The training program in the Division of Developmental-Behavioral Pediatrics and Psychology at Rainbow Babies and Children’s Hospital, Department of Pediatrics, Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine has been funded by Maternal and Child Health Bureau (MCHB) continuously for the past 20 years. The program was accredited by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) in 2006 with review scheduled for 2010.
The proposed program features a comprehensive interdisciplinary training program that is organized and implemented by leaders in the field of D-B pediatrics. This proposal continues a long and valuable tradition of training excellence. Under the new leadership of Dr. Nancy Roizen, new clinical programs, collaborations, and training techniques have been developed that provide added value.
Key continued elements of the proposed program from the long history of success include:
• Emphasis on leadership training in a comprehensive program that integrates clinical care, teaching, research, and advocacy and public policy experiences
• Experienced interdisciplinary faculty, many of whom are leaders in the field of Developmental-Behavioral pediatrics and pediatric psychology
• Close integration of the training programs and divisional activities with those of other pediatric subspecialties and other professional disciplines
• Strong tradition of excellence in D-B pediatrics and child health research (e.g. follow-up of low birth weight infants)
• Innovative models of clinical care in specialized areas: adoption, integrating new immigrants, care of children after disasters, sleep problems, chronic illness and obesity, D-B pediatricians as resources to PCPs, and follow-up of high risk infants
• Opportunities for clinical care and research with culturally diverse populations and interdisciplinary collaborative research
• Training initiatives in child advocacy that emphasize a public health perspective and knowledge of systems
• Supportive institutional environment, including resource infusion from the Department of Pediatrics
• Strong collaboration with other departmental, university-based, and community programs.
New programs developed under the leadership of Dr. Roizen include:
• A Center for Developmental-Behavioral Pediatrics and Psychology that focuses on children 6 years of age and younger with developmental and behavioral problems offering evaluation, management, and therapies
• Development of a unique Anxiety Clinic with D-B pediatrics and psychology (a work in progress)
• Development of an ADHD Program for evaluation, treatment, and medication monitoring with blinded and unblinded trials of medication to find the best medication of a specific child (a work in progress)
• Collaboration with the other major medical centers in Cleveland including MetroHealth Medical Center and Cleveland Clinic Children’s Hospital on training and clinical initiatives
• Development of a Down Syndrome Clinic
• A new unique Autism Program coordinating pediatric neurology, child and adolescent psychiatry, neuropsychology, and D-B pediatrics at a multi-dimensional site that includes the Monarch School for children with autistic spectrum disorders.
The fellowship program in Developmental-Behavioral pediatrics will equip graduates for leadership in five interrelated professional roles: that of practitioner, teacher, researcher, advocate, and leader/director/administrator.
As practitioners, they will practice state-of-the-art diagnosis, management, and treatment of D-B pediatric problems and management of children with special health care needs, provide a resource to community practitioners who manage many of these problems, and develop innovative models of community-wide service programs for children and adolescents with these problems that coordinate the work of multiple professionals.
As teachers, they will assume leadership in training residents in D-B pediatrics and students in a wide range of professional disciplines, and participate in community continuing education programs for pediatricians and other professionals.
As researchers, our program graduates will conduct original research, including health services to advance the scientific state-of-the-art research in D-B pediatrics, and collaborate with other professionals to develop research. They will be trained to develop research programs that extend the scientific base of D-B pediatrics concerning problems of primary relevance to public health.
As advocates and leaders, they will be service developers, directors/administrators, and policy planners, our program graduates will be trained to become leaders in their local communities, nationally, and internationally working to develop informed policies for services for children with behavioral and developmental problems and other special health care needs. They will be trained to develop and lead collaborative programs that link hospital and community-based health programs.