Fellowship in Hospice and Palliative Medicine
The Pediatric Advanced Care Team at CHOP offers a one-year clinical fellowship to train physicians in hospice and palliative medicine. During this fellowship, trainees:
- Provide palliative care consultation in both inpatient and outpatient settings.
- Provide phone-based symptom management and psychosocial support to pediatric hospice patients, their families and local hospice teams.
- Participate in weekly interprofessional palliative care education.
- Teach fellows, residents, medical students, nurses and hospice staff in a variety of settings.
- Explore palliative care interests of their own through their scholarly project.
The program is designed for two trainees beyond the PGY 3 level and can accommodate candidates completing a residency in pediatrics or subspecialty fellowships at the appropriate PGY level.
Fast facts about the program
- Duration: One-year clinical fellowship
- Positions available: Two per year
- Applicant qualifications: The program is designed for two trainees beyond the PGY 3 level. The program will accommodate excellent candidates completing a residency in pediatrics or pediatric subspecialty fellowships at the appropriate PGY level.
Why choose us?
The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia and the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania are ideally situated to provide outstanding clinical training and professional mentorship in pediatric palliative care. Graduates from our fellowship have gone on to start and grow pediatric palliative care programs across the country.
CHOP has developed one of the largest pediatric palliative care services in the country with more than 360 consults each year. Our team cares for infants, children, teenagers and young adults across the institution. Our large interdisciplinary team includes a robust psychosocial staff that is dedicated exclusively to the care of children with life-limiting illnesses and their families.
The attending physicians who direct the program and oversee care represent many subspecialties and include five physicians certified by the American Board of Hospice and Palliative Medicine. Chris Feudtner, MD, PhD, MPH, director of research for the Pediatric Advance Care team, has had continuous federal research funding for the past 16 years to profile the needs of dying children, and is recognized as a leading researcher in pediatric palliative care.
Funding for the Hospice and Palliative Care Fellowship at The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia is provided by the generous support of the Y.C. Ho/Helen and Michael Chiang Foundation.
The history, expertise and compassion that make Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia unique are also what makes it the best place for medical trainees.
Fellowship curriculum
Core rotations
- Inpatient palliative care consults
- Home hospice/outpatient palliative care consults
- Long-term care/Complex Care
- Penn home hospice
- Penn Inpatient Hospice at Rittenhouse
- Radiation oncology
- Scholarly project
- Elective
Scholarly project
As part of the fellowship, all fellows will design and implement a scholarly project in the domains of education, quality improvement or research. Mentorship from faculty is available in all domains. Fellows are provided with protected time spread throughout their year as well as the benefit of a research assistant who can assist with literature reviews, data management and IRB submissions.
Didactic educational program and conference schedule
The didactic component of the Fellowship in Hospice and Palliative Medicine is designed to augment the clinical experience as well cover topics not traditionally found in a clinical setting.
The Interprofessional Palliative Care Education Series is a joint venture between the Palliative care teams at CHOP and Penn Medicine. Every Tuesday morning from 8 a.m. - 9 a.m., September through June, we meet as interdisciplinary teams for grand rounds, case conference and journal club.
Dedicated fellowship didactics are held one afternoon a week during the months of July, and August, and then twice a month from September through the following June. These small group didactics bring the Hospice and Palliative Medicine fellows from both CHOP and Penn together with core faculty, guest speakers and members of all interdisciplinary teams. Topics covered include pain and symptom management, communication, psychosocial and spiritual assessment, bereavement, developing a palliative care team, hospice regulatory topics and wellbeing.
How to apply
Our fellowship program participates in the Electronic Residency Application Service (ERAS) universal application process and in the National Resident Matching Program. Please visit AAMC’s website for an application and information about our program.
Our program number is 5404132013. We do accept international medical graduates from AAMC-approved medical schools, and we support J and H1-B visas.
Please visit the American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine's website for the updated Match timeline.
ERAS applications are reviewed in July and August. Interviews are conducted in September and October. The Match occurs in the late fall with fellows starting the following July. We encourage open communication with the program director and coordinator throughout the application process.
Instructions for application
The following information should be submitted to ERAS:
- Complete application as provided through ERAS
- Personal statement: Please include a single page statement describing the following: your interest in pursuing training in pediatric palliative care; the goals you hope to achieve in training; and your plans after fellowship.
- Curriculum Vitae
- Three letters of reference
- Dean's letter from medical school
- Medical school transcript
- Recent photograph
- Copy of parts 1, 2 and 3 of the USMLE, taken within the seven-year time frame as required by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, or equivalent scores
- If a graduate of a medical school outside the United States, Canada or Puerto Rico, valid ECFMG certificate or one that does not expire prior to the start of the fellowship
- If not a citizen of the United States or permanent resident, copy of current, appropriate visa
Contacts
Jennifer Hwang, MD MHS, MSEd
Fellowship Director
Vicki Reeves, BS
Fellowship Coordinator
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 as a condition of employment.
This mandate also applies to workforce members or trainees performing work for CHOP at non-CHOP locations. Additionally, all workforce members based in or regularly scheduled to work at any New Jersey location are mandated to be both vaccinated and boosted for COVID-19, with booster timing consistent with applicable guidelines. The CHOP COVID-19 vaccine mandate is in alignment with applicable local, state and federal mandates. CHOP also requires all workforce members and trainees who work in patient care buildings or who provide patient care to receive an annual influenza vaccine. Employees may request exemption consideration for CHOP vaccine requirements for valid religious and medical reasons. Please note start dates may be delayed until candidates are fully immunized or valid exemption requests are reviewed. In addition, candidates other than those in positions with regularly scheduled hours in New Jersey, must attest to not using tobacco products.
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.