifications and Master’s-level degrees in clinical research, public health, biomedical informatics and healthcare administration at the various affiliate schools at UTHealth Houston.
Research and scholarship are integrated throughout fellowship training. Dedicated research blocks begin during the first year and increase in frequency over time, providing protected time free of overnight clinical responsibilities. Fellows are expected to complete a scholarly project, present their work at a regional or national meeting, and submit a manuscript for publication by the end of fellowship. Each fellow is supported by a Scholarly Oversight Committee that provides mentorship, monitors progress through semiannual reviews, and assists in achieving individual academic and career goals. In addition to traditional research projects, fellows are encouraged to pursue quality improvement initiatives, case reports, educational scholarship, and other academic interests.
Through a combination of diverse clinical experiences, individualized mentorship, progressive autonomy, and dedicated scholarly development, our fellowship prepares graduates to become outstanding pediatric intensivists, educators, researchers, and leaders in the field of pediatric critical care medicine.
