Pediatric Joint Fellowship Curriculum | Medical College of Wisconsin

The Joint Fellowship Curriculum (JFC) at the Medical College of Wisconsin is a series of longitudinal educational experiences designed to cover topics required for all pediatric fellows. While specialty-specific education is covered within each section, the JFC endeavors to cover the remainder of topics that are common to all fellowship trainees. Fellows not only gain insight on these topics from campus-wide experts, but also do so in a collaborative learning environment with their same level fellow peers from across the pediatric enterprise.

Meet Our Team

Viday Heffner, MD, MHPE

Associate Professor, Pediatric Emergency Medicine
Fellowship Director, Pediatric Emergency Medicine
Co-Director, Fellowship Education
Children's Wisconsin Physician Profile
MCW Faculty Collaboration Database Profile

Richard Tower, MD

richardtower

Professor, Pediatric Hematology/Oncology/BMT
Fellowship Director, Pediatric Hematology/Oncology/BMT
Co-Director, Fellow Education
Children's Wisconsin Physician Profile
MCW Faculty Collaboration Database Profile

Ramani Ramchandran, PhD

Ramchandran Headshot

Investigator, Children's Research Institute

Professor, Department of Pediatrics

Professor, Developmental Vascular Biology program and Zebrafish Drug Screening Core, The Medical College of Wisconsin

Patrick J. and Margaret G. McMahon Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology

Vice Chair for Research Obstetrics and Gynecology

Children's Wisconsin Physican Profile
MCW Faculty Collaboration Database Profile

Stephanie Hetland, MA

Dhein Stephanie 2019

Education Program Coordinator for Hematology Oncology Fellowship, Internal Medicine-Pediatrics Residency Program and Joint Fellowship Curriculum
sdhein@mcw.edu

Michelle O'Donnell

ODonnell Michelle 5x7c 3

Education Program Associate for Pediatrics Clerkship, Grand Rounds, Joint Fellowship Curriculum and Simulation
modonnell@mcw.edu

Our Curriculum

The curriculum is organized in to two components, the classroom and electives. The classroom sessions are offered for a full day each fall and each spring for every year of fellowship. Each day is organized into pertinent topics for level of training including scholarship components. Much of the fellow’s time in JFC is spent in discussions, small groups, panels, and workshops. The electives are online modules that can be completed at a time convenient for each fellow and can be selected to be most pertinent to his/her training.

Year One

Curriculum and Module Descriptions

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Finding a Mentor/Mentoring Relationships

Discusses how to identify and find a mentor early on in your fellowship. Provides qualities of a good mentor/mentee relationship and the expectations of what should be provided.

Exposure to Types of Research (Basic, Clinical, QI, Education), Small Presentations and small group discussions 

Brief overviews of different areas of research including basic, clinical, QI, and education followed by a breakout session in a topic of the fellow’s choosing to learn more.

Navigating the IRB

Basics of the IRB at CW and how to compose and submit proposals.

Searching the Literature

Overview from our MCW librarian on how to navigate the library website, search databases, and projects that the library can help with.

QI/Systems Errors

Provides an introduction to the concepts of quality improvement and the importance of systems errors and how they impact patient care.  Also discusses how scholarship in this area can be used to improve patient care.

Professional Communication

Discusses the concepts, methods, and common pitfalls of communication in professional setting, including difficult conversations with colleagues and patients, speaking with your superiors/trainees, and communicating effectively.

Giving and Receiving Feedback

Review the best practices for giving and receiving feedback. Learners then practice these techniques in dyads.

Abstract Dissection

Provides an example of how to put together and dissect an abstract section by section.  Participants will review abstracts submitted to common pediatric journals and determine if revisions are necessary.

Poster 101

Overview of how to put together a poster for a scholarly conference including the pertinent sections and information that should be included.

Cultural Competency

A panel of community interpreters (including but not limited to: Spanish, Arabic, Hmong) and faculty present common cultural misconceptions, practices, and stereotypes.  The panel also takes questions from the trainees about the different cultures and practices.

Bioethics

Learn the ethics of medical and biological research.

Community Outreach

An overview of community outreach and initiatives at MCW.

Year Two

Curriculum and Module Descriptions

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How to Network and Present at a National Meeting

Tips on how to present your scholarly work at a national meeting as well as tips and tricks on how to approach a person of interest to create a meaningful network.

