Pediatric Pulmonology Fellowship
Mission & Vision
Our mission is to train a diverse group of physicians to become board-certified pediatric pulmonologists who will provide extraordinary medical care for children with rare and common pulmonary diseases, and who will integrate the highest quality of education and research toward advancing the field of pediatric pulmonology.
Mission & Vision
Our mission is to train a diverse group of physicians to become board-certified pediatric pulmonologists who will provide extraordinary medical care for children with rare and common pulmonary diseases, and who will integrate the highest quality of education and research toward advancing the field of pediatric pulmonology.
Program Director’s Welcome
Program Director’s Welcome
We appreciate your interest in our Pediatric Pulmonology Fellowship, which straddles Jackson Memorial Hospital, one of the largest medical centers in the nation, and the University of Miami Leonard M. Miller School of Medicine, the first medical school in South Florida. Our training program in this subspecialty goes back more than 30 years, starting with services to patients with cystic fibrosis, and formalized into one of the only two fellowship training programs in this field in the state of Florida.
We aim at educating accomplished and well-rounded pediatric pulmonologists, whose training spans clinical excellence, technical skills and academic performance as educators and researchers, which ultimately offers the flexibility of a career choice that can balance all of these realms.
Here is how we achieve these goals:
Broad Clinical Experience:
The Pediatric Pulmonology Fellowship provides trainees with a uniquely broad clinical experience in both in- and outpatient realms, combined with technical skills in bronchoscopy and pulmonary function testing and interpretation thereof, which prepares them to independently and effectively manage the most complex patients spanning all age groups. Particular emphasis is placed on management of cystic fibrosis, a complex and demanding part of the field. Fellows have access to a pediatric sleep lab and receive training in common sleep diagnosis relevant to their pulmonary training.
Location:
Our program is located in a uniquely diverse part of the nation, and includes the local population in Miami, as well as international referrals. The program’s goals are aligned with the stated mission of the University of Miami to transform lives through education, research, innovation and service, while providing expert care to our neighboring communities, both locally and internationally. Fellows are educated to function in a multicultural and multilingual milieu; fostering an environment in which trainees progressively achieve clinical independence that allows them to practice pediatric pulmonology in any environment, and in both private or public academic settings.
Additionally, the city of Miami is a truly unique city in which to live and work. Besides its natural beauty and desirable year-round climate, which makes it a premier tourist destination, its cosmopolitan and unique mix of cultures will constantly challenge you and expand your horizons.
Progressive Training:
Training is based on progressive delegation of responsibility in the clinical area and invasive procedures. While the aim is to educate to independence and self-sufficiency, tight supervision of trainees by dedicated faculty continues throughout the years of training. Fellows taking on the role of teachers parallels this clinical stepwise progress; they teach their peers in the division, including trainees of all levels – from students and residents to observers that the division is accepting for advanced training.
A key part of the training is the ongoing and seamless integration of multiple support services in the daily clinical work that the fellows have to navigate and incorporate, including nursing, nutrition, psychology, respiratory therapy and social work. This is particularly vital in the management of complex cystic fibrosis patients.
Research & Scholarly Activity:
Our division has national and international visibility. With the aim of educating the next generation of academic physicians, fellows are encouraged to foster their intellectual curiosity and have ample opportunity to engage in research and scholarly activity through the division or by utilizing mentorship form the vast scientific resources of this prestigious university. Particular emphasis is placed in developing skills in analytical thinking by sharing reviews of articles and in parallel developing medical writing skills with the aim of publication. All fellows end up with a written scholarly document. All are encouraged to take on a project in the basic research lab, with a publication resulting from such enterprise. All fellows participate annually in one or more national or international conferences, where they are encouraged to present their own work.
-Ignacio Tapia, MD.
Description
We aim at educating accomplished and well-rounded pediatric pulmonologists, whose training spans clinical excellence, technical skills and academic performance as educators and researchers, which ultimately offers the flexibility of a career choice that can balance all of these realms.
Here is how we achieve these goals:
Broad Clinical Experience:
The Pediatric Pulmonology Fellowship provides trainees with a uniquely broad clinical experience in both in- and outpatient realms, combined with technical skills in bronchoscopy and pulmonary function testing and interpretation thereof, which prepares them to independently and effectively manage the most complex patients spanning all age groups. Particular emphasis is placed on management of cystic fibrosis, a complex and demanding part of the field. Fellows have access to a pediatric sleep lab and receive training in common sleep diagnosis relevant to their pulmonary training.
Location:
Our program is located in a uniquely diverse part of the nation, and includes the local population in Miami, as well as international referrals. The program’s goals are aligned with the stated mission of the University of Miami to transform lives through education, research, innovation and service, while providing expert care to our neighboring communities, both locally and internationally. Fellows are educated to function in a multicultural and multilingual milieu; fostering an environment in which trainees progressively achieve clinical independence that allows them to practice pediatric pulmonology in any environment, and in both private or public academic settings.
Additionally, the city of Miami is a truly unique city in which to live and work. Besides its natural beauty and desirable year-round climate, which makes it a premier tourist destination, its cosmopolitan and unique mix of cultures will constantly challenge you and expand your horizons.
