Fellowship Research

Scholarly Activity

In meeting the requirements for board certification established by the American Board of Pediatrics, all trainees pursue scholarly activity during the program. This research occurs over 17 months spread out over three years of training. They have the option to perform research within the Division of Pediatric Critical Care, within the Department of Pediatrics, or take advantage of the many academic resources provided across the University. One of the most exciting opportunities for trainees is the identification of the research project. Some trainees have pursued advanced degrees during fellowship and carefully worked to craft a scholarly work product that meets degree requirements as well as board certification requirements.

Fellows identify a primary mentor and at least two other members of their Scholarship Oversight Committee. At least one of those members must be outside of the Division of Pediatric Critical Care. The trainee – mentor relationship supports the successful academic inquiry into a topic of interest to the field. Indeed, many of our trainees present their research at national conferences, such as the Society for Critical Care Medicine (SCCM) Annual Congress, Pediatric Academic Societies Annual Meeting, and PedsCCM Annual Colloquium.

Current and recent fellow research topics include:

• Karen Sethi, M.D., with Kate Ackerman, M.D., is seeking to determine whether infants with congenital diaphragmatic hernia have myocardial ischemia leading to cardiac dysfunction.
• Dan Rogers, M.D., M.H.A., with Judith Fonzi, Ph.D., is evaluating the education of physicians to be clinician-educators. Dr. Rogers is enrolled in the Master’s of Education for the Health Profession degree at the Warner Graduate School of Education and Human Development.
• Steve Tomek, M.D., with Jill Cholette, M.D., studied calcium replacement and thrombosis in infants undergoing cardiac surgery with cardiopulmonary bypass.
• Renata Ostrowicki, M.D., with Karen Powers, M.D., compared techniques for assessing cardiac output and preload in critically ill pediatric patients.
• James Horstmann, M.D., with Mary Caserta, M.D., in Pediatric Infectious Diseases and Elise van der Jagt, M.D., examined the impact of several quality control measures on the rate of central line infections in the Children’s Hospital.
• Elizabeth Scarlett, M.D., with Clement Ren, M.D. in the Pediatric Pulmonary, researched respiratory inductive plethysmography (RIP) as an outcome measure for a clinical trial of albuterol in viral bronchiolitis.

More Information on Research

• Pediatrics Research at University of Rochester Medical Center: Pediatric Research Areas
• Research at University of Rochester Medical Center, visit: URMC - Research
• Clinical and Translational Science Institute
  The Clinical and Translational Science Institute is one of 60 institutions nationwide with funding from the National Institutes of Health leading the emerging field of clinical and translational research. It assists researchers at the University of Rochester and across Upstate New York to produce innovative technology and methods that more efficiently and more quickly advance treatments to patients and communities.