Pediatric Rehabilitation Medicine Fellowship

The Pediatric Rehabilitation Medicine Fellowship at Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital provides extensive training in the prevention, diagnosis, treatment, and management of congenital and childhood-onset conditions affecting function. Fellows gain exposure to the full spectrum of pediatric rehabilitation medicine care, guided by expert pediatric rehabilitation medicine physicians at Spaulding, Boston Children’s Hospital (BCH), and Mass General for Children (MGfC).

The fellowship is accredited by the American College of Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) and satisfies the clinical educational requirements to sit for the American Board of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation Pediatric Rehabilitation Medicine Board exam to obtain board certification in pediatric rehabilitation medicine.

Fellows are exposed to pediatric rehabilitation medicine in outpatient clinics, an inpatient rehabilitation unit, and inpatient acute care consultation services. Supplemental education is provided through regular didactics and journal clubs. Fellows also have the opportunity to teach peers and trainees by giving a Grand Rounds presentation and teaching at resident didactics.

Fellowship Program Highlights

The Pediatric Rehabilitation Medicine Fellowship offers a rich and diverse experience for fellows:

Expert, diverse faculty: Fellows benefit from the diverse expertise of multiple faculty members across different hospitals.
Hands-on experience: The program emphasizes practical experience with procedures, ensuring fellows develop proficiency and confidence in their clinical skills.
Flexibility and elective opportunities: The program includes elective time, allowing fellows to tailor their learning to their interests and career goals, while meeting graduation requirements and preparing for the transition into clinical practice.
Supportive and approachable environment: Our faculty fosters a welcoming and collaborative environment.
Valuing fellow feedback: We actively incorporate feedback from fellows to improve the program on a regular basis.
Additional highlights:
- Fellows choose their own career and research mentors to guide their career and research efforts.
- Comprehensive resources support fellows’ physical and mental well-being.
- Spaulding Adaptive Sports Centers offers opportunities to participate in a robust adaptive sports program.

More About the Pediatric Rehabilitation Fellowship

Clinical Learning

Our program offers diverse clinical experiences with the pediatric rehabilitation medicine team, including interdisciplinary clinics and rounds. Fellows work across different settings, such as interdisciplinary and general pediatric rehabilitation clinics, operating rooms, and inpatient consult services for cardiac and general pediatric rehabilitation medicine. They learn from attending physicians and collaborate with specialists in orthopedic surgery, neurology, complex care pediatrics, and many others.

Fellows acquire skills in botulinum toxin injections, phenol injections, and baclofen pump management. They participate in rotations with specialties including palliative care, neurology, orthopedics, and complex care pediatrics.

Didactics/Journal Club

Our fellowship includes a robust didactic curriculum with expert lecturers on a wide range of pediatric rehabilitation topics.

Fellows participate in a journal club, leading discussions on research articles with guidance from a supervising attending physician. Additional learning opportunities include Spaulding Grand Rounds and the Spaulding Residency Lecture Series. Fellows also teach peers and trainees by giving a Grand Rounds presentation and teaching at resident didactics.

Clinical Facilities

Inpatient

The Spaulding Pediatric Rehabilitation Inpatient Unit is a 12-bed, Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities (CARF)-accredited unit where pediatric rehabilitation medicine physicians and the interdisciplinary pediatric rehabilitation team care for infants through adolescents with a wide range of rehabilitation diagnoses.

Outpatient

The fellowship provides extensive outpatient exposure through various pediatric rehabilitation and multidisciplinary/interdisciplinary clinics at Spaulding, BCH, and MGfC. Fellows have a continuity clinic at Spaulding, where they care for their own patient panel under the supervision of an attending physician, easing the transition to attending clinical practice after graduation.

Program and Curriculum Overview

Our fellows meet the ACGME requirements for clinical and research experiences in pediatric rehabilitation medicine.

Curriculum Overview

Year 1

Inpatient: 4 months
Outpatient: 4 months
Consults: 1 month
Pediatric Orthopedics: 1 month
Research: 1 month
Pediatric Palliative Care: 2 weeks
Pediatric Stroke (Neurology): 2 weeks

Year 2

Inpatient: 3 months
Outpatient: 3 months
Consults: 1 month
Research: 1 month
Elective: 2 months
Complex Care Pediatrics: 2 weeks
Pediatric Ventilatory Care Program: 2 weeks
Pediatric Rheumatology: 2 weeks
Pediatric Sports Medicine: 2 weeks

Inpatient

Fellows spend time in the Spaulding Pediatric Rehabilitation Unit, caring for pediatric patients in the acute inpatient rehabilitation setting. Early in the fellowship, the focus is on learning inpatient pediatric rehabilitation medicine. As fellows progress, they advance their inpatient skills and work with junior trainees, including residents and medical students, enhancing their teaching skills.

Fellows also have the opportunity to learn about other inpatient settings, including long-term acute care and skilled nursing facility care, through our local connections with other institutions.

Outpatient

During the outpatient month, fellows develop skills in procedures and the interpretation of gait/motion analysis laboratory studies. Interested fellows can attend an outreach clinic in Vermont to learn about outpatient care in rural settings.

