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Craniofacial Clinical Research Fellowship

Craniofacial Clinical Research Fellowship

The Craniofacial Clinical Research Fellowship in the Division of Plastic, Reconstructive and Oral Surgery at Children's Hospital of Philadelphia is a 12-month paid fellowship dedicated to pediatric plastic surgery outcomes research. The fellowship, conceived in 2012, offers three positions per fiscal year (July 1 – June 30). Research fellows are generally medical students, foreign medical graduates, or surgery residents who desire a U.S. residency position in plastic surgery.

 

Research expectations and opportunities

The Craniofacial Fellows’ broad responsibilities include developing hypotheses, writing grant proposals and IRB protocols, gathering data, and writing manuscripts for publication. It also includes the prospective and retrospective management, and statistical analysis of several large databases, including one of the largest craniofacial databases in the field.

Although no formal bio-statistical or clinical research training is funded through the fellowship, the fellows gain on-the-job training from residents and previous fellows who are accomplished academic researchers in plastic surgery. The fast-paced environment and abundance of practical training leaves fellows with a robust knowledge of the current state of academic literature in pediatric craniofacial and cleft surgery, as well as an ability to effectively analyze data in the literature, develop new ideas, learn bio-statistical analysis, utilize image processing software for 3D design and modeling, and analyze institutional and national datasets to answer novel hypotheses.

Throughout the year, the fellows will be working with Dr. Scott Bartlett, Dr. Jordan Swanson, Dr. Jesse Taylor, and Dr. Eric Liao on clinical research projects, many of which will be submitted to high-impact plastic surgery and craniofacial journals. A primary goal of the fellowship is to learn to create reproducible and scientifically valid data in a collaborative environment, thereby setting the foundation for many of the skills needed throughout an academic career.

Award stipend

Successful candidates will receive a modest stipend to help cover living expenses for the year, as well as some travel expenses to national meetings if presenting podium presentations.

How to apply

Candidates who wish to apply for the July 1, 2025 – June 30, 2026 fellowship period are invited to submit your application beginning October 1, 2024. The deadline to apply is December 1, 2024.

To apply for the Craniofacial Clinical Research Fellowship, submit your application and CV along with a one-page personal statement along with your CV.

Submit your application.

Please refer to the below questions if you need some guidance for your personal statement, but do not limit yourself to answering just these questions. Please keep personal statements to one page.

  • What do you hope to get out of this fellowship?
  • What experience do you think has prepared you for this?
  • What skills do you possess?
  • Why are you a stronger candidate than others?
  • What are your career goals?

If you have any questions regarding the application process, please do not hesitate to contact us at PlasticsResearch@chop.edu.

Kindly do not email our surgeons regarding your application process.

Interviews

Shortlisted candidates will be notified by early January. We interview eligible applicants between January and early February.

Other requirements

To carry out its mission, it is of critical importance for the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) to keep our patients, families and workforce safe and healthy and to support the health of our global community. In keeping with this, CHOP has mandated all workforce members (including trainees) on site at any CHOP location for any portion of their time be vaccinated for COVID-19. This mandate also applies to workforce members or trainees providing patient care at non-CHOP locations. CHOP also requires all workforce members and trainees who work in patient care buildings or who provide patient care are required to receive an annual influenza vaccine. Candidates other than those in positions with regularly scheduled hours in New Jersey, must attest to not using tobacco products. Employees may request exemptions to any CHOP vaccine requirement for religious and medical reasons.

Children's Hospital of Philadelphia is an equal opportunity employer. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, color, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, religion, national or ethnic origin, disability, protected veteran status or any other protected category. CHOP is a VEVRAA Federal Contractor seeking priority referrals for protected veterans.

CHOP is committed to building an inclusive culture where employees feel a sense of belonging, connection, and community within their workplace. We are a team dedicated to fostering an environment that allows for all to be their authentic selves. We are focused on attracting, cultivating, and retaining diverse talent who can help us deliver on our mission to be a world leader in the advancement of healthcare for children.

We strongly encourage all candidates of diverse backgrounds and lived experiences to apply.

Current research fellows

2024-2025

  • Nicholas Han
  • Allison Hu
  • Isabel Ryan

Past research fellows

2023-2024

Craniofacial Research Fellows

2022-2023

Craniofacial Research Fellows

2021-2022

Craniofacial Research Fellows

2020-2021

Craniofacial Research Fellows

  • Christopher Kalmar
  • Mychajlo Kosyk
  • Zachary Zapatero

2019-2020

Craniofacial Research Fellows

2018-2019

Craniofacial Research Fellows

2017-2018

Craniofacial Research Fellows

2016-2017

Craniofacial Research Fellows

2015-2016

Craniofacial Research Fellows

2014-2015

Craniofacial Research Fellows

2013-2014

Craniofacial Research Fellows

2012-2013

Craniofacial Research Fellows

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