Name: Dr. Kelly Nicole
Fellowship program: Pediatric Hospital Medicine
Education: Graduated from medical school at Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons and completed pediatric residency at NewYork-Presbyterian Morgan Stanley Children’s Hospital and Columbia University Irving Medical Center.
Hi Dr. Kelly, tell us a little about yourself and how you spend your time at Weill Cornell Medicine (WCM).
I am a second-year fellow in the NewYork-Presbyterian Pediatric Hospital Medicine Fellowship (PHM). This is a bicampus program, so during my clinical time I take care of children admitted to the general pediatrics teams and intermediate care units at both NewYork-Presbyterian Komansky Children’s Hospital at Weill Cornell Medical Center and NewYork-Presbyterian Morgan Stanley Children’s Hospital at Columbia University Irving Medical Center. I am also developing my research skills as a first-year research fellow in the Cornell-Hunter Health Equity Research Fellowship.
Why did you decide to pursue a fellowship at WCM?
My first decision was whether to pursue PHM fellowship at all; we are at a unique time in PHM because fellowship is still relatively new, and most practicing hospitalists entered the field before fellowship was an option. The decision is a personal one, but based on my experience, I could not recommend fellowship more. I have had the space and time to enrich my own clinical thinking, and I have strengthened my ability to help trainees of all different levels build their clinical skills as well. The dedicated time to learn and conduct research as a hospitalist has been invaluable, and I now hope to build a meaningful academic research career, which I never envisioned for myself before. Healthcare systems and medical care have become incredibly complex, and I feel privileged to train in PHM fellowship so I can better contribute to the field and care for inpatient children.
When it came to then choosing a program, my husband and I are born and raised in New York, and our goal was to settle down in the city after graduating from residency. In my mind, there was no better place to continue my training than at NewYork-Presbyterian (NYP) Cornell and Columbia, together representing the top pediatrics hospital in the state. Children from across the world come to WCM, and as a hospitalist fellow, exposure to the diversity and complexity of that population is invaluable. My residency experience was also impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, so continuing my training at a program with strong research education and mentorship was important to me. WCM has exceeded my expectations and I couldn’t be happier with my decision.
What do you enjoy most about the program?
The NYP PHM fellowship allows for the unique opportunity to experience multiple NYP campuses, including Cornell, Columbia, and Queens, as well as Blythedale Children’s Hospital. This has allowed me to care for diverse patients with a wide variety of disease presentations, strengthening my clinical acumen. Professionally, I have also been able to witness different career paths within hospital medicine, which has been empowering as I think about building my own career after graduation.
Personally, my favorite part of fellowship has been meeting an incredible group of people that I am lucky enough to work with every day. My co-fellows have become my friends and support system, the leaders of our program are our fiercest advocates, and attending hospitalists embrace us as true colleagues, not just trainees. The PHM division at WCM is comprised of individuals with diverse clinical and research interests, but they all share a passion for providing exemplary care for the children in our community and beyond.
What inspired you to pursue a career in pediatric hospital medicine?
I love working in the hospital environment. There is so much to learn from the large multidisciplinary teams that take care of admitted children, and we are all able to use our unique strengths and training to help families through some of the most challenging moments of their lives. As hospitalists we get to care for the whole patient, integrating information from multiple body systems to determine diagnoses, and then work with families to create management plans that align with their lives and values. At times it can be challenging balancing complex patient care, medical education and professional development of trainees, research responsibilities, and life outside the hospital, but it only makes the field that much more rewarding
Tell us more about your clinical and research interests.
My clinical and research interests are in somatic symptom and related disorders (SSRDs). Throughout residency and fellowship, I have seen numerous children suffering from a variety of SSRDs, such as non-epileptic seizures and functional abdominal pain, and I have seen the immense impact these disorders have on the quality of life of both the patients and their families. The medical community now recognizes both the biologic and psychologic factors that contribute to this group of disorders, and I hope to continue advocating for standardized and evidence-based treatment, particularly in the inpatient setting. As a Cornell-Hunter Health Equity Research Fellow I am working towards my Master of Science degree in Clinical Epidemiology and Health Services Research, and I hope to use this training to better understand these disorders and ensure we provide high-quality, stigma- and bias-free, and equitable care to all patients with SSRDs that we care for.
What are your long term goals?
My goal is to become a pediatric hospitalist at a large academic institution working clinically with general pediatrics and newborn nursery patients. I hope to continue my research on pediatric SSRDs, and I am also interested in incorporating patient safety work into my career, which will allow me to work with interdisciplinary team members to improve the experience and care of all admitted patients.
What advice would you give to those thinking about joining a fellowship program at WCM?
This fellowship was a wonderful fit for me and I recommend it to anyone who is interested. As you start your search for fellowship, think about your personal and professional goals and what skills you want to have by the time you graduate. Read about different programs online, find ones that seem to align with your goals, and don’t be afraid to reach out to program contacts with questions. In our fellowship, current and former fellows are always happy to chat about our experiences and make sure NYP is the best fit for you as you enter this important next stage of your career.