Introduction
The Division of Neonatology at Maria Fareri Children’s Hospital offers a fully-accredited three-year fellowship in neonatal-perinatal medicine aimed at training academically-oriented neonatologists who are comfortable managing a wide array of clinical conditions and aspire to be future leaders in the field of neonatology. The NICU admits approximately 800 high-risk patients per year, giving our fellows exposure to a large volume of clinical cases including infants with rare surgical conditions, genetic disorders, and prematurity.
As the regional perinatal center for the counties of the Lower Hudson Valley -- a region with over 23,000 annual births -- our NICU is the only unit in the area offering head cooling for patients with hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy, all facets of mechanical ventilation including high frequency jet ventilation, oscillation, volume/pressure controlled ventilation, patient triggered ventilation, bronchotron, Bipap/ Sipap as well as helicopter/ ground transport and a host of other cutting-edge technologies. Training at Maria Fareri Children’s Hospital will prepare you for every aspect of a clinical or academic career in neonatology.
The fellowship is directed by Dr. Edmund La Gamma, MD FAAP, a well-recognized, academic neonatologist with over 35 years of experience whose research interests include thyroid hormone regulation in preterm infants, mechanisms of hypoglycemia-associated autonomic failure and prevention of necrotizing enterocolitis.
Boriana Parvez, MD FAAP, former division head of Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto and a leader in the use and distribution of donor human milk for preterm infants, serves as the Associate Fellowship Director.
Drs. La Gamma and Parvez ensure all fellows receive clinical and research mentoring tailored to their ultimate career goals. The fellowship participates in the national matching program for neonatology ACGME PROGRAM ID# 3293521077.
The program accepts 4-5 fellows per academic year, at 13 total, making it the second-largest in the nation. Competition for spots is competitive. The IDEAL applicant has excelled in his/her residency, participated in medical research resulting in either publications or presentations at national meetings and is a highly-motivated independent learner. Our Neonatal-Perinatal Board passage rate is 96% since 1999 (45/46 trainees). Applications from J-1 and H1-B Visa holders will be considered.
We provide a thorough two-month orientation at the onset of the first year to properly acquaint incoming fellows with the practical tools and specialty knowledge they will need to feel comfortable and confident as they begin the next phase of their career as a NICU Fellow.
If you have further questions about the fellowship program at MARIA FARERI CHILDREN’S HOSPITAL- NEW YORK MEDICAL COLLEGE, please contact the Division of Neonatology at (914) 493-8558.
FELLOWSHIP STRUCTURE
The first year is more heavily weighted toward clinical experience in the NICU. There are three clinical teams which provide ample learning opportunities. The RED TEAM includes residents and a fellow, supervised by a senior attending physician. The GREEN TEAM is led by a senior attending physician, assisted by a neonatal fellow and nurse practitioners. The GOLD TEAM focuses on convalescent care and transition to home and is primarily fellow-driven, with an attending physician available for rounding and consultation.
FIRST YEAR
Fellows spend six months on service in the NICU as part of a team caring for 20-25 patients on these respective teams. Fellows also rotate through the Level I service at Phelps Hospital to provide a dramatic contrast in community hospital neonatal medicine along with our attending staff. Fellows provide a month of cross coverage for post-call fellows during which they also gain exposure to the outpatient High Risk Infant Developmental Clinic. The remainder of the year is devoted to research.
A Schematic Diagram of the Fellowship:
FIRST YEAR BLOCK DIAGRAM
|
Month |
1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
5 |
6 |
7 |
8 |
9 |
10 |
11 |
12 |
13 |
|
Hospital |
MFCH |
MFCH |
MFCH NYMC |
MFCH NYMC |
MFCH |
MFCH NYMC |
MFCH |
MFCH |
MFCH |
|
MFCH |
MFCH NYMC |
PHELPS |
|
Rotation |
RED TEAM |
GREEN TEAM |
R E S E A R C H |
R E S E A R C H |
RED TEAM |
R E S E A R C H |
GREEN TEAM |
GOLD TEAM |
CROSS COVERAGE |
V A C A T I O N |
GREEN TEAM |
TRANSPORT RESEARCH |
NICU |
SECOND YEAR
The fellowship’s second year increases the time spent in research to six months, with three NICU service months, one month at Phelps Hospital and another in cross coverage. Fellows participate in all aspects of the NICU’s program to improve quality in healthcare delivery.
