Mission

The mission of the Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine Fellowship Program is to develop strong clinician-educators and high-caliber military officers who are well-prepared for the unique aspects of practice within the Military Health System (MHS). Emphasis is placed on proficiency in the full spectrum of neonatal-perinatal medicine, military systems-based practice, relevant scholarly activity, quality improvement, and leadership.

Vision

The tri-service NCC Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine Fellowship is the premier military neonatology program for training clinically and academically versatile neonatologists ready to fulfill the unique requirements of military and government service.

Aims

1. Acquire an understanding of physiology and pathophysiology for the care of neonates across all gestational ages.
2. Develop the communication skills to educate and counsel families during the prenatal and postnatal period.
3. Acquire the skills that lead to investigation and self-evaluation of patient care, appraisal and assimilation of scientific evidence, and improvements in patient care.
4. Demonstrate a commitment to carrying out professional responsibilities, adherence to ethical principles, and sensitivity to a diverse patient population.
5. Develop academically proficient neonatologist well-prepared to conduct scholarly activity and mentor others through relevant research and quality improvement projects within the MHS.
6. Develop academic and self-study methods to pass neonatology boards.

• Formal didactics are held every Thursday from 1 - 4 p.m.
• The systems-based didactic curriculum aims to repeat itself every two years and includes: high-yield board review, neonatal seminar (lectures and in-depth discussions on topics of academic and clinical relevance), clinical controversy, physiology sessions, Joint Obstetric-Neonatology Morbidity & Mortality (“M&M”) conference, and research updates.
• Journal Club meets monthly on the third Wednesday of each month. Current, relevant journal articles are presented, analyzed, and discussed in-depth by both faculty and fellows. As of AY2023-2024, the three NPM fellowships in the MHS(Tripler Army Medical Center [TAMC], SAUSHEC, and NCC) collaborate annually, with each site hosting throughout the academic year, for joint journal clubs to review landmark articles in Neonatology.
• Clinical Case Conferences (aka “Fellows’ Rounds”) are held weekly in the WRNMMC NICU for on-service fellows. Clinical management strategies and pathophysiology of current NICU cases are discussed.
• Perinatal Conference, held jointly with the Maternal-Fetal Medicine staff and residents, is conducted monthly and includes a brief fellow presentation on a relevant clinical topic, case presentations/discussion, and morbidity and mortality statistics.
• Fellows are encouraged to attend the many additional conferences offered through the Department of Pediatrics and the USUHS. This includes the daily Pediatric Morning Reports, biweekly Pediatric Grand Rounds, USUHS Department of Pediatrics Research Seminar, bimonthly Fellow Core Curriculum lectures, and faculty development sessions. Fellows are also encouraged to attend those conferences specific to their area of scholarly activity.

1-block (optional elective) for Georgetown NICU call shifts (vs WRNMMC).

NICU call is taken in-house. As a general guideline, first-year fellows average six calls per 28-day rotation. Second- and third-year fellows average five calls per rotation. As of AY2023-2024, the program adopted a minimum number of call shifts per academic year:

• PGY4: 56
• PGY5: 50
• PGY6: 50

All Friday nights, Saturdays (24-hour shift), and Sundays (24 hour shift) are covered by fellows. The remainder of the fellow call nights are distributed on weeknights. Staff cover all Wednesday night shifts to ensure maximum fellow participation in Thursday afternoon didactics.

The fellow on clinical service (WRNMMC or outside site) typically takes four calls per month (usually Friday nights) regardless of their level of training.

Fellows are required to complete a military biography and official photo; fellows also complete the Military Medical Humanitarian Assistance Course during fellowship and complete consults in the Global Telehealth Portal, helping military families across the globe. Fellows also receive extensive transport training as military neonatologists are typically coordinating NICU transports across the MHS.

• Basic Life Support
• Pediatric Advanced Life Support
• Neonatal Resuscitation Program
• STABLE program
• Military Medical Humanitarian Assistance Course
• A3 Yellow-Belt (Process Improvement) training
• Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI) Quality
• Safety training

Fellows participate in quarterly simulations in the WRNMMC NICU with the assistance of our Simulation center team and high-fidelity mannequins. Each simulation is followed by a debrief, where fellows can express their thought process and ask questions to increase their fund of knowledge.

