Fellowships
Pediatric hospital medicine fellowship
A Message from the Program Director
Thank you for your interest in the Pediatric Hospital Medicine (PHM) Fellowship at the Children’s Hospital of Richmond at Virginia Commonwealth University! We are committed to providing comprehensive education and training to equip our future graduates with the knowledge and skills needed to succeed in their PHM careers. As an academic, university-based tertiary referral medical center, we offer a wide range of clinical and non-clinical experiences for our fellows that emphasize evidence-based, family-centered collaborative care and advocacy, and developing future PHM leaders.
Fellows receive formal and experiential training in clinical care, research, quality improvement, medical education, and leadership, all tailored to their individual career goals. They will work closely with our dedicated faculty and multidisciplinary teams in a supportive and close-knit environment. Our affiliation with Virginia Commonwealth University provides additional learning opportunities for individualized growth and development, including programs such as leadership development program and a teaching certificate in medical education to name a few.
We invite you to explore our fellowship program and the many exciting opportunities we offer, and we encourage you to reach out with any questions!
Ashlie Tseng, MD, MEd, FAAP
Associate Professor of Pediatrics
Program Director, Pediatric Hospital Medicine Fellowship
Children’s Hospital of Richmond at VCU
Mission
Founded in 2015, Children's Hospital of Richmond at VCU's Pediatric Hospital Medicine Fellowship is a two year, ACGME-accredited training program. The fellowship program provides clinical, education, research, quality improvement and leadership training with the goal of developing future hospitalists who will become leaders in academic as well as community hospitalist programs.
Program opportunities
Clinical training consists of 16 weeks of PHM-related service per year. The fellow will work on inpatient teaching services. Two of the 16 weeks will be at a community hospital site. Family centered rounds is emphasized during the clinical service times. An additional 16 weeks per year is dedicated to an individualized curriculum based on fellow goals and interests and can include clinical electives such as pain and palliative care, child abuse pediatrics, complex/chronic care, medical transport, medical toxicology, nutrition, pharmacology and antimicrobial stewardship and anesthesia to name a few, as well as other subspecialties. Non-clinical electives are also available including leadership. The remainder of the 16 weeks are for scholarly activity.
The fellowship has an educational mission to provide first class education and training. The fellow has an important role in teaching medical students and resident physicians and other interprofessional students. The fellow will spend time in the Introduction to Teaching during the first year and has the option to take classes as part of the Teaching in Medical Education (TiME) program offered through Virginia Commonwealth University School of Education and School of Medicine. The TiME program emphasizes curriculum design, scholarship in medical education, and instructional strategies. During the course of the fellowship, the fellow will develop an educational portfolio.
The fellow will participate in the Introduction to Quality Improvement (QI) curriculum during the first year and have the opportunity to complete the Institutes for Healthcare Improvement (IHI) modules. Other opportunities through the institution and various conferences will provide additional research and QI training. The fellow will work with research and QI faculty mentors throughout the fellowship with the goal of scholarly project and QI initiative during the fellowship which will satisfy the ACGME and ABP requirements for a scholarly product. Fellows have presented (platform and poster) at national conferences such as PHM, PAS, AAP NCE, HVPAA, and APA Region 4 conference.
The fellowship program has a unique partnership with VCU Grace E. Harris Leadership Institute in which the fellow has the opportunity to enroll in the Leadership Development course. This course is a 10-month program designed to enhance the knowledge, skills, and experience of current and emerging leaders who represent the academic and administrative units of VCU and VCU Health.
Fellows are involved in multiple educational conferences and didactic sessions throughout the two-year fellowship.
- Monthly Department of Pediatrics Fellows’ Core Curriculum: All pediatric fellows meet monthly for dedicated training in core skills and knowledge for all programs and provide professional development sessions for their future careers.
- Quarterly Combined Conference with Pediatric Hospital Medicine, Pediatric Emergency Medicine, and Pediatric Critical Care Medicine: Joint conference series highlighting clinical topics and discussions across the three subspecialties and settings.
