Pediatric Critical Care Medicine Fellowship
We believe in the spirit and resiliency of the children entrusted to our care, and we will relentlessly push the field of critical care forward to ensure we find even better ways to treat them
Vision: A world where high-quality, compassionate critical care is available to all children in need.
Mission: To deliver safe, effective, and cutting edge clinical care to all children in a family-centered environment while advancing the frontiers of critical care medicine through discovery, education, leadership and advocacy.
Values: Service, Collaboration, Inclusion
Overview & Program Aims
Overview
The Section of Pediatric Critical Care Medicine (PCCM) and the Department of Pediatrics at the University of Â鶹´«Ã½¸ßÇå School of Medicine (CU SOM) offer a fully accredited pediatric critical care fellowship for up to 12 fellows at a time (average 4 per year) designed for board-eligible pediatricians planning a career devoted to the care of the critically ill child. Our program mission is to train the future leaders of pediatric critical care, who will provide compassionate and high-quality care and contribute to the advancement of critical care medicine. To achieve this mission, we have the following:
Program Aims
- To prepare physicians to provide high quality, patient-centered, and comprehensive care for critically ill pediatric patients and their families using an interdisciplinary team approach.
- To provide outstanding opportunities to engage in a range of scholarly activities that promote lifelong learning, reflective practice, critical thinking, and discovery, advancing the field of pediatric critical care medicine.
- To develop effective educators of learners with variable backgrounds and needs, including patients and families.
- To promote longevity within PCCM practice by teaching strategies to maintain wellness, build resilience, and minimize burnout. 
- To build and maintain an infrastructure to recruit diverse fellows and provide an inclusive learning environment that promotes and celebrates differences.
The PCCM fellowship program offers broad-based training in both the practice of pediatric critical care medicine and the advancement of scholarship related to pediatric critical care. The consists of 28 physician faculty, all board certified or board eligible in pediatric critical care medicine, four full-time PhD investigators and 20 advanced practice practitioners (PA/NP). In addition, several members of the Departments of Pediatric Pulmonology, Cardiology, and Anesthesiology provide key roles in the education and training of the fellows.
The primary clinical training site for the fellowship is the Children's Hospital Â鶹´«Ã½¸ßÇå, a free-standing children's hospital affiliated with the University of Â鶹´«Ã½¸ßÇå School of Medicine. The 32-bed, Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) flexes up to 48-beds in the winter and admits approximately 3,000 patients per year from the Denver metro area and surrounding Rocky Mountain Region, serving active programs in pediatric general surgery, trauma surgery, solid organ and bone marrow transplantation, ENT, and orthopedic surgery. In addition, there is a separate Cardiac Intensive Care Unit (CICU) providing care to cardiology and cardiac surgery patients. PCCM fellows participate actively in the multidisciplinary teams responsible for the care of every patient in the PICU and the CICU.
First Year
The first year is designed to provide the fellow trainee with the necessary experience to become an excellent clinician and teacher in the field of critical care medicine. The year is fully structured and almost entirely clinical. The required clinical rotations include:
Seven months of clinical service in the ICU, on both the pediatric ICU (5 months) and cardiac ICU (2 months) services. Fellows are responsible for all medical patients in the PICU, and they co-manage all surgical patients.
One month of pediatric anesthesiology in the first half of the year; this is designed to teach airway management, intubation, vascular access, and sedation skills.
Second and Third Years
The educational goal of the second- and third-year clinical rotations is to solidify the knowledge and skills attained during the first year, and to develop their leadership, team management and supervisory skills. The expectation is that fellows will have increasing independence through these years. The required rotations during the second and third years include:
3 – 4 months of clinical service in the ICU, on both the pediatric ICU (2 – 3 months) and cardiac ICU (1 month).