Progressive Training:
Training is based on progressive delegation of responsibility in the clinical area and invasive procedures. While the aim is to educate to independence and self-sufficiency, tight supervision of trainees by dedicated faculty continues throughout the years of training. Fellows taking on the role of teachers parallels this clinical stepwise progress; they teach their peers in the division, including trainees of all levels – from students and residents to observers that the division is accepting for advanced training.
A key part of the training is the ongoing and seamless integration of multiple support services in the daily clinical work that the fellows have to navigate and incorporate, including nursing, nutrition, psychology, respiratory therapy and social work. This is particularly vital in the management of complex cystic fibrosis patients.
Research & Scholarly Activity:
Our division has national and international visibility. With the aim of educating the next generation of academic physicians, fellows are encouraged to foster their intellectual curiosity and have ample opportunity to engage in research and scholarly activity through the division or by utilizing mentorship form the vast scientific resources of this prestigious university. Particular emphasis is placed in developing skills in analytical thinking by sharing reviews of articles and in parallel developing medical writing skills with the aim of publication. All fellows end up with a written scholarly document. All are encouraged to take on a project in the basic research lab, with a publication resulting from such enterprise. All fellows participate annually in one or more national or international conferences, where they are encouraged to present their own work.
-Ignacio Tapia, MD.
Fast Facts
Accreditation
Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education
Number of Fellows per Year?
1
Duration of Fellowship?
3 years
Clinical Experience
Overview
This program is part of the University of Miami/Jackson Health System. The inpatient service provides consultative services to the following facilities: Jackson Memorial Hospital; Jackson North Medical Center (including the Inpatient Rehabilitation Unit); Bascom Palmer Eye Institute and the Ryder Trauma Center. During the inpatient service you will be in charge of performing both inpatient and outpatient bronchoscopies. Fellows have one month of vacation during each year of training.
Year 1
Six months of the year are dedicated to the inpatient service at Jackson North Medical Center in which you will be responsible for inpatient consultations on a wide range of pulmonary diseases. In addition you will be expected to choose a mentor and a project in a clinical, basic or translational area of research. The remainder of the year, your responsibilities will be in the outpatient setting participating in our ambulatory clinics and divisional seminars, including fellow case conferences and journal clubs. During this first year you will be able to assist in a weeklong bronchoscopy course.
Year 2
Six months of the year will be allotted to your inpatient duties as described in the first year and the remainder of the year will focus on your research with a reduced load of outpatient clinic. In addition, you are expected to lead multidisciplinary journal clubs, aid in the development of clinical care guidelines and take an active role in the education of the pediatric house staff and board review sessions. Elective rotations can begin during the second year. Common elective rotations include allergy and immunology; ear, nose and throat; pediatric intensive care unit; sleep center and many other areas of interest.
Year 3
As our senior fellow, you are responsible to schedule our divisional meetings and assist the director with the administration of the fellowship program, helping with on-call schedules and the organization and scheduling of divisional conferences. In addition to the presentations as described in the second year, your research project is expected to be completed prior to your graduation from the program.
When not on inpatient service, time is spent in continuity and cystic fibrosis clinics, elective rotations, preparing educational presentations or engaging in quality improvement projects and scholarship/research activity. Elective rotations are also available during the third year. By the end of training, fellows achieve competency to perform bronchoscopies independently.
Your Faculty
Ignacio Tapia, MD
Professor of Pediatric Pulmonology
Chief, Division of Pulmonology, Director of Fellowship Training Program
Monica R. Sotolongo Cardenas, MD
Assistant Professor of Pediatric Pulmonary
Alumni Placements Include:
Cincinnati Children’s Hospital
Hadassah Medical Center
Joe DiMaggio Children’s Hospital
Mayo Clinic
University of Miami Leonard M. Miller School of Medicine
University of Texas Southwestern
University of North Carolina
Alumni Placements Include:
Cincinnati Children’s Hospital
Hadassah Medical Center
Joe DiMaggio Children’s Hospital
Mayo Clinic
University of Miami Leonard M. Miller School of Medicine
University of Texas Southwestern
University of North Carolina
Notable Alumni
Tarig Ali-Dinar, MD
2009
Director, Sleep Program, Nemours Children’s Hospital
Elisa Basora, MD
2016
Assistant Professor, Pediatric Pulmonology and Sleep Medicine, UT Southwestern Medical Center
Joel Reiter, MD
2013
Director, Sleep Program, Hadassah Medical Center
Monica R. Sotolongo Cardenas, MD
2019
Assistant Professor, Pediatric Pulmonology, University of Miami Leonard M. Miller School of Medicine
Shatha Yousef, MD
2011
Director, Cystic Fibrosis Program, Nemours Children’s Hospital
Tarig Ali-Dinar, MD
2009
Director, Sleep Program, Nemours Children’s Hospital
Elisa Basora, MD
2016
Assistant Professor, Pediatric Pulmonology and Sleep Medicine, UT Southwestern Medical Center
Joel Reiter, MD
2013
Director, Sleep Program, Hadassah Medical Center
Monica R. Sotolongo Cardenas, MD
2019
Assistant Professor, Pediatric Pulmonology, University of Miami Leonard M. Miller School of Medicine
Shatha Yousef, MD
2011
Director, Cystic Fibrosis Program, Nemours Children’s Hospital