Leadership Development and Advancement | Overview
Boston Children’s Hospital Pediatric Health Equity Fellowship
The two-year Pediatric Health Equity Fellowship trains physicians to address critical gaps in pediatric health equity research, including studies of social determinants of health, quality, outcomes, and the cost effectiveness of care. This fellowship is co-directed by Jonathan Finkelstein, MD, MPH, and Valerie L. Ward, MD, MPH.
The fellowship:
- Supports completion and publication of studies designed to improve the capacity of Boston Children’s Hospital, and the U.S. health care system more generally, to meet the needs of children and families, with a particular emphasis on those from underrepresented populations/vulnerable populations in the U.S.
- Provides training in research methods and performance improvement methods, including those of implementation science, to optimize care delivery, patient experience, and patient outcomes in real-world settings.
Applications are due the first week of September each year.
Fellowship requirements
This two-year fellowship includes intensive mentorship, a Master’s in Public Health (MPH) in Clinical Effectiveness at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, structured weekly seminars with the Harvard-wide Pediatric Health Services Research Fellowship Program, and leadership forums in minority health policy, faculty development, equity and social justice seminars, and group meetings with the Harvard Medical School Diversity Inclusion and Community Partnership Fellowship in Minority Health Policy.
The fellow will have faculty mentors from both the Office of Health Equity and Inclusion at Boston Children’s and the Harvard-wide Pediatric Health Services Research Fellowship.
The fellow is expected to devote a minimum of 80 percent of their time to research and up to 20 percent on clinical activities. The fellowship covers MPH tuition, and salary is supported by the Sponsoring Division/Department.
Fellowship eligibility
Outstanding postdoctoral clinicians and scientists, as well as faculty members (generalists and subspecialists) based at Boston Children’s Hospital. Individuals who are underrepresented in medicine are encouraged to apply, though all individuals are eligible.
Boston Children’s Hospital Pediatric Health Equity Grant
The Boston Children’s Hospital Pediatric Health Equity Grant is a collaboration between Boston Children’s Medical Staff Organization, the Office of Health Equity and Inclusion, and the Office of Faculty Development. This one-year grant supports innovative projects aimed at promoting equitable health outcomes and reducing health care disparities in the pediatric population.
Eligibility
Boston Children’s faculty who are members of the Medical Staff Organization and an instructor or assistant professor are eligible to apply. While applicants who belong to underrepresented racial/ethnic populations in medicine are encouraged to apply, this is not a requirement for funding. The application cycle runs from January through March for a July 1 start.
Medical Staff Organization Pediatric Health Equity Grant Recipients
Caitlin K. Rollins, MD, SM, received the 2020-2021 Medical Staff Organization Pediatric Health Equity Grant for her research project, “Socioeconomic Status and Fetal Brain Development in Congenital Heart Disease.”
Dr. Rollins is an attending neurologist in the Department of Neurology at Boston Children’s Hospital and an Assistant Professor of Neurology at Harvard Medical School. Her research aims to determine the association between individual- and neighborhood-level socioeconomic status and fetal brain structure in congenital heart disease. This project aims to understand the significance of early social and economic factors on neurodevelopmental outcome in patients with congenital heart disease.
Maya Ilowite, MD, received the inaugural Medical Staff Organization Pediatric Health Equity Grant (2019-2020) for her research project, “Experiences with Home Symptom Management Among Low Socioeconomic Status Parents of Children with Cancer.”
Dr. Ilowite is an instructor in Pediatrics at Harvard Medical School and a practicing physician at Dana-Farber/Boston Children’s Cancer and Blood Disorders Center. Her research explores parents’ experiences managing their child’s symptoms at home. This project aims to better understand barriers and facilitators to effective home symptom management for parents from vulnerable groups.