All Years
In addition to the clinical rotations, the PCCM fellows at the University of Â鶹´«Ã½¸ßÇå receive the following educational opportunities:
- Multi-disciplinary high-fidelity simulation experiences through the CHCO simulation center
- Ultrasound-guided point of care procedure training
- Weekly divisional educational conferences
- Monthly Evidence-Based Medicine conference
- Monthly Morbidity & Mortality and Quality, Safety and Practice Council conferences
- Department of Pediatrics Fellow Core curriculum, which covers topics relevant to all pediatric fellows, including Evidence-Based Medicine, Quality Improvement and Safety, Ethics, Communication, Teaching, Mentoring, Scientific Writing and Career Development
Fellows learn important triage, communication and patient management skills through facilitating patient transfers to our pediatric intensive care unit from our 5-7 state referral region. They serve as medical command, with supervision from the ICU attending, for critically ill children being transported by the Children’s Hospital Â鶹´«Ã½¸ßÇå transport team. Night call is taken in-house with variable frequency within the work hour rules mandated by the ACGME. At least one PICU attending is in-house 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, to ensure a safe balance between clinical demands and educational needs of the fellows.
Clinical Electives
PCCM fellows at the University of Â鶹´«Ã½¸ßÇå School of Medicine have the additional opportunity to participate in two structured clinical electives during their second or third year:
An international cardiac intensive care elective with one of our PCCM faculty, Dr. Vohwinkel, through the International Children’s Heart Foundation
An elective at Denver Health Pediatric Intensive Care Unit, affiliated with the University of Â鶹´«Ã½¸ßÇå, which offers the opportunity to practice in a smaller community-based PICU under the supervision of board-certified PICU faculty.
Research Overview
Numerous funded academic and research opportunities are available to critical care fellows. This includes but is not limited to basic science and translational research in pulmonary vascular disease, developmental lung biology, oxygen radical-induced injury, biomechanical engineering, and neuro-trauma. Clinical research is supported through an active and growing critical care research program, and outcomes-based research, medical education research and quality improvement projects are also available to interested fellows.
The research portion of the Pediatric Critical Care Medicine Fellowship occurs all three years, with 2 months in the first year and 7 – 8 months the second and third years. During this time, fellows will be expected to engage in scholarly projects that require critical thinking and to acquire the knowledge and skills for advancing the field of critical care. The scholarly activity will be performed under the guidance of a research mentor and team, who will be identified during the first year of fellowship. Fellows will be expected to disseminate their findings at national scientific meetings and within peer-reviewed journals.
Below is a snapshot of active research led by PCCM faculty at the University of Â鶹´«Ã½¸ßÇå:
Basic Sciences
Mechanisms involved in pulmonary vascular remodeling and the response of the lung vasculature to hypoxia and other injuries (Stenmark lab)
Novel mechanisms driving inflammation and fibrosis in acute lung injury and pulmonary hypertension, with particular focus on a major vascular antioxidant enzyme, EC-SOD (Nozik lab)
Mechanisms of Acute Lung Injury, specifically the interface between metabolism and inflammation (Vohwinkel lab)
Clinical Translational Sciences
Functional Recovery after Prolonged Mechanical Ventilation (Maddux)
Decision-Making of Intracranial Pressure Monitoring in Children with TBI (Bennett)
Prediction Modeling of Serious Bacterial Illness in Critically Ill Children (Martin, Bennett)
Complement Activation as a Cause of Acute Kidney Injury in Critically Ill Children (Stenson)
Effect of Cardiopulmonary Bypass on Intestinal Microbiome and Tryptophan Metabolism (Leroue)
Medical Â鶹´«Ã½¸ßÇå
Transport Â鶹´«Ã½¸ßÇå for Pediatric Critical Care Fellows (Good, Czaja)
Leadership Assessment Tool for Pediatric Subspecialty Fellows (Czaja)
Professional Identity Formation Among Pediatric Subspecialty Fellows (Czaja)
Quality Improvement
Early Mobilization of PICU patients (Schneiter)
Nephrotoxic Injury Negated by Just-In-Time Action (NINJA) Implementation in the PICU (Stenson)
Preventing Hospital Acquired Conditions through a Multidisciplinary High-Risk Patient Rounding Model (Loi)
Positive Impact of Peer Support - A Cornerstone for Building Community (Loi)
Â鶹´«Ã½¸ßÇå Overview
First-year fellows in our program participate in a 3-week orientation during which they learn the basics of critical care medicine and the Children's Hospital Â鶹´«Ã½¸ßÇå system. Throughout the year, all fellows participate in weekly case conference and faculty-led didactic sessions in addition to longitudinal curricula in topics such evidence-based medicine (EBM) and point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS). Fellows also participate in high-fidelity, multi-disciplinary simulations in the as well as in situ simulations within the PICU. Additional learning opportunities for fellows are described below:
Learning Opportunities:
Pediatric Fellowship Â鶹´«Ã½¸ßÇåal Series
This educational series has been developed by the Committee on Fellowship Â鶹´«Ã½¸ßÇå to address area of scholarly interest common to all pediatric fellows. Nearly 100 sub-specialized physicians in training will attend 5-6 half-day seminars spread across their 3 years of fellowship.
