Pediatric Surgery
Program Director
Rajeev Prasad, MD - Director of Minimally Invasive Surgery
Faculty Members
Marshall Z. Schwartz, MD - Professor of Pediatrics and Pediatrics, Surgeon-in-Chief, Chief of Pediatric Surgery, Associate Program Director
Matthew L. Moront, MD - Assistant Professor of Surgery and Pediatrics, Director of Trauma, Co-Director of ECMO
L. Grier Arthur, MD - Assistant Professor of Surgery and Pediatrics, Director of Medical Student Clerkships, Director of Rotating Surgery Residents, Director of Intestinal Rehabilitation Program, Children's Oncology Group Representative
Shaheen J. Timmapuri, MD - Assistant Professor of Surgery and Pediatrics, Co-Director of Regional Fetal Evaluation Center
Helena Crowley, MD - Assistant Professor of Surgery and Pediatrics, Attending Pediatric Surgeon
Program Overview
The pediatric surgery training program at St. Christopher's Hospital for Children covers the broad didactic and clinical field of Pediatric Surgery. Incorporated in the two year clinical program is the expansive variety of surgical procedures in the pediatric age group, with a high volume of neonatal and minimally invasive surgery cases. This includes abdominal and retroperitoneal surgical problems, noncardiac thoracic surgical anomalies, tumors and infections, neck masses, endoscopy, and urologic surgical procedures. The program includes a major exposure to the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) and the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) and the neonatology and intensivist faculty and fellows. We also have a very active ECMO program. St. Christopher's is a designated Level I Pediatric Trauma Center and has the only dedicated pediatric burn center in the area. Fellows are required to attend office hours in the surgery clinic in order to become familiar with the outpatient aspects of pediatric surgery, including preoperative evaluation and postoperative care.
This is a clinical fellowship covering the broad spectrum of pediatric surgery. Emphasis is on the pre-, post- and intraoperative management of pediatric surgical patients from birth to age 21. Fellows receive extensive experience in surgical procedures for complex congenital malformations as well as routine pediatric surgical conditions. They manage all patients on the Pediatric Surgery Service with attending supervision, including patients in the NICU, PICU, and on the surgical floors. The curriculum for our conferences covers the full scope of pediatric surgery. This provides a strong foundation for pediatric surgical training.
There is no specific research time allotted during the fellowship. However, the pediatric surgery faculty members support and encourage fellows to prepare and present clinical projects at regional, national, or international meetings.
On-call coverage is divided between two clinical fellows, two PGY-4 general surgery rotating residents and one or two research fellows. The first-year fellow is given the opportunity to attend the Anorectal Malformations (Pena) and APSA meetings while the second year fellow is given the opportunity to attend the Advanced MIS and AAP meetings. Both fellows may consider attending an alternative course such as the St. Jude Oncology Course, or one of several other courses offered nationally. This coursework is sponsored by the Graduate Medical Education Office.
Board certification eligibility upon fellowship completion: American Board of Surgery, Special Qualifications in Pediatric Surgery
Length of fellowship: 2 years
Number of positions available: 1 per year
Application Requirements
Prerequisites
- Doctor of Medicine or Osteopathy
- Completion of chief residency in an ACGME or equivalent approved general surgery residency
- Eligibility to take qualifying examination in General Surgery
- Advanced Trauma Life Support Certification
- Pediatric Advanced Life Support
- Current Pennsylvania state medical license
Candidates applying to the Pediatric Surgery Match must be registered with the National Resident Matching program (NRMP) and can submit their application and related application documents through the Electronic Residency Application Service (ERAS).
The following materials are required to complete your application:
- Curriculum vitae
- Personal statement
- Minimum of three letters of recommendation
- USMLE Score Report
- ABSITE Score Report
Application Deadline
For More Information, Contact
Kimberly Abrams, Program Coordinator
Department of Surgery
St. Christopher's Hospital for Children
3601 A Street
Philadelphia, PA. 19134
Phone: (215) 427-5446
Fax: (215) 427-4616
Kimberly.Abrams@tenethealth.com