SECOND YEAR BLOCK DIAGRAM
|
Month |
1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
5 |
6 |
7 |
8 |
9 |
10 |
11 |
12 |
13 |
|
Hospital |
MFCH |
MFCH |
MFCH |
MFCH |
MFCH |
MFCH NYMC |
MFCH NYMC |
MFCH NYMC |
MFCH NYMC |
MFCH NYMC |
MFCH NYMC |
MFCH NYMC |
PHELPS |
|
Rotation |
GREEN TEAM |
RED TEAM |
GOLD TEAM |
CROSS COVERAGE |
TRANSPORT RESEARCH |
R E S E A R C H |
R E S E A R C H |
R E S E A R C H |
R E S E A R C H |
V A C A T I O N |
R E S E A R C H |
R E S E A R C H |
NICU |
THIRD YEAR
The third year builds upon skills and experience learned in the first two years of fellowship and includes two months of clinical service, seven months of research, a month at Phelps Hospital and a final month of cross coverage.
THIRD YEAR BLOCK DIAGRAM
|
Month |
1 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
5 |
6 |
7 |
8 |
9 |
10 |
11 |
12 |
13 |
|
Hospital |
MFCH |
MFCH |
MFCH |
MFCH |
MFCH NYMC |
MFCH NYMC |
MFCH NYMC |
MFCH NYMC |
MFCH NYMC |
MFCH NYMC |
MFCH NYMC |
MFCH NYMC |
PHELPS |
|
Rotation |
GREEN TEAM |
TRANSPORT RESEARCH |
GOLD TEAM |
CROSS COVERAGE |
R E S E A R C H |
R E S E A R C H |
R E S E A R C H |
R E S E A R C H |
R E S E A R C H |
V A C A T I O N |
R E S E A R C H |
R E S E A R C H |
NICU |
Research
As a university-based academic medical center, the division’s senior physicians have many basic science and clinical research interests. Basic science research focuses on single nucleotide polymorphisms, stem cell biology, hypoglycemia-associated autonomic failure, the pathogenesis of intraventricular hemorrhage, nutrition and population health. Fellows have also collaborated with post-doctoral students, medical students, master’s students and technicians in the laboratory.
Clinical research programs include participation in several national multicenter trials, and studies related to data obtained at the Regional Perinatal Center Database.
Highly-motivated fellows may design a specific research project based on their interests in conjunction with an appropriate faculty mentor.
Research Responsibilities
The fellowship strictly adheres to the ACGME guidelines for participation in fellowship scholarly activity. Within 6 months of beginning fellowship, fellows are expected to identify a mentor for scholarly activity and a potential research subject area and plan to design over the next 6 months. Fellows are responsible to their personal Scholarly Oversight Committee (SOC) to report on research progress, at least every 6 months throughout the three-year fellowship period. Fellows are encouraged to submit their work for peer-reviewed, national meetings and a draft of a scholarly manuscript is mandated by the end of fellowship. Past Fellows have received Travel Awards to attend the Eastern Society for Pediatric Research and the Pediatric Academic Societies National Meetings.
Academics
Throughout their three years, fellows participate in different conferences aimed at increasing their ability to manage neonatal cases, effectively read and interpret the medical literature, improve their skills at understanding controversial topics in neonatal care, and navigate ethical issues in neonatology. At these conferences fellows present a talk mentored by an attending physician.
Weekly physiology-based case conferences cover topics in respiratory and cardiac physiology as well as genetics, endocrinology, infectious disease, and many other topics. These lectures serve to increase the trainees’ fund of knowledge and also provide assistance for passing the board examination.
Fellows also attend conferences which improve their knowledge of statistics, and obtain practical exposure to the administrative aspects of neonatal care in monthly joint practice and quality assurance conferences. A joint perinatal medicine conference with Obstetrics occurs weekly.
