Bay Area Pediatric Pulmonary Medical Corporation - BAPP

The Bay Area Pediatric Pulmonary (BAPP) Fellowship Program at Children's Hospital & Research Center at Oakland (CHRCO)
Thank you for your interest in the BAPP Pediatric Pulmonary Fellowship, which is a joint program between BAPP and CHRCO. It was started in 2000 and has been continuously accredited by the Accreditation Council of Graduate Medical Education (ACGME). Dr. Karen Hardy has directed the fellowship program since its inception. We are approved by the ACGME to train one fellow per year. Starting with the 2010-2011 academic year, our program joined the National Resident Matching Program (NRMP) as well as the Electronic Residency Application Service (ERAS).

The BAPP Pediatric Pulmonology Fellowship Program at CHRCO is a three year program that trains pediatricians in pediatric pulmonology. Our goal is to educate physicians who not only possess excellent medical and scientific knowledge, but who will also deliver compassionate and empathetic care to pediatric patients and their families. This is accomplished by providing the fellows with a comprehensive experience in both clinical and research training, as well as frequent exposure to a wide variety of acute and chronic pediatric pulmonary disorders.

Time Commitment

First Year	80% clinical	20% scholarly activity

Second Year	20% clinical	80% scholarly activity

Third year	20% clinical	80% scholarly activity

Clinical

Fellows participate in weekly general pulmonary and cystic fibrosis clinics throughout their three years of fellowship. In their first year, the fellow has a total of seven months on the inpatient rotation, including the intensive care unit. The remainder of the year is divided into pulmonary function, sleep, anesthesia and elective rotations. Second and third year fellows have two months on the inpatient rotation. Under the supervision and direction of the attending on service, the fellow is responsible for providing consultation services to pediatric residents and general pediatricians.

Scholarly Activity

All fellowship trainees in pediatric pulmonology are expected to complete a scholarly project during their training. This project must represent novel research in the arena of clinical, epidemiologic or basic science. During their first year, BAPP fellows are encouraged to define a research question and a primary research mentor. Research guidance is also provided by a multidisciplinary Scholarship Oversight Committee (SOC) at CHRCO. During the second year, BAPP fellows have the opportunity to attend a clinical research course to assist in the development of their research protocol. By the end of fellowship, trainees are expected to complete data collection and analysis, and to submit a completed manuscript for publication in a peer reviewed journal. Fellows are encouranged to submit abstracts of their work for presentation at local and national conferences during all three years of training.

Procedure Training

After the successful completion of a flexible bronchoscopy curriculum, the first year fellow begins performing bronchoscopies under the supervision of the attending on service. This learning experience is continued throughout the fellowship. The fellows will learn how to perform and interpret pulmonary function tests (including infant lung function testing and impulse oscillometry) and sleep studies.

Teaching

The fellows and the faculty meet on a regular basis for case presentation, journal club, and the discussion of respiratory physiology and pathophysiology. The fellows develop their teaching skills through routine interaction on the wards, as well as formal teaching sessions with pediatric residents on the pulmonary rotation.

Application Requirements

In addition to the ERAS application, applicants are required to submit a minimum of 3 letters of recommendation using the Standardized Letter of Recommendation (SLOR) (PDF, 24Kb). One letter must be written by either the Pediatric Department Chair or your Residency Program Director. The two additional letters should be written by faculty attendings, one of whom should be a pulmonologist. Letter writers should also submit the ERAS Fellowships - Request for Letter of Recommendation/Cover Sheet (PDF, 300Kb). Please contact Linda Olson at 510-428-3885 ext: 5282 if there are questions about the BAPP application/interview process. Applicants should aslo submit an electronic copy of their curriculum vitae, personal statement, and transcripts from medical school to LOlson@mail.cho.org

Application Timeline

December 1, 2010 - Applications can be submitted to ERAS
December 31, 2010 - Final day for submitting applications for BAPP/CHRCO Pediatric Pulmonary Fellowship Program
January 2011 - BAPP evaluates candidates and selectively invites applicants to interview. Due to the number of applicants, not all who apply can be invited to interview.
February - March 2011 - Interviews
April 2011 - Candidates will be ranked based on their application/interview
June 2011 - NRMP match results published
July 1, 2011 - BAPP/CHRCO Pediatric Pulmonary Fellowship begins

Pediatric Pulmonary Fellowship Manual

The Pediatric Pulmonary Fellowship Manual and the CHRCO Fellowship Manual are excellent resources for learning more about the fellowship program and our policies. Please consult these manuals for any questions that you may have. If you have questions about the application or interview process, or specific questions that are not answered by the manuals, feel free to contact Linda Olson at 510-428-3885 ext: 5282.

Pediatric Pulmonary Fellowship Manual (PDF, 311Kb)

CHRCO Fellowship Manual (PDF, 256Kb)

In Their Own Words: The Pulmonary Fellowship at CHRCO

Dr. Maria Vernadette Ofreneo, pediatric pulmonologist at Santa Clara Valley Medical Center, San Jose, CA:

"I am grateful for the pulmonary training I got at CHRCO under the directorship of Dr. Hardy. Although I missed exposure to lung transplant, overall, the Fellowship program and the variety of cases at CHRCO provided me an excellent, well-rounded training. Dr Hardy gave me some free-hand on doing some minor modifications in my schedule/program to help strengthen any weak areas. I had lots of opportunities to do bronchoscopy, both routine and challenging cases. The sleep laboratory was well equipped and provided me with sufficient training on sleep disordered breathing in pediatrics. The CF program is well run and impressed upon me the importance of a good CF team to take care of a CF patient. The PICU, NICU, various wards, and my pulmonary and sleep clinics at CHRCO abound with rich clinical materials, including unusual, challenging cases. I was very fortunate to have Dr Hardy and a good complement of 5 other dedicated pulmonary attendings as my mentors during my Fellowship training."

Dr. Manisha Newaskar, pediatric pulmonary attending at CHRCO/BAPP:

"Children’s Hospital Oakland offers a comprehensive pulmonary fellowship program that includes a good balance between research and clinical experience. Dr. Hardy and other pulmonary attendings believe in extensive hands-on experience and bedside teaching. During my training, I was exposed to a wide spectrum of pathology including rare disorders. Numerous bronchoscopy opportunities allowed me to gain proficiency in handling challenging patients. The program allows for dedicated time with flexible options for basic or clinical research. I am fortunate to continue my association with the program as an attending physician after my fellowship."