Hospital Medicine Fellowship Program, Orlando
Program Overview
Nemours Children’s Hospital, Florida (NCHFL) is a state-of-the-art, freestanding pediatric tertiary care facility located in Orlando’s beautiful Lake Nona Medical City. The hospital currently operates 130 inpatient beds serving an increasingly complex, diverse pediatric patient population. Our pediatric hospital medicine (PHM) fellows work alongside board-certified pediatric hospital medicine faculty in the dedicated care of hospitalized children, with 24/7 faculty coverage split amongst 11 full-time hospital medicine physicians and 2 full-time nurse practitioners.
The larger interdisciplinary team at NCHFL is comprised of child life therapists, dieticians, palliative care professionals, mental health professionals, care coordination and utilization management personnel, pharmacists, physical and occupational therapists, speech and language pathology therapists, public health liaisons, respiratory therapists, social workers, case managers and nurse navigators. The presence of this robust interprofessional team ensures maximal patient interface, critical thinking, and medical decision making for the pediatric hospital medicine fellow, while promoting progressive autonomy and enhancing interprofessional relationships.
The inpatient population at NCHFL is incredibly diverse in age, acuity, physiology, underlying medical disease and complexity of care. It is also robust, with children who live with chronic conditions and technology dependence. The average daily census on the inpatient service is 35 patients with 2 dedicated teaching teams capped at 15 patients per team.
Throughout the inpatient experience at NCHFL, fellows will work along pediatric resident physicians from the core pediatric program. Fellows will be encouraged to contribute to the residency educational experience through didactics teaching, interprofessional simulation workshops, quality improvement initiatives, feedback sessions and curricular development. While working on the inpatient service, fellows will assume a supervisory role, effectively taking on the responsibilities of a hospital medicine attending physician, with the added support and supervision of a board-certified hospitalist. Attending faculty will provide graduated autonomy while ensuring acquisition of critical knowledge and demonstration of clinical competency within a culture of evidence-based learning.
Several additional departments at NCHFL (Surgery, Radiology, Pathology, Anesthesia, Cardiovascular Services, Orthopedic Surgery and Maternal Fetal Medicine) are additionally invested in the clinical learning environment, unanimously providing educational and scholarship opportunities for our residents and fellows.
Mission and Aims
Mission
The PHM Fellowship Program’s mission is to train caring, compassionate physicians who are competent to provide the highest level of pediatric medical care for neonates, infants, children and adolescents; advocate for children and their families in terms of social, emotional and medical needs; address the social determinants of health for children; and have the requisite skills and scientific background to pursue careers in academic-driven pediatric hospital medicine.
Aims
To achieve our mission, the program aims to:
- Recruit highly qualified pediatricians to an academic pediatric fellowship program that embraces diversity, inclusion and equity as its core values.
- Foster critical thinking based on medical and scientific data, and provide the educational tools required for the fellows to acquire knowledge for expertise in their subspecialty field.
- Provide a curriculum of fundamental information concerning pediatric hospital medicine, which allows the fellow to develop deep medical knowledge, patient care skills and expertise in pediatric hospital medicine.
- Supervise, monitor and facilitate the educational process to assure fellows are well prepared to achieve their professional goals, including but not limited to, proficient subspecialty clinical practice, educational leadership opportunities, and contribution to meaningful scholarship at the completion of their fellowship training.
- Provide robust education regarding the social determinants of children's health to ensure that fellows recognize the broad influence of social and economic disparities on health and health care policy in their daily clinical practice, educational opportunities and scholarship portfolios.
- Recruit high-caliber pediatric academic faculty physicians who have the knowledge and expertise to provide a robust clinical learning environment with their programmatic niches and scholarship portfolios.
- Curriculum
- Salary & Benefits
- Location & Living
- Faculty & Fellows
- Apply
Our Fellowship Program
The 2-year program is designed to meet ACGME training requirements in pediatric hospital medicine, while allowing fellows to adapt specific training based on career goals.