Prior to graduation fellows complete the Military Medical Humanitarian Assistance Course at USUHS, as well as throughout their three years of fellowship participate in faculty developmental seminars and their core fellowship curriculum series with all Pediatric subspecialty fellows in the National Capital Consortium.

All fellows will complete a scholarly project during their fellowship. This project will have oversight by the fellow’s Scholarly Oversight Committee (SOC) that meets biannually to ensure adequate progress throughout their training. Current research opportunities include lab (bench-top) research, translational, and clinical research, robust QI/PI projects, and educational curriculum development. Currently, two fellows are pursuing their Master of Health Professions Education (MHPE) as part of their scholarly research work. Ideally, a manuscript of the fellow’s research project will be generated and submitted for publication prior to graduation.

Each fellow is expected to give a poster or oral presentation at a local, regional, or national meeting during fellowship; recent presentations by fellows have been given at the American Academy of Pediatric National Conference (AAP NCE), Pediatric Academic Society (PAS), Society of Critical Care Medicine (SCCM), The Conference on Military Perinatal Research (COMPRA).

All fellows complete a basic curriculum including A3 Yellow-Belt training and completion of the Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI) Basic Certificate in Quality and Safety. Fellows participate in a structured QI project, with updates given to the neonatology division annually.

Fellows are encouraged to complete Faculty Development sessions through the Faculty Affairs Department at USUHS. Faculty development sessions include academic leadership, teaching, allyship, and advanced teaching modules with certificates available in each of these tracks. Professional Development topics are also included in the NCC Pediatric Subspecialty Combined Fellows Core Curriculum. Fellows are supported in completion of professional military education in correspondence, accomplished during their research months throughout training.

• WRNMMC
• Inova Fairfax Hospital
• Shady Grove Medical Center
• Children's National Hospital
• MedStar Georgetown University Hospital

The fellowship program hosts fourth year medical student rotations (USUHS students and HSCP/HPSP students) in the WRNMMC Neonatal Intensive Care Unit through coordination with the Department of Pediatrics/NCC’s pediatric residency program.

All interviews are conducted virtually with tri-service (Army, Navy, and Air Force) applicants. Interviews are offered to all applicants who apply via the Medical Operational Data System.

Program graduates take the American Board of Pediatrics (ABP) Neonatal-Perinatal Certification Exam. This exam is offered every other year. To become fully board certified, applicants are eligible to sit for the board certification exam after they have completed all graduation requirements and have approval from the ABP after review and faculty endorsement of the fellow’s scholarly project.

While on-service, fellows assume the primary teaching responsibility for the rotating residents and medical students as the team leader. The fellows are expected to cover goals and objectives of the rotation at the start date and provide informal and formal feedback to learners through the duration of the rotation. Bedside rounds and other forms of teaching (e.g., whiteboard, PowerPoint, simulation) are expected from the on-service or overnight fellow. Fellows are also encouraged to participate as instructors and small group leaders for USUHS medical student 1st and 2nd year courses.

All our faculty are board certified neonatologists.

All of the program’s fellows select a minimum of three mentors (i.e., one clinical, one research, and one out-of-department or military mentor) throughout their training. These mentors to provide structure and guidance throughout fellowship in work-life balance as well as the rigors of clinical time and scholarly activity”. This statement can stay as it is true. All our faculty are board certified neonatologists. Some staff have additional graduate level education degrees.

Wednesday night call shifts at WRNMMC are covered by a staff neonatologist, giving all fellows a night off prior to didactics on Thursday. This additionally allows time for fellowship collegiality and engagement in social events outside of the hospital. Our fellows and staff share a “WhatsApp” text chain for group camaraderie. Additionally, journal clubs are typically conducted monthly off campus and hosted by a faculty member at their home, a local restaurant, or alternate venue. Our fellows also participate in unstructured social events including baseball games, cookouts and trivia nights are hosted throughout the academic year to further enhance wellness