Academic Schedule for Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine Fellows*
Clinical Schedule for Inpatient Rotations*
|
Weekdays |
Weekends/Holidays |
|
8:00 a.m. – 9:00 a.m. Pre-round and Sign out |
8:00 a.m. – 9:00 a.m. Pre-round and Sign out |
|
9:30 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. Attending Rounds and Patient Care |
9:30 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. Attending Rounds and Patient Care |
|
1:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m. Patient Care |
2:00 p.m. – 8:00 a.m. Patient Care |
|
4:00 p.m. – 5:00 p.m. Sign-out to On-call Fellow |
|
|
5:00 p.m. – 8:00 a.m. Patient Care |
|
RECENT FELLOWSHIP ALUMNI
IMMEDIATE POST-GRADUATE APPOINTMENTS OF THE MARIA FARERI CHILDREN’S HOSPITAL NEONATOLOGY FELLOWHIP PROGRAM
|
FELLOW |
YEAR GRADUATED |
POSTION |
|
Meenakshi Singh |
2016 |
Assistant Professor, Penn State School of Medicine, Hershey, PA |
|
Abigael Maxwell |
2016 |
Private Practice, Locum Tenens |
|
Lyndsey Garbi |
2016 |
Assistant Professor of Pediatrics, Hofstra University School of Medicine, North Shore University Hospital |
|
J. Lena Kim |
2016 |
Miller Children's & Women's Hospital Long Beach, CA |
|
|
||
|
Alexander Feldman |
2015 |
Assistant Professor, |
|
Usama Younis |
2015 |
Trinity Medical Center, |
|
Brian DeBenedictis |
2015 |
Private Practice, Locum Tenens |
|
|
||
|
Sri Narayana |
2014 |
Henry Ford Macomb Hospital |
|
Anita Mohan |
2014 |
Assistant Professor, |
|
Arslan Ashad |
2014 |
Sandford Medical Center |
|
Jenda Arawiran |
2014 |
Texas Tech University Health Center, |
|
|
||
|
Umesh Paudel |
2013 |
Hudson Valley Hospital Center, Assistant Professor at New York Medical College |
|
Irina Kaminyar |
2013 |
Lawrence Hospital Center, Bronxville, NY |
|
Uduak Akpan |
2013 |
Assistant Professor, |
|
|
||
|
Joanathan Mintzer |
2012 |
Assistant Professor, |
|
Sabrina Malik |
2012 |
Hackensack University Medical Center, Neonatologist |
|
Sharon Schell |
2012 |
Mercy Medical Center, |
|
Narendra Dereddy |
2012 |
Assistant Professor, |
|
|
||
|
Jonathan Blau |
2011 |
Assistant Professor, |
|
Divya Chhabra |
2011 |
Assistant Professor, |
|
Kiran Dwarakanath |
2011 |
Associate Professor of Pediatrics, University of North Dakota |
|
Necla Kirtok |
2011 |
Assistant Professor, |
|
Venkata Majjiga |
2011 |
Assistant Professor, |
|
Raja Senguttuvan |
2011 |
Assistant Professor, |
|
|
||
|
Vadim Bronshtein |
2010 |
Assistant Professor at State University of New York |
|
Johanna Calo |
2010 |
Assistant Professor, |
|
Krishna Dummula |
2010 |
Assistant Professor, |
|
Dumitru Turcanu |
2010 |
University Medical Center of Princeton at Plainsboro |
|
|
|
|
|
Portia Groening |
2009 |
Assistant Professor at New York Medical College-Clinical Research, |
|
Caroline Chua |
2009 |
Nemours Children’s Hospital |
|
|
||
|
Joie Fisher |
2008 |
Reading Hospital and Medical Center |
|
Hima Maramreddy |
2008 |
Pediatrix Medical Group |
|
Sulaiman Sannoh |
2008 |
Lehigh Valley medical Center |
|
Xinmei Li |
2008 |
Assistant Professor, |
|
Amrita Nayak |
2008 |
Assistant Professor, |
|
Jessica Kalia |
2008 |
Pediatrix Medical Group |
|
|
||
|
Vanessa Mercado |
2007 |
Phelps Memorial Hospital-Assistant Professor at New York Medical College-Education & Administration, |
|
Tania Mangones |
2007 |
Maimonides Medical Center Brooklyn, NY |
|
Aryeh Simmonds |
2007 |
Sanz Medical Center- Kiryat Sanz, Netanya, Israel |
|
Reeja Vembenil |
2007 |
Assistant Professor at New York Medical College, |
|
Antoni D'Souza |
2007 |
Assistant Professor at State University of New York, |
|
Vicky Georgiadis |
2007 |
Baylor University Medical Center, |
|
|
||
|
Mana Dejhalla |
2006 |
Mercy Medical Center, |
|
Nadine El-Khoury |
2006 |
Assistant Professor, State University of New York, |