313 - Characteristics of Pediatric Hospital Medicine Fellowship Leaders

Poster Number: 313
Publication Number: 313.322

Margaret Trost, University of Southern California/USC, Los Angeles, CA, United States; Ann H. Allen, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI, United States; Robert A. Dudas, Johns Hopkins All Children's Hospital, St. Petersburg, FL, United States; Monique Naifeh, University of Oklahoma College of Medicine, OKLAHOMA CITY, OK, United States; Ashlie Tseng, Children's Hospital of Richmond at VCU, VCU SOM, Richmond, VA, United States; Allyson McDermott, Connecticut Children's Medical Center, Hartford, CT, United States; Snehal Shah, Washington University in St. Louis School of Medicine, St louis, MO, United States; Jeffrey C. Winer, Le Bonheur Children's Hospital, Memphis, TN, United States; Erik Hoefgen, Washington University in St. Louis School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, United States; Joanna Thomson, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH, United States

Background: In 2015, the American Board of Pediatrics approved Pediatric Hospital Medicine (PHM) for subspecialty status. As a result PHM fellowships are increasing in number to meet training demand.  Characteristics related to demographic and academic backgrounds of program directors (PDs) and associate program directors (APDs) leading these fellowships are unknown, but have potential implications on development of the field.

Objective: To describe demographic, educational and scholarly activities of active PHM Fellowship Program Directors.

Design/Methods: We developed and distributed a 15-question cross-sectional national survey to members of the PHM Program Directors (PHMPD) listserv using REDCap.  Questions were assessed for validity and pilot tested by a subset of the PHMPD Research Subcommittee.  The survey was open for 4 weeks and weekly reminders were distributed.  Responses to questions were summarized using descriptive statistics.

Results: We received responses from 56 current fellowship leaders (40 PDs & 16 APDs).  At least 1 leader responded from 43 of the 59 active PHM fellowship programs nationwide (73%).  Overall, most respondents identified as female (71%), were aged 50 or less (80%) and had been in their role an average of 3.6 years. Four (7%, n=2 PD, 2 APD) leaders identified as underrepresented minorities in medicine (URM).  About a third (34%) of respondents completed a PHM fellowship themselves, with the proportion higher for APDs than PDs (56% vs. 25%).   Half of respondents had an advanced degree (MS, PhD) with a slightly higher percentage for APDs than PDs (62% vs. 45%).  Education was the most identified “primary domain of personal scholarship” (21%, n=10 PD, 2 APD) while Clinical Research was the primary domain for only 3 leaders (5%, n=1 PD, 2 APD). However, most leaders (59%, n=33) selected multiple domains of scholarship, with Education & Quality Improvement (30%, n=10) the most common combination for those selecting more than 1 domain.Conclusion(s): This survey highlights a high percentage of women in fellowship leadership roles but notes opportunities to recruit more URM. There is some indication that junior leaders (APDs) are entering their roles with more advanced training than existing PDs, but it is important to note that less than half of PDs completed a fellowship in any specialty.  Current PDs tend to avoid strict specialization in one domain of scholarship, and scholarship outside of clinical research is much more common. These data can inform faculty development needs and help the PHM leadership workforce advocate for training, resources, and parity at their institutions. 
Table 1: Characteristics of Pediatric Hospital Medicine Fellowship Directors