- Attendance is mandatory and the trainee is excused from clinical responsibilities.
- In addition to providing core educational material, these sessions allow trainees in different disciplines and throughout the department to meet and interact with one another in an informal and collegial environment.
- Occurs several times per year throughout fellowship with fellows of different subspecialties
Pediatric Biostatistics for Clinicians Course:
This course is primarily intended for 2nd and 3rd year Department of Pediatrics fellows as part of the comprehensive fellowship educational program. Designed to help fellows to develop an ability to be a critical consumer of the literature and develop familiarity with many commonly used statistical methods.
- This course comprises for five 2-hour sessions
- Designed for second year fellows, but any fellow or resident can register for the course.
Subspecialty Excellence in Â鶹´«Ã½¸ßÇåal Leadership & Scholarship (SEELS) Program
- The University of Â鶹´«Ã½¸ßÇå Department of Pediatrics is proud to offer the Subspecialty Excellence in Â鶹´«Ã½¸ßÇåal Leadership & Scholarship (SEELS) Program for subspecialty pediatric fellows committed to an academic career in medical education.
- The SEELS program guides fellows through an 18-month program that provides research mentorship, coaching, and instruction.
- The overall goal of SEELS is to equip these fellows with the necessary knowledge/skills/attitudes for success as future medical educators through educational scholarship and professional identity development, faculty and peer mentorship, and engaging in an educational community of practice.
Advanced Degrees Available at CU:
1st Year Fellows
Sydney Elizabeth Behrmann, MD MS
Medical School: University of Michigan Medical School
Residency: University of Utah/Primary Children's Hospital
Alexandra Carmen Collell, MD
Medical School: Albany Medical College
Residency: University of Â鶹´«Ã½¸ßÇå Pediatric Residency
Kathryn Emily Kalata, MD
Medical School: University of Â鶹´«Ã½¸ßÇå School of Medicine
Residency: University of Â鶹´«Ã½¸ßÇå Pediatric Residency
Maria Niccum, MD, MS
Medical School: University of Virginia School of Medicine
Residency: Boston Children's Hospital/Boston Medical Center
2nd Year Fellows
Isabelle Dagher, MD
Medical School: Indiana University School of Medicine
Residency: University of North Carolina School of Medicine/UNC Hospitals
Jessica Frelinger MD
Medical School: Rosalind Franklin University of Medicine
Residency: Children's Hospital Los Angeles
Anneliese Grewing, DO
Medical School: KCU's College of Osteopathic Medicine
Residency: Baylor College of Medicine, Texas Children's Hospital
Elizabeth A. McGinn, MD
Medical School: University of Nebraska College of Medicine
Residency: University Of Â鶹´«Ã½¸ßÇå Pediatric Residency
3rd Year Fellows
Maria Fouad Abou Nader, MD
Medical School: American University of Beirut Medical School
Residency: Indiana University School of Medicine, Pediatric Residency
Matthew Stephen Baker, MD
Medical School: George Washington University School of Medicine
Residency: Children's Hospital Los Angeles
Pablo Jose Napky Raudales, MD
Medical School: Universidad Catolica de Honduras
Residency: Nicklaus Children's Hospital
Reid V. Wilkening, MD, PhD
Medical School: University of Illinois College of Medicine
Residency: University of Â鶹´«Ã½¸ßÇå Pediatric Residency
Dear applicant:
Our pediatric fellowships will continue conducting virtual interviews for the upcoming interview season. We look forward to sharing our programs with you and getting to know more about you!
