The Saint Louis University School of Medicine offers a 36-month fellowship training program in pediatric critical care medicine.
Designed in accordance with Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) subspecialty program requirements, our fellowship trains individuals to be uniquely qualified to diagnose and manage infants, children, and adolescents with critical illness and injury as well as to be successful scientific investigators.
Our fellows provide advancing degrees of supervision and care to patients with failure or impending failure of one or more organ systems, procedural sedation as part of a dedicated sedation team, and consultation services to general inpatient services.
Critical care fellows provide PICU support to a busy congenital heart surgery service, as well as trauma, transplant, general and neurosurgical services. They also act as medical control for critical transports and develop the skills necessary to pursue a fruitful career in basic science, translational, or clinical research and education.
Learn More About SLU's Division of Pediatric Critical Care
Fellowship Training
In accordance with ACGME guidelines, the fellowship spans 36 months, evenly divided between clinical service months and months more focused on a program of scholarly work. The program is designed with a degree of flexibility in mind and can be tailored to the unique needs and desires of enrolled fellows.
Curriculum
The pediatric critical care curriculum provides for 36 months of instruction in the PICU, various subspecialty areas, and research methodology and practice. Specifically, the schedule includes the following:
- Twelve months of PICU coverage with an average of every third- to every fourth-night call.
- One month of anesthesia to provide advanced airway management and general OR familiarization.
- One month of cardiothoracic surgery to provide direct experience with evaluation and repair of cardiac lesions.
- One month of interventional cardiology to provide experience both with obtaining and interpreting hemodynamics and with obtaining vascular access.
- One two-week block of transport to provide experience with the principles and practice of stabilization and transport of critically ill and injured children.
- Three elective months.
- Eighteen months of dedicated research time, with overnight coverage in the PICU averaging every fifth to seventh night.
Research
The research arm of the curriculum includes:
- The Introduction to Research Curriculum, a regularly-scheduled series of lectures that introduces fellows from multiple disciplines as well as junior faculty to required topics such as fatigue recognition and management, as well as biostatistics, grant and manuscript writing, mentor identification, project creation and conduct, and transitioning from trainee to faculty.
- Assistance in identifying a research mentor and scholarship oversight committee.
- Identification of funding sources and assistance with grant writing.
- Multiple experienced investigators in the Division of Pediatric Critical Care as well as in the departments of Pediatrics and Physiology and Pharmacology.
Additional resources in the Reinert Center for Transformative Teaching and Learning, the Saint Louis University School of Medicine Simulation Laboratory and more.
Conferences
SSM Health Cardinal Glennon Children's Hospital and the SLU Department of Pediatrics provide a number of conferences, attendance at which is variously encouraged or required. These conferences include:
The Fellows' Conference is a weekly didactic session covering the essential topics in pediatric critical care. This conference is required for all fellows and is encouraged for PICU PNPs.
Journal Club is a monthly conference reviewing recent literature of interest presented by fellows and faculty on a rotating basis. This conference is required for all members of the division.
The PCCM Multidisciplinary Conference is a weekly update on division business, quality indicators and chronic ICU patients. Attendance is required for all division members.
These conferences are presented by the Department of Pediatrics, the Trauma Surgery service, and the Cardiothoracic Surgery service. All can be beneficial, and attendance is encouraged.
Sponsored by the Department of Pediatrics, the Research in Progress conference serves as a review and critique of ongoing research programs. Attendance is encouraged for investigators of all levels and interests.
Fellows interested in careers in basic science and clinical / translational research have opportunities for career development through the Edward A. Doisy Research Center and a number of funded investigators in the Department and around SLU. The Saint Louis University Advanced Health Data (AHEAD) Institute also offers certificates and masters’ degree programs in biostatistics, a well as research support and serves as the biostatistics core for the School of Medicine.
Sponsored by the Department of Pediatrics, Grand Rounds features in-depth discussions of active and completed research, current trends in scientific fields, and discussions of policy affecting children and the field of child health. Discussions are delivered by experts in their field, including SLU residents and fellows, faculty, and visiting and invited experts from around the United States and the world.
Two afternoons per week are reserved for intern and resident education. PCCM fellows have the opportunity to lead learning sessions twice per year. These sessions include didactic discussions of various critical care topics, ventilator simulation sessions, and others. Mentorship in developing and delivering educational experiences is available. Fellows interested in careers as physician educators have many opportunities available to develop their skills, both through the department and the SLU Reinert Center for Transformative Teaching and Learning.
Recent Graduates
| Fellow | Graduation Year | Scholarly Work | Mentor | Appointment |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kevin Chuang, M.D. | 2024 | Electrolyte and acid/base disturbances with isotonic fluid after changes to the AAP guidelines | Lia Lowrie | Faculty, SLU |
| Siri Kommareddy-Sloane, M.D. | 2023 | Practice patterns of airway pressure release ventilation in ARDS | Erik Madsen | Intensivist, Mercy St. Louis |
| Amber Alber, D.O. | 2022 | Video review of trauma resuscitations as a quality improvement tool | Anya Freedman | Faculty, SLU |
| Jorge Rosado, M.D. | 2021 | Acute kidney injury after vancomycin exposure | Lia Lowrie | Faculty, SLU |
| Edmundo Martinez, M.D. | 2020 | K-card methodology to drive a resident overnight teaching curriculum in the PICU | Lia Lowrie and Jason Werner | Faculty: University of Illinois - Peoria |
| Jeffrey Salomon, M.D. | 2019 | Changes to the gut microbiome after cardiopulmonary bypass | Ajay Jain | Faculty: University of Nebraska |
Application Process
Our division participates in the Electronic Residency Application Service (ERAS).
We are always willing to discuss the application process with qualified candidates or those considering a career in pediatric critical care Medicine.
The Pediatric Critical Care Fellowship at the Saint Louis University School of Medicine is committed to broad inclusivity and does not discriminate on the basis of age, ethnicity, gender identification, sexual orientation, disability status or veteran status.