Abstract Workshop

Hands on workshop to receive feedback on fellow’s abstract that also includes guidelines and structure. Fellows bring a work in progress abstract and are broken into small work groups for feedback.

Career Development and MCW Networking

Discuss progression of career development during and after fellowship and how to interact and network with faculty and learners at MCW and beyond.

Billing for Pediatric Fellows

Overview of basic medical billing: general billing, clinic visits, and documentation needed for specific billing levels.

PR Training: Do's and Don'ts

Learn from a member of the communications team in the Dept. of Peds on the in’s and out’s of public relations.

CV Development

Process of how to build your CV, what items to include and how to frame them, overview of MCW CV template guide.

Poster Workshop

Workshop to structure fellow’s poster for annual research day and meetings. Small break out groups with a faculty lead who reviews your methods, background, data, and graphics to help fine tune your poster.

Medico-Legal Documentation and Testimony

Discuss the importance of thorough medical documentation through the lens of its medicolegal impact.  Talks about providing legal testimony regarding patient care and medical issues.

Interviewing and Negotiating

Perspectives from one of our chairs and department administrator on interviewing for a job post-fellowship and how to negotiate a contract.

Mock Interviews

Fellows will partake in two 30-minute interviews with a faculty member from a different section. They will practice interviewing for the first portion and receive feedback on the second portion including feedback on their CV.

Year Three

Curriculum and Module Descriptions

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Manuscript Writing and Editing Workshop

Workshop to review and edit fellows manuscripts. This includes an overview of guidelines and structure followed by breakout groups led by a faculty lead who will work with you to fine tune your manuscript.

Curriculum Development

Overview of the 6 steps of curriculum development as described by Kern.  Development of a mock curriculum working through the 6 steps in small groups.

Teaching/Working with Adult Learners

Adapting teaching sessions to match the needs and learning styles of the learners; Select an effective method from a variety of teaching strategies; Provide meaningful feedback directed at a specific learning issue (knowledge, skill, attitude).

Feedback 201

Review more in depth practices for giving and receiving feedback. Learners then practice these techniques in dyads.

Writing a Personal Statement for Boards

A workshop on writing a personnel statement and all paperwork requirements for the ABP (graduation requirement). Step by step instruction on each section that allows you to write and workshop in real time.

Being a Mentor and Being a Junior Faculty Mentee

Learn how to transition from being a learner to being a mentor and a junior faculty after fellowship.

Leadership and Administrative Skills

Discussion of the many ways to succeed in non-clinical medicine.  Discusses administrative roles, the pathways of leadership within a medical institution, and opportunities for success and promotion.

Promoting Wellness and Resilience

Discuss ways to implement wellness into your daily routine, working through workplace conflict and stressors, debriefing sessions on challenges throughout training and coping mechanisms.

Strategies for Success (Successful Habits)

A panel discussion with junior faculty to discuss transitioning to a faculty position, work-life balance, what it’s like to be an early career academic physician, end of fellowship, and balancing a family through it all.

Resources

Biorender.com
CTSI Manuscript Workshop
Link to JFC Recorded Electives
Scholarly Publishing Webinar Series: MedEdPORTAL/Academic Medicine Announce Scholarly Publishing Webinar Series
MedEdPORTAL and Academic Medicine have announced a new monthly webinar series that will cover the importance of publishing your education scholarship and practical suggestions for how to do so successfully, including how to improve your writing and navigate the peer-review and publication processes. Sessions will include interactive exercises to practice what you have learned and time for Q&A with the editorial teams of Academic Medicine and/or MedEdPORTAL. The topics and recommendations presented will also apply to other types of medical education scholarship and to submissions to other journals and publications. Additional sessions be added to this series throughout the year. Register here!

Joint Fellowship Diversity and Inclusion Committee

The MCWAH Pediatric Fellowship DEI committee was recently founded with the goal of having more active involvement in our larger institutions’ equity efforts. We are committed to the recruitment and retention of underrepresented, systemically excluded medical providers who are invested in equitable care for the diverse populations of Milwaukee. For this recruitment season, we are offering several opportunities for virtual mixers. With a variety of faculty and fellows from across the fellowship programs, we look forward to sharing with you our efforts related to promoting health equity and answering questions about Milwaukee.

See our DEI flyer (PDF)