Education

Our vision is for graduates to become experts in caring for complex, highly specialized, hospitalized children and leaders in hospital safety and quality. We help fellows develop their education and research skills so they can positively impact academic hospital medicine. 

The fellowship program offers a balanced training program with three main focuses, each occupying approximately one-third of the training period:

• Developing core clinical skills 

• Developing expertise in a mentored area of scholarly focus 

• Individualized curriculum 

Fellows are exposed to all domains of the PHM core competencies, grouped into four categories: 

• Clinical conditions 

• Core skills 

• Specialized clinical services 

• Systems organization and improvement 

With close mentorship from faculty both within the Division of Pediatric Hospital Medicine and from the larger scholarly community at UCSF, fellows, during their training, are expected to produce a scholarly work product as outlined by the American Board of Pediatrics. 

We accept two fellows per year. Our program received initial accreditation by the ACGME, effective July 1, 2022. 

The fellowship accepts applications through ERAS and participates in the national residency matching program (NRMP). Applicants need to register for the NRMP Pediatric Specialties Fall Match.   

Questions about the application process or fellowship program can be directed to our program manager, Kaitlin Zazueta.  

Applicants must have completed an ACGME-accredited pediatric residency program. We are currently unable to accept applications from non-US citizens or those training in the US on visas. 

The fellowship curriculum, organized over two years, draws on a well-established educational infrastructure, coursework, and curricula at UCSF. We are proud to offer flexibility in the program such that pathways for individual fellows will vary based on their scholarly interests and skill sets and available mentorship. In general, the curriculum is based on PHM core competencies, ACGME competencies and requirements for PHM, and PHM Entrustable Professional Activities. The core domains are: 

• Clinical Care (advanced training in care of hospitalized children and procedural skills) 

• Systems and Scholarship (cultivation of an area of expertise and a scholarly product) 

• Individualized Curriculum (training in medical education, quality improvement, patient safety, leadership, communication, and individualized electives and coursework) 

To achieve these goals, fellows participate in a combination of graduated hospital-based clinical rotations, electives, structured educational seminars, online curricula, research activities, quality improvement initiatives, teaching exercises, simulation activities, and administrative responsibilities. This work is closely mentored by leaders in the division and a Scholarship Oversight Committee. 

Clinical Excellence 

Clinical training is centered at UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital San Francisco, where, with attending supervision, the fellow will lead an academic team caring for general pediatric and sub-specialty patients with a focus on complex, chronically ill, and subspecialty medical and surgical patients. Fellows will also gain exposure to community hospital medicine through rotations at the UCSF-affiliated community site Washington Hospital in Fremont, CA. Additional clinical experiences include rotations at UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital Oakland and with hospitalist-led Pain and Palliative Care Services. Sedation exposure and elective time are offered. 

Career Development 

Education and career development occur through coursework, online curricula, mentorship, and other modalities. Fellows may complete formal coursework in clinical teaching skills and quality improvement methodology. Fellows participate in the PHM Faculty Development Series, which includes regular journal clubs, research works in progress sessions, and clinical case conferences. They also participate in Fellow’s College alongside other pediatric fellows at UCSF.  

Fellows also lead, with mentorship from faculty, PHM quality, equity, and safety conferences to improve teaching skills while exploring systems errors and improvement. Fellows participate in PHM division meetings and may serve on educationally relevant committees (such as safety, quality, or medication committees). 

Research and Scholarship 

Our fellowship program offers extensive opportunities to develop expertise in an area of scholarship. During the program, fellows complete a peer-reviewed scholarly project with mentorship. We also offer formal training in clinical research through the Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics based on the fellow’s academic and career interests.  

All fellows are held to the scholarly work product standards set forth by the American Board of Pediatrics. 

Program Director

Darren Fiore, MD
Clinical Professor of Pediatrics 
Fellowship Director, Pediatric Hospital Medicine 
[email protected]

Associate Program Director

Brian Gin, MA, MD, PhD 
Associate Professor of Pediatrics 
[email protected] 

Division Chief and Fellowship Research Director 

Sunitha Kaiser, MD, MSc 
Professor of Pediatrics 
[email protected] 

Program Manager 

Kaitlin Zazueta, MHA 
Pediatric Fellowship Manager 
[email protected]  

 

First Years

Carolina Ellinger Da Fonseca, MD, MS 

Residency: Ascension St. John 
Fellowship Training Years: 2024-2026 
Research Project: TBD 

Michael Love, MD 

Residency: UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital Oakland 
Fellowship Training Years: 2024-2026 
Research Project: TBD  

Second Years

Jennifer Lee, DO 

Residency: University of Arizona-Tucson 
Fellowship Training Years: 2023-2025 
Research Project: Faculty development for the implementation of a trainee health equity curriculum. 

Helen Pu, MD, FAAP 

Residency: Stanford 
Fellowship Training Years: 2023-2025 
Research Project: Comparing adverse events identified by a mobile phone tool, the Family Input for Quality and Safety (FIQS) tool, to the Global Assessment of Pediatric Patient Safety (GAPPS) Trigger Tool to determine how adverse events reported by family and patients are unique and overlap with other established adverse event measuring tools. 

• UCSF Graduate Medical Education Resident and Fellow Resources Page  

• UCSF Well-Being and Mental Health Resources for Residents and Fellows 

• UCSF Office of Diversity and Outreach 10th Anniversary Video