Individualized Residency Pathways
As part of their categorical pediatric training, residents at Cincinnati Children’s have multiple elective rotations designed to individualize their learning experience and support career development.
Rather than offering a fixed set of options, we provide tailored pathways to support any pediatric career path—whether your goal is subspecialty fellowship, general pediatrics, hospital medicine, or community-based care.
Detailed career path recommendations for all pediatric fellowships, as well as for general and community pediatrics. Each pathway includes detailed recommendations for electives and clinical experiences, suggested procedures to pursue, and opportunities to engage with relevant professional organizations—along with a host of additional resources to support career planning and development.
In addition to career-specific pathways, residents can also explore dedicated pathways focused on global health, advocacy, and primary care, allowing them to further individualize their training based on their passions and long-term goals.
Primary Care Pathway
The Pediatric Primary Care Pathway trains physicians in the principles, knowledge, and skills necessary for careers in primary care pediatrics, academic general pediatrics, or advocacy.
The Pathway Emphasizes:
- Health maintenance supervision, preventive medicine, and ill-child care in the context of pediatric primary care
- Comprehensive, coordinated care of chronically ill and multiply handicapped children
- Management of social issues such as poverty, ethnic diversity, and medically under-served populations
- Behavioral and developmental issues such as school-related problems and family interactions
- Additional outpatient experience at the resident’s continuity site
- Additional normal newborn experience
- Emphasis on behavioral and developmental pediatrics, community-based healthcare agencies and activities, child advocacy, and child abuse
During all three years of the program, residents in this pathway will be able to spend a significant amount of time in community and hospital-based healthcare sites and attend regularly held roundtables and noon conferences that focus on the delivery of primary care and primary care-related topics.
Research Pathway
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. Explore opportunities with us for pediatric research.
Outstanding Support Capabilities
Our investigators are experts in the areas of clinical, translational, and basic science research. Underlying basic science themes include developmental biology, the study of normal and altered growth, and differentiation of tissues.
The Research Foundation has put core support capabilities in place for both basic and clinical research that will allow young investigators to successfully engage in 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 (basic science, clinical, education), you will be paired with a faculty mentor and will be encouraged to develop an individualized curriculum. This will allow you to become an excellent clinician and maintain your research skills. A unique internal grant, the RISE Award, has been created to facilitate resident research and acquisition of funding.
ABP-Approved Pathways
In addition to the individualized residency Research Pathway, residents also have the opportunity to pursue an intensive research pathway through the American Board of Pediatrics: The Integrated Research Pathway and the Accelerated Research Pathway.
Global Health Pathway
The Global Health Pathway at Cincinnati Children’s offers a unique opportunity for residents to gain additional training in global child health. Participants in the Global Health (GH) Pathway will have residency schedules tailored to participate in various global health experiences. They will work alongside global health mentors to design and complete viable internationally-focused research projects, with the long-term goal of becoming leaders in the field of global child health.
Application Process
The GH Pathway application will be sent to all matched interns following Match Day. Applications will be reviewed by the GH Pathway Steering Committee and 5-8 residents will be selected prior to the start of intern year.
Components and Benefits of GH Pathway
- Monthly Global Health Pathway meetings with didactic and interactive educational sessions
- Financial support to allow for short-term global health travel electives in the second and third years
- Common rotation sites: Tanzania, Uganda, Malawi, Dominican Republic, Indian Health Services
- Global health-focused Advocacy rotation during intern year
- Quarterly GREAT (Global Research, Education, Advocacy and Training) meetings, which are evening social events hosted by global health faculty
- Completion of a Global Health scholarly project with mentorship from Pathway faculty
- Opportunity to apply for substantial research funding through the Global Research Opportunities Worldwide (GROW) award, designed to encourage global health research during residency
Contact Us
For more information about the Pathway, please feel free to email Dr. Russell Ware, Dr. Elizabeth Schlaudecker, or Dr. Rachel Bensman.
Learn more about Global Health at Cincinnati Children’s.
Advocacy Pathway
The Advocacy Pathway at Cincinnati Children’s equips pediatric residents with the essential knowledge, skills, and mindset to become effective advocates in any pediatric specialty. This specialized training fosters a unique ability to:
- Think globally and long-term
- Communicate clearly and persuasively
- Leverage professional influence
- Translate ideas into impactful action
- Use evidence to support advocacy efforts
- Collaborate with teams and communities to drive change
Program Highlights
Residents in the Advocacy Pathway will engage in three rotations over their training:
- Intern Year: Injury Prevention and Advocacy
- Second & Third Years: Community Advocacy Resident Education (CARE) and Advanced Advocacy Electives
- Ongoing Learning: Attend journal clubs, roundtable discussions, and other enrichment sessions throughout residency
Core Skills Developed
- Community Engagement: Partner with local organizations to build stakeholder collaboration skills
- Advanced Communication: Learn op-ed writing, media engagement, and scholarly documentation of advocacy work
- Legislative Advocacy: Collaborate with government relations to organize visits with city, state, and federal legislators
- Advocacy Portfolio: Create a comprehensive record of advocacy skills and completed projects
- Scholarly Advocacy Product: Submit an op-ed, abstract, or publication highlighting your advocacy efforts
Application Process
Applications are open to all Categorical and Med-Peds interns following Match Day. The Advocacy Pathway Steering Committee will review submissions, and 5–8 residents will be selected before the start of intern year.
For questions or more information, please contact Dr. Anita Shah at anita.shah@cchmc.org.