- Monthly PHM CCC (Core Clinical Conference): Faculty and fellows present topics related to PHM Core Competencies and board preparation.
- Monthly PHM Journal Club: Fellows lead as the facilitator on topics relevant to PHM and academic medicine.
- Twice monthly patient care meetings: Faculty and fellows meet to discuss patient care related topics.
- Department of Pediatrics Grand Rounds: Weekly departmental conference series to enhance diagnostic, clinical and treatment skills as well as evidence-based medical information and education. The senior fellow will present their scholarly product at the end of the academic year.
- M3 Pediatric Clerkship Simulation: Clerkship directors and fellows facilitate simulation sessions on the ear exam and infant lumbar puncture every 6 weeks.
- Regional PHM Fellowship Collaborative: Quarterly conference series with other fellowship programs within DC, Virginia, North Carolina, and South Carolina with a yearly in-person meeting to promote networking and collaborative learning.
- Fellows are expected to submit and present their scholarship at local (Department of Pediatrics and VCU GME), state (Pediatrics at the Beach Conference), regional (APA Region IV Conference), or national (PHM, PAS, AAP NCE) conferences.
- Additional opportunities are available for our fellows to participate in residency and medical student education.
Past fellows: Where are they now?
- Ashlie Tseng, MD: Pediatric hospitalist at the Children's Hospital of Richmond at VCU, Richmond, VA
- Alison Ullman, MD: Pediatric hospitalist at Centra Health, Lynchburg, VA
- Megan Coe, MD: Pediatric hospitalist at Nationwide Children's Hospital, Columbus, OH
- Katherine Donowitz, MD: Pediatric hospitalist at University of Virginia Children’s Hospital, Charlottesville, VA
- Hillary O'Boyle, MD: Pediatric hospitalist at Children's Hospital of Richmond at VCU, Richmond, VA
- Hannah Miller, MD: Pediatric Hospitalist at Baystate Children's Hospital, Springfield, MA
- Meredith Mitchell, MD: Pediatric hospitalist at Children's Hospital of Richmond at VCU, Richmond, VA
- Fahim Thawer, MD: Pediatric hospitalist at University of Texas Southwestern, Dallas, TX
Why Richmond?
Whether you are passionate about history, arts, gardens, antiques, fine dining, outdoor recreation, theme parks, or NASCAR, there's something for every taste in the Historic Richmond Region. Come find out!
How to apply
Applications should be submitted via the Electronic Residency Application Service (ERAS). The Hospital Medicine Fellowship Program is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) and participates in the National Residency Match Program (NRMP).
Contact the pediatric hospital medicine fellowship team
Division of Pediatric Hospital Medicine
Children’s Pavilion
1000 East Broad Street
Box 980506
Richmond, VA 23298
Office: (804) 628-5881
Email: ashlie.tseng@vcuhealth.org
Division of Pediatric Hospital Medicine
Children’s Pavilion
1000 East Broad Street
Box 980506
Richmond, VA 23298
Office: (804) 827-1186
Cell: (804) 536-3236
Email: clifton.lee@vcuhealth.org
Alicia Beacham Email: Alicia.beacham@vcuhealth.org
Carmen Lancaster Email: Carmen.lancaster@vcuhealth.org
Current fellows
Med school: Cooper Medical School of Rowan University
Residency: University of Maryland Medical Center
What do you like about your fellowship at CHoR?
My time at CHoR has been nothing short of spectacular so far! I have been very impressed with the breadth of pediatric patients I see as well as the opportunities for scholarly growth. The individualized curriculum allows me to curate my schedule in a meaningful way. On top of that, the people have been so welcoming and invested in my development as a pediatric hospitalist.
Med school: University of Tennessee Health Science Center College of Medicine
Residency: Eastern Virginia Medical School - Pediatrics