Fellows spend time in various specialty clinics, many of which are interdisciplinary or multidisciplinary, including:

Assisted Arm Robotic Movement Clinic
Brachial Plexus/Upper Extremity Clinic
Brain Injury Clinic
Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy Clinic
Equipment Clinic
Hemophilia Clinic
Leukodystrophy Clinic
Myelitis Clinic
Neonatal Intensive Care Unit Follow-up Clinic
Neuromuscular Conditions Clinic
Pediatric Intensive Care Unit Follow-up Clinic
Spina Bifida Clinic
Spinal Muscular Atrophy Clinic
Stroke Clinic

Continuity Clinic

Fellows participate in a continuity clinic at Spaulding twice a month, mentored by an attending physician. Continuity clinic provides fellows the opportunity to follow their own patients throughout their training. In some cases, fellows may care for the same patient on the consult service, on the inpatient unit, and in their continuity clinic.

Procedures

Throughout the fellowship, fellows gain expertise in a variety of procedures, including:

Baclofen pump dose adjustments
Baclofen pump refills
Baclofen pump troubleshooting (side port access, dye studies, etc.)
Botulinum toxin injections
Electrodiagnostic studies (nerve conduction studies/electromyography)
Phenol neurolysis
Serial casting

Consults

Fellows work with three separate pediatric rehabilitation medicine consult services to learn the skills required for acute care:

General Pediatric Rehabilitation Medicine Consult Service (Boston Children’s Hospital),
Pediatric Cardiac Rehabilitation Consult Service (Boston Children’s Hospital)
Pediatric Rehabilitation Medicine Consult Service (Mass General for Children)

Specialty Rotations

Fellows rotate with specialists in complex care pediatrics, pediatric neurology, pediatric orthopedics, pediatric palliative care, pediatric rheumatology, pediatric sports medicine, and pediatric ventilatory care. Additional specialty exposure can be gained during elective time.

Gait/Motion Analysis Laboratory

Fellows receive hands-on experience in gait and motion analysis at Spaulding’s Gait and Motion Analysis Laboratory, complemented by interactive lectures and workshops.

Elective Time

The second year of fellowship includes two months of elective time, allowing fellows to explore areas of interest. This time can be used to focus on clinical care, research, and/or medical education.

Clinical Care: Fellow can cultivate expertise in specific areas of pediatric rehabilitation medicine by spending extra time with physicians or related specialists, such as complex care pediatrics, neonatology, pediatrics, pediatric intensive care, pediatric neurology, pediatric neurosurgery, pediatric orthopedics, pediatric pain medicine, pediatric palliative care, pediatric rheumatology, pediatric urology, and pediatric ventilatory care.
Research and Medical Education: Opportunities are available through Harvard Medical School, Spaulding, BCH, and MGH.
Creative Use of Elective Time: The fellowship is open to creative use of elective time to best support a fellow’s learning. Fellows work closely with the program director for approval of elective month proposals.

Tour the Inpatient Pediatric Unit at Spaulding

Located at our flagship hospital in Charlestown, our 12-bed unit offers private rooms, specialized therapy gyms, a family lounge and other treatment areas with beautiful views of Boston.

Our program follows a model of family-centered care where each patient has an individualized treatment plan provided by our team of world-class medical and rehabilitation specialists.

Requirements and Applications

To be eligible for this program, applicants must have completed either a four-year, ACGME–accredited physical medicine and rehabilitation residency program or a five-year, ACGME–accredited combined program in pediatrics and physical medicine and rehabilitation.

Our program accepts applications via the Electronic Residency Application Service (ERAS). To be considered for our program, applicants must register for the National Resident Matching Program (NRMP) Match.

Applications should include the following:

Three letters of recommendation (including one from your residency program director)

A personal statement

Your curriculum vitae

Dean’s letter or medical student performance evaluation (MSPE)

Medical school transcript

United States Medical Licensing Exam (USMLE) or Comprehensive Osteopathic Medical Licensing Examination of the United States (COMLEX) transcripts

For questions, please contact Megan Gentile, MPH, at mgentile6@mgb.org.

Meet Our Physicians

Mary Dubon, MD
Program Director
Associate Director, Kelley Adaptive Sports Research Institute

Brian Wishart, DO
Associate Program Director
Outpatient Medical Director

Susan Quinn, MD
Inpatient Medical Director

Meet Our Alumni

Nadia Alwasiah, MD, American Hospital Dubai, Dubai, United Arab Emirates

Victoria Dufour, DO, Encompass Health

Emily Kivlehan, MD, Shirley Ryan Ability Lab

Patricia Orme, MD, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia

Becky Siegel, MD, Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital/Boston Children’s Hospital

Jennifer Wu, MD, PhD, Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital/Boston Children’s Hospital

Pediatric Rehabilitation Medicine Fellowship

Fellowship Program Highlights

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More About the Pediatric Rehabilitation Fellowship

Clinical Learning

Didactics/Journal Club

Clinical Facilities

Inpatient

Outpatient

Program and Curriculum Overview

Curriculum Overview

Inpatient

Outpatient

Continuity Clinic

Procedures

Consults

Specialty Rotations

Gait/Motion Analysis Laboratory

Elective Time

Tour the Inpatient Pediatric Unit at Spaulding

Requirements and Applications

Salary and Benefits

Meet Our Physicians

Meet Our Fellows

Meet Our Alumni