Eric McCollum with physicians Brittany Hunter and Chiara Bertolaso at Kamuzu Central Hospital in Lilongwe, Malawi.

Part of the pediatric pulmonology fellowship is the opportunity to participate in clinical or basic science research. Johns Hopkins is known for its rich research environment, and our program is uniquely poised to provide opportunities and mentorship to undertake successful research projects to advance the field. To meet ACGME requirements for scholarly activity, fellows typically submit one or more first-authored papers during their fellowship and present their research at least once at a national meeting as a poster or oral presentation.

Selection of research area and mentor: Five common research disciplines for fellowship projects are listed below, but other opportunities are available depending on the fellow’s interest. Fellows choose between clinical, basic science or translational research projects.

1. Cystic fibrosis/epithelial transport/mucus rheology and transport
2. Lung injury and development and respiratory cell biology
3. Clinical outcomes in pediatric pulmonary diseases
4. Asthma/allergy/inflammation
5. Infectious diseases/tuberculosis/global health

Though some fellows enter the program with well-defined research interests and goals, most fellows are undecided, or have multiple interests. In their first year, fellows participate in a Research Orientation Program to select a mentor and a research area. Research mentors include members of the pediatric pulmonary faculty and faculty from other divisions, as appropriate for the project. The fellow will meet with three to four potential mentors in July and August of the first year, typically spending one to two weeks with each potential mentor to become acquainted with the research team/environment, discuss potential research projects in more detail, and perhaps assist with an ongoing project. By September, most fellows have chosen their primary mentor, and by December, have selected a specific research project.

Research projects may focus on the generation of new data or on the analysis of existing data. Projects that involve the generation of new data typically include all aspects of study planning and design with mentor guidance. Research projects may use existing data (e.g., existing clinical trial or cohort data from the mentor), or publicly available data (e.g., Medicare or CDC databases). The use of an existing database may enable the fellow to analyze data from a larger, more extensive sample than is feasible to collect de novo during their training period.

Research mentoring teams: In addition to a primary research mentor, fellows are encouraged to identify secondary mentors inside and outside the division to provide complementary expertise. Complementary expertise may include research methodology (e.g., biostatistics, database expertise, clinical outcomes expertise) or other medical disciplines (e.g., expertise in neuromuscular disease or sickle cell disease).