Our program is proud of training the best pediatric residents from all racial, ethnic, socioeconomic, gender, and sexual orientation backgrounds. This enriches our learning environment and prepares our residents to meet the needs of a diverse patient population.

Our Patient Population

  • Cincinnati Children's is the only institution in the Greater-Cincinnati metropolitan region that cares for pediatric patients that require hospitalization.
  • Cincinnati Children's is BOTH a community hospital that cares for children with general pediatric diagnoses, and a quaternary care hospital that cares for children with complex medical problems who need subspecialty care.
  • We serve a very diverse patient population in regards to race, ethnicity, and socioeconomic status. Check out our Facts and Figures for more details.

With a commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusivity, our goals are the following:

  • To support and celebrate residents of diverse backgrounds
  • To promote diversity in our program to better mirror our patient population
  • To equip residents with tools and opportunities to provide equitable and culturally-effective care

Pediatric Residency Initiatives

  • Residency Diversity Council that facilitates educational, social, and mentorship activities, discussions about diversity-related topics, and serves as resident-voice at institution-wide conversations 
  • Formal curricula in the following areas:
    • Advocacy and Community Health: Two-week rotation that includes hands-on experience in an impoverished neighborhood to expose residents to local partners, its assets, and barriers. We also support an advanced advocacy curriculum for residents seeking to gain additional experience during elective time
    • Advocacy Interest Group: This group is open to all residents and has focused on community engagement, legislative advocacy, and local and national initiatives related to immigrant and refugee health, health equity, LGBTQIA, disabilities, voter registration, and vaccine hesitancy.
    • Geomedicine Curriculum at the Pediatric Primary Care (PPC) Center: Goals of the curriculum are for residents to identify and utilize neighborhood-specific resources to curtail the impact of poverty for patients and families
    • Structural Racism, Social Determinants of Health, Implicit Bias: Longitudinal curriculum that prompts residents to recognize the link between structural racism, social determinants of health and inequities in child health outcomes.
  • Advocacy Day trips to the Ohio Statehouse in Columbus to advocate at a local and state level for changes that impact child health and equal access to healthcare
  • “Second look” diversity dinners for residency program applicants
  • Robust Interpreter Services and an opportunity for providers proficient in a second language to become certified as an interpreter
  • Family Strong Dinners in which residents meet monthly with local families, interact with pregnant mothers, offer prenatal/ newborn counseling, and work towards building connections and relationships with residents of the community.
  • Advocacy-based research and community engagement opportunities

Quotes from our Residents

"Cincinnati feels like a second home with a strong sense of community among our residents. I’ve already made many life-long friends! Our leadership understands the importance of diversity in medicine and takes active steps during the recruitment process. And of course I’ve been able to find delicious Jamaican food. Cincinnati is absolutely a place to find a taste of home no matter where you’re from!" Danielle Evelyn, MD - Categorical Pediatrics Resident

"Growing up outside of Chicago, I wasn't so sure what kind of diversity I would be seeing in Cincinnati. I am also Latina and have a strong passion for working with Spanish speaking populations both locally and globally. During my interview, I was assured that my passion would be supported here. Since joining the program, I have had the opportunity to work in a public health department clinic in a predominantly Spanish speaking neighborhood for my continuity clinic. I have created relationships with the two largest Latino community organizations in the city and teach classes on various pediatric topics to mothers in the community. Our Language Access team is incredible and is always innovating to help us communicate better and provide the best care for our families. Through that department I was able to test to become Qualified Bilingual Staff to allow me to use my Spanish with patients instead of using an interpreter. I have found great relationships with my co-residents, several of whom have similar interests, so it has been fun to partner on projects! You can catch us at Salsa on the Square or getting takeout from the local arepa place on the regular. Cincinnati surprised me in many ways! I am just extraordinarily grateful to have trained in such a wonderful program and city." Kylie Mena, Categorical Pediatrics Resident

"I am originally from California and people ask me all the time why I chose to leave California and come to Cincinnati. For me, the choice was easy: the support, leadership, patient population, and this city drew you in and made me feel a sense of belonging. I was fortunate enough to be in Cincinnati for medical school and when I saw the way that Cincinnati Children’s cared for some of the most vulnerable populations with the compassion, love, and respect that these communities needed, I knew I wanted to stay. The fact that our organization can provide us with the opportunity to serve refugee, complex care, low SES, and other underserved communities the right way, all while providing a world class medical education focused on research and quality improvement for our patients, was the game changer for me. I am so happy that I was able to stay and continue to serve this amazingly diverse community. On top of that, the city of Cincinnati has a little bit of everything that you could want – delicious food (there’s a lot more than Cincinnati Chili, I promise), sporting events, coffee shops, music venues, musicals/plays, with libraries, parks, and museums as well. There is always something to do, and always someone from the program to do it with. I’ve met up with my mentors for a cup of coffee, mentored Cincinnati Medicine medical students over brunch, and bonded with my co-residents at many venues throughout the city and I can’t wait to explore some more." Stephanie Thomas, Medicine/Pediatrics Resident