Messages from Director & Chair

Welcome to the Pediatric Residency Training Program at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center! Our mission is to provide a supportive and educationally rich environment through which our residents can develop into outstanding pediatricians equipped with the skills to enter general pediatrics or fellowships in pediatric sub-specialties.

The first step in our program is development of a strong, broad foundation in pediatrics. All of our residents spend one half-day per week participating in the Resident Group Practice where they follow a cohort of patients longitudinally through all aspects of sick and well patient care. In addition, our residents spend part of their time in ambulatory-based sub-specialty specific rotations. This is in conjunction with a variety of inpatient experiences that allow residents to further develop their clinical skills. The faculty includes pediatric hospitalists, ambulatory pediatricians, and an impressive array of pediatric subspecialists and pediatric subspecialty surgeons.

We recognize the need to go beyond the basics and prepare physicians for careers as lifelong self-learners. We are committed to developing physicians who are comfortable with evidence-based clinical care. We incorporate and encourage the use of current literature and web-based resources throughout the program. There are active resident-led journal clubs in the core curriculum and the Pediatric Emergency Department. In addition, we are committed to providing residents with a basic foundation in research methodology. Each of our residents completes an independent research project prior to completion of residency training. The residents are supported in this activity by the Resident Research Committee, a group who organizes didactic sessions on research methodology, research in progress seminars and an individual advising system.

Although the majority of resident experiences are here at NewYork-Presbyterian/Weill Cornell Medical Center’s Komansky Children’s Hospital, we are also able to enjoy all the advantages afforded to us by the phenomenal institutions on our corners. Our residents rotate through the Hospital for Special Surgery and Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. They interact with faculty at these centers and Rockefeller University through lectures and research opportunities. In order to expand our resident's community and general pediatric experiences, our residents also rotate at our affiliate, NewYork-Presbyterian/Queens (NYPQ). NYPQ provides the residents with a rich exposure to pediatrics outside the walls of a hospital by allowing residents to interact with community-based organizations and develop a community/advocacy project.

We also believe it is important for our residents to be exposed to global health topics. Weill Cornell Medical College has established an affiliation with the Bugando Medical Center and the Bugando University College of Health Sciences in Mwanza, Tanzania. Through this affiliation, our residents have the opportunity during their junior or senior year to do an international elective in Tanzania. During this elective, the resident gains experience in physical diagnosis, alternative health concepts, public health and cross-cultural issues.

Just as important to us as an educationally supportive environment is a personally supportive one. With this in mind, the daily and call schedules are designed to maximize both resident education and personal time. We use a night float system for most of our call. This greatly limits the amount of cross coverage for our residents and thereby enhances patient care. Our curriculum also provides you with ample elective time to "tailor" your training experience to meet your personal goals

Our residents are drawn from across the country and include people with a variety of backgrounds and experiences. We value diversity in our residents and seek to provide mentorship to our residents that fosters each individual’s growth. The residents form a unique community with each other and are at the center of the Weill Cornell community. Most of our residents live nearby in hospital housing, providing residents with an excellent opportunity to develop close friendships. This community extends to our faculty, fellows and staff who are dedicated to education, research and the care of children.

All of this is done with New York City surrounding us. The diversity in patient care, disease variety, socioeconomic diversity, and opportunities for improving cultural understanding is unsurpassed. And when work is over ... life, food, culture, music and history are all at your fingertips!

Choosing a residency is an important and exciting time. We encourage you to visit us and experience our program firsthand. Good luck and we look forward to meeting you.

Jennifer I. DiPace, M.D. Director, Pediatric Graduate Medical Education Associate Professor of Pediatrics Weill Cornell Medicine	Erika L. Abramson, M.D., M.Sc. Associate Director, Pediatric Graduate Medical Education Associate Professor of Pediatrics and Public Health Weill Cornell Medicine	Susan B. Bostwick, M.D., M.B.A. Executive Vice Chair, Education and Administration Professor of Clinical Pediatrics Weill Cornell Medicine
	Melanie Wilson-Taylor, M.D. Associate Director, Pediatric Graduate Medical Education Assistant Professor of Clinical Pediatrics	Megan C. Toal, M.D. Associate Director, Pediatric Graduate Medical Education Assistant Professor of Clinical Pediatrics Weill Cornell Medicine