Clinical inpatient pediatrics training includes:
- Clinical and teaching rounds on general inpatient teams at a freestanding tertiary children’s hospital
- Clinical and teaching rounds at a community hospital (Lakeland Regional Medical Center)
- Well newborn nursery
- Pediatric critical care
- Surgical co-management of children with medical complexity
- Resident and medical student teaching
- Administrative experience
- Development of a CV and Educational and/or Advocacy portfolios
Additional clinical elective experiences are available depending on interest, including:
- Allergy/Immunology
- Anesthesia/Pain Management
- Cardiac ICU
- Cardiology
- Child Advocacy/Child Abuse
- Endocrinology
- Gastroenterology
- Hematology/Oncology
- Infectious Disease
- Medical Education
- Neonatal ICU
- Nephrology
- Neurology
- Pediatric Emergency Medicine
- Pediatric Radiology
- Pulmonology
- Rehabilitation/Therapy Services
- Rheumatology
- Sedation
- Transport Medicine
Salary & Benefits
Salary
- PGY 4: $78,837.02
- PGY 5: $81,552.83
- PGY 6: $84,273.88
Benefits
- $1,000 educational stipend
- Research funds for poster presentations
- 4 weeks of vacation per year
- Paid training medical license and fingerprinting fees
- Access to Tend Health, a confidential mental health services platform with no billing of insurance or out-of-pocket expenses
- Health insurance
- Dental insurance
- Vision insurance
- Life and AD&D insurance
- Voluntary insurance plans
- Paid short-term disability insurance
- Long term disability
- Malpractice insurance
- Medical and dependent flexible spending accounts
- 6 weeks paid parental leave
- On-site gym
- Free parking
- Retirement plans
About Our Hospital in Florida
Nemours Children’s Hospital, Florida (NCHFL) is a state-of-the-art freestanding pediatric tertiary care facility located in Orlando’s Lake Nona Medical City. The hospital is part of Nemours Children’s Health and funded by the Nemours Foundation. The hospital is currently operating 130 inpatient beds serving pediatric patients from birth to 18 years as well as a 20 bed Emergency Department that served over 40,000 visits during the past academic year. The institution has more than 180 pediatric medical and surgical faculty physicians caring for an incredibly vulnerable and diverse patient population from across central Florida.
As an institution, NCHFL has received national recognition for its quality, safety and technology infrastructure as evidenced by receiving the Leapfrog Group Award 5 times since opening its doors. Furthermore, NCH has made the "Most Wired" list on multiple occasions and has been designated as a Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS) Stage 7 organization, which acknowledges the highest level of achievement awarded to an organization in regard to improving patient safety, increasing patient satisfaction, support of the clinical teams and ensuring data security.
Virtual Tour of Nemours Children's Hospital, Florida
Get a sense of what it's like at our amazing hospital.
Living in Orlando’s Lake Nona Medical City
Just steps from the hospital doors, you’ll discover the beautiful Lake Nona Town Center, which serves as the hub of Lake Nona. As a regional shopping and entertainment destination, Lake Nona Town Center has a distinct pulse where residents and visitors gather to socialize and unwind. It serves as the perfect fit for both young single professionals and families alike. The Town Center features boutiques, hotels, public art and event venues to inspire and delight. This modern-day entertainment destination includes the Lake Nona Wave Hotel — the world’s most technologically-advanced hotel, the Lake Nona Performance Club, world-renowned art collection on display in the Lake Nona Sculpture Garden, multiple office buildings, Courtyard by Marriott® and Residence Inn, parking garages defined by iconic art installations, Boxi Park at Lake Nona, Chroma Modern Bar + Kitchen, Park Pizza & Brewing Co., Bosphorous Turkish Cuisine, Ivory Salon and The Master Barber Experience, and more.
Orlando, Florida
Orlando is the most-visited city in the nation. It’s the home of Walt Disney World®, Universal Studios, SeaWorld® Orlando, Disney Springs, and Downtown Orlando — all accessible by car within 30 minutes of NCHFL.
Orlando is much more than a tourist destination for theme parks. It is exploding with art and culture. The Dr. Phillips Center hosts ballet, opera, comedy, musicals, jazz and theater. There is dining ranging from James Beard award-winning chefs preparing meals for a sophisticated palate to the food truck scene with adventurous culinary delights. Orlando is home to the Orlando Magic, Orlando City Soccer Club, and hosts many national and international sporting competitions. The Orlando Museum of Art tops the list of museums in the area, but there are photography, folk art and sculpture exhibitions throughout the region.
These are just a few of the reasons that Forbes and U.S. News & World Report have ranked it among the top cities to live. Among the varied communities, you’ll find everything from devoutly religious to casually spiritual. Also, Orlando is one of the fastest growing Spanish-speaking cities in America. There’s also celebration and support of the LGBTQ community, with plenty of events, like Gay Days at Disney World.
There is no state income tax in Florida. For more data about living in Orlando, such as current details on housing costs and school rankings, go to Sperling’s Best Places.
NCHFL is conveniently located 7 miles from Orlando International Airport. In less than 1 hour, you can escape to Cocoa Beach, embark on a cruise from Port Canaveral, or launch a boat in one of Central Florida’s many nature-rich lakes. The day trips described on Florida Backroads Travel can all be reached within 100 miles. View them at your leisure at Florida Backroads Travel.
Faculty
Meet Our Clinical Leadership
Elizabeth Donner, MD, FAAP (she/her/hers)
Pediatric Hospital Medicine Fellowship Director
Pediatric Hospitalist, Division of General Pediatrics, Nemours Children’s Hospital, Florida
Assistant Professor of Pediatrics, University of Central Florida
elizabeth.donner@nemours.org
Dr. Elizabeth (“Liz”) Donner is a board-certified pediatric hospitalist at Nemours Children's Hospital in Florida, where she serves as the Fellowship Program Director for Pediatric Hospital Medicine. Dr. Donner earned a Bachelor of Science degree at the University of Minnesota followed by completion of medical school in her home state at the University of North Dakota. From there, she attended the University of Florida for residency training followed by a two-year fellowship in pediatric hospital medicine though Baylor College of Medicine. She served as the local lead for the American Academy of Pediatrics 2020–2021 National Quality Improvement Initiative (BASiC) and was the recipient of the 2021 SOECP Excellence in Education Award from the American Academy of Pediatrics. She enjoys facilitating simulation center workshops, presenting evidence-based material for trainees and encouraging ample resident autonomy in the inpatient clinical setting.
