UCSF Fellowship Training Program in Neonatal - Perinatal Medicine
The Fellowship Program in Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) offers supervised training for two to three first year fellows in clinical Neonatology and in research for a period of 3 or 4 years. Fellows are appointed jointly to the Department of Pediatrics and the Cardiovascular Research Institute. The Fellowship program is
intended for individuals planning a career in academic medicine, and it is designed to satisfy the requirements for the Sub-Board of Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine of the American Board of Pediatrics.
For more than 25 years, the Fellowship Program has been supported by a Training Grant in Perinatal Biology from the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development. A unique aspect of the Program, which demonstrates the close relationship between Neonatology and Obstetrics at UCSF, is that the Training Grant is a joint program involving Neonatology and Maternal-Fetal Medicine.
Strong History of Innovation
In 1964, the Cardiovascular Research Institute (CVRI) at UCSF tasked Drs. John Clements and William H. Tooley to found the
UCSF Intensive Care Nursery. Since that
time, research at the UCSF Intensive Care Nursery has led to ground breaking
advances in Neonatology:
- More effective methods of neonatal resuscitation
- The first
reported use of continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP)
- And the discovery of surfactant as a clinical therapy by Dr. Clements (Lasker Prize)
Based on its strong tradition of translational research, UCSF continues to look for new avenues that will connect fundamental basic science and clinical research. The
Newborn Brain Research Institute (NBRI), founded in 2006, fosters interactions between neuroscientists, pathologists, neurologists and neonatologists to better understand the root causes of cerebral palsy and develop novel therapies. In addition to basic sciences, we have a strong training focus in clinical investigation and we encourage applicants interested in epidemiology, bioinformatics and global health.
For more information on our Fellowship Program, please review our pages on research training,
clinical training and our application process. Finally, the UCSF Department of Pediatrics and the Neonatal-Perinatal Fellowship Training Program value diversity and are committed to training physicians from all backgrounds and cultures. For more information on the check out the Pediatric Diversity Committee at UCSF.
Message from the Program Directors
Dear Prospective Applicant to UCSF Training Program in Neonatology,
Thank you for your interest in the Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine Fellowship Training Program at UCSF. The Program was founded in 1965 and in that time has successfully mentored over 100 fellows. More than 70% of our fellow alumni currently hold full time faculty positions in academic institutions. These include over 30 Division Chiefs, 10 Chairs of Pediatric Departments and 7 who have been awarded endowed professorships.
From the original discovery of surfactant, the development of NCPAP and the first fetal surgical interventions, to the opening of the Newborn Brain Research Institute (NBRI), there has been a strong tradition of translational and clinical research at UCSF and the Division of Neonatology. As a major regional tertiary intensive care nursery with the associated UCSF Fetal Treatment Center and the Neurointensive Care Nursery (NICN), our fellows receive excellent clinical training in state of the art neonatal intensive care (e.g., HFOV, iNO, ECMO, therapeutic hypothermia).
The Division of Neonatology has maintained an NIH supported training grant (T32) in Perinatal Biology for much of the past 30 years. In addition, a number of our fellows have been accepted into the Pediatric Scientist Development Program (PSDP). Many go on to receive junior faculty-transition awards such a K-series awards from the NIH. We actively support and encourage strongly motivated research individuals and make our best effort to ensure their successful transition to full independence as junior investigators.
Our ambition is to develop the next generation of leaders in Neonatology by preparing them in every possible way for successful careers in academic medicine. Our program is designed to meet all the requirements of the American Board of Pediatrics. But to ensure that our fellows have a productive research training experience, we also strive to balance clinical obligations and schedules with the research objectives of each fellow. We find that an emphasis on superb mentorship and original scholarship together with adequate protected time are the most important ingredients for a successful research experience during fellowship.
Please feel free to contact us if you have any further questions. We hope to meet
all those motivated by the challenges and rewards of neonatology.
Sincerely,
Thomas Shimotake, MD
Assistant Professor of Pediatrics
Fellowship Training Director in Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine
David H. Rowitch, MD, PhD
Professor, Pediatrics Neurosurgery
Chief of Neonatology
HHMI Investigator