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Essentials of neonatal-perinatal medicine fellowship: innovations in medical education

Journal of Perinatology volume 42, pages 677–682 (2022)Cite this article

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Abstract

Due to the changing complex healthcare environment, educational innovation is essential to meet the needs of current and future neonatal-perinatal medicine (NPM) leaders. Greater clinical demands, decreased academic funding, and expanded graduate medical education program requirements have negatively impacted time for teaching and educational scholarship potentially limiting innovation in the field. By focusing on adult learning principles, embracing technology, and promoting collaboration, today’s educators are preparing the next generation of neonatologists. Current innovations include regionalizing simulation boot camps, leveraging virtual learning to increase accessibility, developing niche training opportunities, and incorporating population health principles within existing quality initiatives. Areas in need of additional innovation include faculty and fellow development for teaching skills, expansion of educational networks, and dissemination and financial support of educational scholarship. These efforts and future innovations will require medical institutions and national NPM organizations to further invest in the medical educator as part of their missions.

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Fig. 1: Priorities for national efforts to innovate neonatology education.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Division of Neonatology, Department of Pediatrics, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA

    Brittany Schwarz

  2. Division of Neonatology and Developmental Biology, David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, USA

    Josephine Enciso

  3. Department of Pediatrics, University of Washington School of Medicine, Seattle, WA, USA

    Megan Gray

  4. Department of Pediatrics, Robert Larner, MD College of Medicine, University of Vermont, Burlington, VT, USA

    Deirdre O’Reilly

  5. Department of Pediatrics, West Virginia University School of Medicine, Morgantown, WV, USA

    M. Cody Smith

  6. Department of Pediatrics, University of Michigan Medical School, Michigan Medicine, Ann Arbor, MI, USA

    Kate Stanley

  7. Department of Pediatrics, UH Rainbow Babies and Children’s Hospital, Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, Cleveland, OH, USA

    Allison Payne

  8. Department of Pediatrics, Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA

    Heather French & Mackenzie Frost

  9. Nationwide Children’s Hospital, The Ohio State University College of Medicine, Columbus, OH, USA

    Kris Reber & Elizabeth Bonachea

  10. Department of Pediatrics, New York University Grossman School of Medicine, New York, NY, USA

    Erin Cicalese & Robert Angert

  11. Department of Pediatrics, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, PA, USA

    Karena Lawrence

  12. Department of Pediatrics, University of North Carolina School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, NC, USA

    Melissa Bauserman

  13. St. Louis Children’s Hospital, Washington University School of Medicine, St Louis, MO, USA

    Misty Good & Jennifer Wambach

  14. Division of Neonatology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA

    Melissa Carbajal

  15. Division of Neonatology, Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Nashville, TN, USA

    Maria Gillam-Krakauer

  16. Department of Pediatrics, Children’s Mercy Kansas City, University of Missouri School of Medicine, Kansas City, MO, USA

    Jotishna Sharma

  17. Department of Pediatrics, University of Connecticut School of Medicine; Division of Neonatology, Connecticut Children’s, Farmington, CT, USA

    Jennifer Trzaski

  18. Department of Pediatrics, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT, USA

    Lindsay Johnston

  19. Departments of Pediatrics, University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry, Rochester, NY, USA

    Patricia Chess & Rita Dadiz

  20. Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry, Rochester, NY, USA

    Patricia Chess

  21. Department of Pediatrics, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA

    Alison Falck

  22. Division of Neonatology, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC, USA

    Susan Izatt

  23. Department of Pediatrics, Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis, IN, USA

    Sara Kane

  24. Department of Pediatrics, West Virginia University School of Medicine, Morgantown, WV, USA

    Autumn Kiefer

  25. Department of Pediatrics, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA

    Kristen Leeman

  26. Department of Pediatrics, Hackensack Meridian Health School of Medicine, Nutley, NJ, USA

    Sabrina Malik

  27. Department of Pediatrics, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL, USA

    Patrick Myers

  28. Department of Pediatrics, Division of Neonatology, University at Buffalo, Buffalo, NY, USA

    Jayasree Nair

  29. Department of Pediatrics, University of Washington School of Medicine, Seattle, WA, USA

    Taylor Sawyer

  30. Division of Neonatology, University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, San Antonio, TX, USA

    Margarita Vasquez

  31. Department of Pediatrics, University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, Madison, WI, USA

    C. Lydia Wraight

Authors
  1. Brittany Schwarz
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  2. Josephine Enciso
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  3. Megan Gray
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  4. Deirdre O’Reilly
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  5. M. Cody Smith
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  6. Kate Stanley
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  7. Allison Payne
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Consortia

ONTPD Fellowship Directors Writing Group

  • Heather French
  • , Kris Reber
  • , Erin Cicalese
  • , Karena Lawrence
  • , Melissa Bauserman
  • , Misty Good
  • , Melissa Carbajal
  • , Robert Angert
  • , Maria Gillam-Krakauer
  • , Jotishna Sharma
  • , Elizabeth Bonachea
  • , Jennifer Trzaski
  • , Lindsay Johnston
  • , Patricia Chess
  • , Rita Dadiz
  • , Alison Falck
  • , Mackenzie Frost
  • , Susan Izatt
  • , Sara Kane
  • , Autumn Kiefer
  • , Kristen Leeman
  • , Sabrina Malik
  • , Patrick Myers
  • , Jayasree Nair
  • , Taylor Sawyer
  • , Margarita Vasquez
  • , Jennifer Wambach
  •  & C. Lydia Wraight

Contributions

BS conceptualized, drafted, reviewed, and revised the paper, and provided oversight for all phases of manuscript preparation. JE, MG, DO, MCS, KS and AP conceptualized, drafted, reviewed, and revised the paper. HF, KL, JW, SK, and KR critically reviewed the paper. Consortium authors conceptualized the paper.

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Brittany Schwarz.

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Competing interests

All authors have a leadership position within their respective neonatal-perinatal medicine fellowship training program. There are no competing interests.

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Cite this article

Schwarz, B., Enciso, J., Gray, M. et al. Essentials of neonatal-perinatal medicine fellowship: innovations in medical education. J Perinatol 42, 677–682 (2022). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41372-021-01126-2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41372-021-01126-2

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