If you have questions about the online application and interview process, please reach out to our program coordinator, Laney Coull (Laney.Coull@childrenscolorado.org).
Nationally, Pediatric Critical Care Medicine Fellowship programs use the . For our program the application period will begin July 16 2025. Completed ERAS applications are screened and selected applicants are invited for virtual interviews. The selection criteria are based on prior academic performance, the strength of clinical training and performance, and scholarly interests and pursuits. Letters of support from PCCM supervising physicians are strongly recommended.& Our virtual interview season begins in September and ends in November of 2025.
Fellow selection is accomplished by participation in the , which occurs in the fall each year. Applicants must be eligible for a Â鶹´«Ã½¸ßÇå medical license. International medical graduates must have a valid ECFMG (see below)
ERAS Application Timeline
Date Activity Monday, May 31, 2025 ERAS 2024 season ends at 5 p.m. ET. Wednesday, June 4, 2025 ERAS 2025 season begins at 9 a.m. ET. Thursday, June 5, 2025 EFDO will release tokens to fellowship applicants. Wednesday, July 2, 2025 July cycle fellowship applicants may begin submitting applications to programs at 9 a.m. ET. Wednesday July 16, 2025 July cycle fellowship programs may begin reviewing applications at 9 a.m. ET. May 31, 2026 ERAS 2026 season ends at 5 p.m. ET.
NRMP Fall Match Timeline
Dates Activity Wednesday, August 20, 2025 Match Opens Wednesday, October 1, 2025 Ranking Opens Wednesday, October 31, 2025 Quota Change Deadline Wednesday, November 19, 2025 Rank Order List Certification Deadline Wednesday, December 3, 2025 MATCH DAY
Salary and Benefits
The University of Â鶹´«Ã½¸ßÇå offers salary and benefits packages that are competitive with other fellowship programs across the country. Current salary levels can be found at the School of Medicine - Graduate Medical Â鶹´«Ã½¸ßÇå Stipends.
International Medical Graduates
We highly encourage International Medical Graduates (IMG) to apply to our program! If you have questions regarding the IMG experience in our program, do not hesitate to reach out! We will gladly connect you with past graduates or current fellows. To be eligible to enter our program, you must meet the following criteria:
- Have a valid
- Completed a training program with an accredited U.S. institution
- Possess the appropriate additional documentation to allow you to legally train at the University of Â鶹´«Ã½¸ßÇå School of Medicine. Currently, we are only able to support applicants with a J-1 visa.
Thanks again for your interest in our program and best wishes in your future endeavors.
Feel free to contact:
Ryan Good, MD
Associate Professor of Pediatrics
Director, Pediatric Critical Care Medicine Fellowship
Critical Care Medicine
13121 East 17th Avenue
P.O. Box 6508
Aurora, Â鶹´«Ã½¸ßÇå 80045
Tel: (303) 724-2393
Email:
Ryan.Good@childrenscolorado.org
or
Laney Coull
Â鶹´«Ã½¸ßÇå Program Coordinator
Pediatric Critical Care MedicineTel: 303-724-2393
fax: 720-777-7324
Email: laney.coull@childrenscolorado.org
| Diversity / Equity / Inclusion |
We are committed to creating a diverse environment for students, residents, fellows, and faculty. We believe that an environment of inclusiveness and respect promotes excellence and that a setting where diversity is valued leads to the training of physicians who are prepared to practice culturally effective medicine and meet the needs of the various populations we serve. Visit our Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion webpage for more.... |
| Well-Being / Resilience |
By embracing wellness and improving personal resiliency, physicians can reconnect with the meaning of their work and fend off stress. Reducing or eliminating burnout also has practical implications for the entire department such as improving patient safety, student advancement, and the overall campus environment. Visit our Pediatric Well-Being and Resilience website for more. |