Furthermore, Dr. Donner is the founder and sole operator of My Friend the Pediatrician, a social media platform designed to combat online misinformation and deliver practical, evidence-based education to the public. Since its creation in 2018, her Facebook page has grown to over 42,000 followers consisting of parents, nurses, advanced practitioners, medical trainees and physicians alike. A single post on her page has the proven potential to reach over 800,000 viewers. Dr. Donner has been invited to present her social media experience at various national conferences and has hosted multiple hospital grand round presentations regarding this work as well. She is a member of the AAP's Council on Communications and Media and completed Social Media Residency training at Mayo Clinic. She maintains a paid position on the Medical Advisory Board for babycenter.com and has a true passion for delivering online health care information that parents and providers can trust in the modern era of technology.
Meet Our Program Faculty
Ryan Brogan, DO
Division Chief, Pediatric Hospital Medicine
Pediatric Hospitalist, Division of General Pediatrics, Nemours Children’s Hospital, Florida
Assistant Professor of Pediatrics, University of Central Florida
Johanna Kielbasa, MD
Co-Director Pediatric Clerkship University of Central Florida College of Medicine
Pediatric Hospitalist, Division of General Pediatrics, Nemours Children’s Hospital, Florida
Associate Professor of Pediatrics, University of Central Florida
Syed Ali, MD
Medical Director, Nemours Children’s Observation Unit
Pediatric Hospitalist, Division of General Pediatrics, Nemours Children’s Hospital, Florida
Associate Professor of Pediatrics, University of Central Florida
Rebecca Gill, MD
Graduate Medical Education Liaison, Nemours Pediatric Residency Program
Pediatric Hospitalist, Division of General Pediatrics, Nemours Children’s Hospital, Florida
Assistant Professor of Pediatrics, University of Central Florida College of Medicine
Usa Kopsombut, MD, MS
Physician Health Informaticist, Nemours Children’s Health, Lake Nona
Pediatric Hospitalist, Division of General Pediatrics, Nemours Children’s Hospital, Florida
Associate Professor of Pediatrics, University of Central Florida
John Sarandria, MD, MS
Quality Champions Program Manager, Nemours Children’s Hospital
Pediatric Hospitalist, Division of General Pediatrics, Nemours Children’s Hospital, Florida
Associate Professor of Pediatrics, University of Central Florida
Vi Ngo, DO
Pediatric Hospitalist, Division of General Pediatrics, Nemours Children’s Hospital, Florida
Assistant Professor of Pediatrics, University of Central Florida
Magdalena Struk, MD
Pediatric Hospitalist, Division of General Pediatrics, Nemours Children’s Hospital, Florida
Assistant Professor of Pediatrics, University of Central Florida
Anoop Palta, MD, MBA
Pediatric Hospitalist, Division of General Pediatrics, Nemours Children’s Hospital, Florida
Assistant Professor of Pediatrics, University of Central Florida
Amit Patel, MD
Pediatric Emergency Medicine Physician, Nemours Children’s Hospital, Florida
Director, Point of Care Ultrasound
Director, GME Quality and Safety, Nemours Children’s Hospital, Florida
Assistant Professor of Emergency Medicine and Pediatrics, University of Central Florida
Timothy Gompf, MD
Site Director, Lakeland Regional Medical Center, Community Hospital Medicine Rotation
Pediatric Hospitalist, Division of General Pediatrics, Lakeland Regional Medical Center
Meet Our Fellows
First-Year Fellow: Tryphina Mikhail, MD
Undergrad: University of Central Florida
Medical School: University of Central Florida College of Medicine
Residency: Nemours Children's Hospital, Florida
Second-Year Fellow: Samantha Kennedy, MD
Undergrad: Hendrix College
Medical School: Cooper Medical School of Rowan University
Residency: Nemours Children's Hospital, Florida
How to Apply
Electronic Residency Application Service® (ERAS®)
Our program accepts applications through ERAS according to the ERAS Fellowship Application Timeline. Applicants may begin submitting applications on July 3, 2024. We will continue to review completed applications that are submitted prior to October 1, 2024.
Deadline for Application Consideration: October 1, 2024
Training Begins: July 1, 2025
Application Requirements
A completed application consists of the following:
- ERAS application
- Curriculum vitae
- One (1) page personal statement
- Current passport-sized photograph
- Three (3) letters of recommendation
- USMLE or COMPLEX scores
- ECFMG and/or TOEFL if applicable
Learn more about applying for fellowship through ERAS.
Still have questions about applying?
Michelle Pizarro (she/her/hers)
GME Coordinator
Nemours Children's Health, Lake Nona
michelle.pizarro@nemours.org