Leadership Tracks
Maximize your residency experience
Leadership tracks are an optional curriculum component that allow residents to add more specialization to their training. Each track aims to provide a structured, individualized learning experience to pediatric residents that focuses on building skills in leadership and scholarship.
All leadership tracks program are 24-month longitudinal experiences with specialized leadership-oriented curriculum as well as customized curriculum within each track designed to meet the
unique goals of each resident. Track participants get their own mentor for direct guidance as they select, create, and complete their required scholarly project. Participants then have the opportunity to disseminate their research in venues such as Grand Rounds, Resident Research Symposium, local or national conferences, and more. There is also support for participants to attend regional or national meetings that pertain to their track focus. Additionally, being part of a leadership track facilitates collaboration of residents and faculty both within and across each track.
Applications for these tracks generally open each spring, which gives interns time to decide if a leadership track is right for them. Leadership track participants also attend meetings scheduled during the weekly academic half-days.
While involvement in a leadership track is not required to conduct research or identify a faculty mentor, participation is a gateway for residents to develop their own skills and interests as well better develop collegial relationships with other residents and faculty.
There are currently leadership tracks in the following areas:
Accepts 2 to 4 residents each year
Curriculum
- Monthly individualized curriculum sent to each resident based on their block schedule to encourage additional global health learning
- Regular didactic sessions as part of the Global Health elective curriculum
- Required international global health elective during the final year of residency
Scholarly Project
Design and initiate a scholarly global health project about topic of resident’s choice
Global Health Track Directors
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- Kristi Tebo, MD
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- Guenet Degaffe, MD
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- William Reubyn Chong, MD
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- Anish Patnaik, MD
Learn more about the Pediatric Global Health program.
Accepts 2 residents each year
Curriculum
- Required attendance to at least one regional or national advocacy conference (Texas Pediatric Society Advocacy Day and American Academy of Pediatrics National Advocacy Conference)
- Encouraged to attend Department of Pediatric Advocacy Committee’s monthly meetings as well as monthly virtual meetings of statewide advocacy coalition TEACHTX
Scholarly Project
Design and initiate scholarly advocacy project about topic of resident’s choice
Advocacy Track Directors
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- Sheela Gavvala, DO, FAAP
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- Prajakta Yeragi, MD, FAAP
Accepts 2 residents each year
Curriculum
- Direct mentorship focusing on career advice, rotation experiences to prepare for a successful career in primary care
- Primary care–focused rotations for electives: private practice, practice management, dermatology, sports medicine, and behavioral health
- Collaboration with community to bolster access to high-quality primary care
- Additional redesign coming soon to improve resident experiences with new ACGME changes
Scholarly Project
- Tailored to each resident’s area of interest
- Identify gaps in health care delivery in the community and design solutions
Primary Care Track Director
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- Emma Omoruyi, MD, MPH
Accepts 2 to 4 residents each year
Curriculum
- Physician Education Certificate Program: 8-month program through the Office of Education
- Complete CITI training (if not already done) for IRB submissions
- Required resident-as-teacher rotation to be completed during the final year of residency
- Biannual meetings with mentor to keep track of project progress
Scholarly Project
- Residents can work in pairs
- Projects involving cross-collaboration with residents on other leadership tracks encouraged
- Scholarly Project with goal to disseminate at a conference, Grand Rounds and/or publication
Medical Education Track Directors
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- Veronica Gonzalez, MD, FAAP
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- Ansam Hasan, MD
Accepts 2 residents each year
Curriculum
- Career advice with focus on fellowship application, hospitalist career
- Hospital elective rotation co-designed by mentor and mentee to maximize learning experience
- Encouraged participation in case analysis of patient-safety events, attending Quality and Safety meeting weekly (when able), participating in morbidity and mortality conferences
- Attend national Pediatric Hospital Medicine Conference at least once prior to the end of residency training
Scholarly Project
- Lead a hospital-based project with faculty guidance (QI, clinical research, med ed, clinical pathways, etc.)
- Mentor/mentee pairing
- Cross-collaboration with other leadership tracks highly encouraged
- Collaboration with PHM fellows with existing projects
Pediatric Hospital Medicine Track Directors
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- Shivani Briggs, MD
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- Maha Kaissi, MD, MHPE, FAAP
Leadership Track Co-Chairs
Sheela Gavvala, DO, FAAP
Monaliza Evangelista, MD