Pediatric Residency Program

Research Track

Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center is strongly committed to the career development of our trainees. We've been very successful in helping young physicians become productive and independently contributing investigators. We invite you to explore these opportunities.

Integrating Research into the Pediatric Residency Program

Cincinnati Children's is an ideal place to discover academic pediatrics and to facilitate the transition from residency to fellowship and from fellowship to a faculty position. A variety of approaches -- including the "Research Track" and "Fast Track" -- are available if you are interested in academic pediatrics.

To Be the Leader

Our vision at Cincinnati Children's is to be the leader in improving child health. The Cincinnati Children's Research Foundation, created in 1931, is a key element in achieving our vision. It is an integral part of the medical center and houses each of our academic programs, administratively organized into what was created in 1931. Cincinnati Children's and the Research Foundation now rank among the top two children's hospitals and pediatric departments for National Institutes of Health (NIH) support of research and research training. Subspecialty training is supported by 11 federal institutional training grants. We train fellows in virtually all pediatric subspecialties.

Outstanding Support Capabilities

Our investigators currently are conducting research with both basic and clinical orientations. An underlying basic science theme is developmental biology, the study of normal and altered growth and differentiation of tissues.

The Research Foundation has put in place core support capabilities for both basic and clinical research that will allow young investigators to successfully engage projects, with or without extensive research experience. These core capabilities include:

Transgenic mouse facility
Protein analysis
Morphologic assessment
Bioinformatics
Genomics
Proteomics
State-of-the-art animal facility
Imaging research facility
Biostatistics section
Clinical effectiveness research capability
Epidemiologic expertise
An NIH-funded Clinical Research Center
An academic research organization that facilitates pharmacologic clinical trials and other studies involving human subjects

Research Opportunities

If you're interested in an academic career and research experience, you will be paired with a faculty mentor. You will be encouraged to develop an individualized curriculum that will allow you to become an excellent clinician and maintain your research skills.

Funding is available for research projects. Small start-up grants are awarded to residents with approved research projects. You also are encouraged to present your completed research projects at the annual Pratt Lectures and at regional and national scientiﬁc meetings. Each year, a former Cincinnati Children's trainee is invited to be the Pratt Lecture's keynote speaker, followed by current residents presenting abstracts of their clinical or laboratory research.

Preparing for an Academic Career

There are three pathways to an academic career. The traditional approach is a three-year residency in general pediatrics, followed by a three-year fellowship in a speciﬁc subspecialty. The latter two years have a strong research emphasis. Some individuals choose additional training in speciﬁc research areas for one to three years. Cincinnati Children's offers fellowships in nearly 30 pediatric subspecialties.

If you have signiﬁcant research experience and a deﬁnite commitment to an academic pediatric career, there are two options for you to choose from.

The Residency Research Track

This three-year program is designed to produce excellent clinicians.

It is targeted toward the MD / PhD candidate, as well as the physician with extensive research experience and a strong commitment to a career in academic pediatrics, and it will allow you the opportunity to participate in signiﬁcant research activity. The goal is to provide future academic pediatricians with a highly integrated, efﬁcient and ﬂexible training program to facilitate the development of an independent academic career.

The program allows for up to 11 months to be spent in speciﬁc research activities, which can be credited to fellowship programs, and 22 months in clinical activities. Continuity clinic continues weekly throughout the three years. During research months, a minimum of 80 percent of your time is spent in research activities. Numerous outstanding laboratories throughout the medical center are available to you.

Candidates will be chosen during the ﬁrst year of the residency program and must be approved by the program and the American Board of Pediatrics. You must continue to develop your clinical skills at an appropriate rate. A local committee will monitor your clinical and research progress. A research mentor will be chosen and be responsible for facilitating the research experience, which may be basic science, clinical or health policy oriented.

Special Alternative Pathway ("Fast Track")

The Special Alternative Pathway, established by the American Board of Pediatrics, is a ﬂexible training program that combines residency and fellowship training. Initially, you will complete two years of residency. After approval of the residency program and the American Board of Pediatrics, you will complete fellowship training in basic and clinical science during the third through ﬁfth years. Clinical subspecialty training, which is designed to meet subspecialty board requirements, occurs in the third year. Training in clinical research may be incorporated into the curriculum developed by you and your mentor.

Guaranteed research stipends are provided during training. Continued academic support through the Procter Scholar Program will be available post-fellowship to suitable candidates to ensure that trainees establish themselves as independent investigators during the early period of faculty development.

Personalized Training

These programs are ﬂexible and will be tailored to maximize your clinical experience at Cincinnati Children's and your research opportunities in the Research Foundation. Opportunities for research training and development will be matched with your individual needs, depending on previous experiences and established goals.

You will be chosen based on previous accomplishments, training, postgraduate degrees and research experience, as well as performance during clinical clerkships and basic science courses. If you are interested in these programs, discuss this option during the application process.

Current Research Emphases

Developmental biology of lung, heart, gastrointestinal tract, urogenital system and coagulation factors
Mechanisms of inﬂammation in viral and allergic airways disease
Immunologic basis for juvenile rheumatoid arthritis and its treatment
Vaccine development and evaluation
Bone mineralization
Epidemiology and nutritional dimensions of childhood obesity
Enzyme replacement for neurodegenerative diseases
Pathogenesis and therapy of sickle cell disease
Neuropsychotherapeutic drugs
Bile acid metabolism
Functional imaging of the brain
Disorders of eating
Pathogenesis of shock
Cystic ﬁbrosis
Preventive cardiology
Growth disorders
Biology of gene transfer
Histiocytoses and hemophagocytic syndromes
Analysis of effectiveness of child health care
Mouse and human genetics
Genetic and immunological analysis of allergic diseases, especially asthma and food allergy