Physician Scientist Training Program
Johns Hopkins University has an international reputation for its commitment to biomedical research, and is dedicated to training the future leaders that will continue this tradition. The Johns Hopkins Pediatric Physician Scientist Training Program (PSTP) aims to recruit highly qualified candidates who intend to pursue a career as an academic physician scientist. Recognizing that residency and fellowship training are a crucial period between medical school and the early career development of an independent physician scientist, this program is designed to provide the necessary tools to facilitate this transition.
The Harriet Lane Residency Program enthusiastically supports the dual training of physician scientists, and created the Pediatric PSTP to allow residents to focus on sustaining research knowledge and productivity without sacrificing superb clinical pediatric training. The Pediatric PSTP offers several flexible options to allow each physician scientist to customize residency training to best support the individual’s long terms goals.
Pediatric PSTP Pathways
Accelerated Research Pathway
The Accelerated Research Pathway (ARP) is designed to accommodate candidates who are committed to an academic career as physician scientists with a strong research emphasis in a pediatric subspecialty. Candidates entering the ARP may begin subspecialty training after completion of two years of general comprehensive pediatric training. A structured curriculum and close observation of the progress of the trainee during the core general pediatrics training is overseen by the program director. The second year of training is adapted in such a way that specific curricular requirements in general pediatrics are met. Subsequent to two years of general pediatric training, the length of subspecialty fellowship will be a minimum of four years. Although it may be advantageous for both general pediatrics and subspecialty training to occur in the same institution, this is not a requirement of the pathway.
The Accelerated Research Pathway in pediatrics at Johns Hopkins does have a separate NRMP/ERAS match, although we encourage applicants to apply to both the ARP and the Categorical Pediatric Residency Program.
Eligibility Criteria
- Candidates must be committed to an academic career with a strong research emphasis in a pediatric subspecialty.
- Candidates will have completed a Ph.D. in addition to the M.D. by the start of the residency or have equivalent prior research experience.
- Whether a trainee may remain in the pathway will depend on the assessment of the general pediatrics program director, who will be required to verify competence at the end of two years of core training. The program director must be able to attest that trainee performance has been satisfactory and the curricular requirements have been met, including performance on in-training examinations.
- For specific training requirements in general pediatrics (components and number of educational units) for residents in the Accelerated Research Pathway, please see information available from the American Board of Pediatrics.
Subspecialty Fellowship Requirements After Completion of General Pediatrics Training
Subspecialty training must be at least four years in duration and in a discipline for which the ABP requires scholarly activity. A minimum of one year of clinical training is required. Some subspecialties of pediatrics may require more than one year of clinical training for a fellow to be able to attain the clinical competencies necessary to practice the subspecialty. All subspecialty trainees will be expected to participate in a core curriculum in scholarly activity skills (e.g., study design, statistics, principles of evidence-based medicine, manuscript preparation, biomedical ethics, educational techniques). Trainees will be required to meet the same standards for scholarly achievement as defined for those in the standard three-year subspecialty fellowship training programs.
Eligibility for Certification in General Pediatrics After the ARP
To meet the eligibility requirements for certification in general pediatrics, the trainee must satisfactorily complete two years of core general pediatrics training and an additional year (one year of clinical experience) in the subspecialty fellowship. Verification of clinical competence and training will be required from both the general pediatrics program director and the subspecialty training program director.
Eligibility to take the subspecialty certifying exam will require completion of six years of total training (two years of general pediatrics and four years of subspecialty training).
Integrated Research Pathway
Any applicant who has earned an MD/PhD is eligible for the Integrated Research Pathway (IRP). This program allows for 12 months of continuous research during residency, usually during the second half of second year and the first half of third year, to preserve the crucial supervisory experiences of the clinical curriculum. During intern year, these residents select a research mentor (with assistance by the appropriate subspecialty) and begin to outline the specific project. The 12 months of research time is completely protected, with the only exception the continued half day per week of continuity clinic.
Categorical Pediatric Residency
Physician-scientists wishing to pursue the traditional 3 year Harriet Lane residency curriculum are still able to take advantage of many opportunities to promote their career development goals. Beginning intern year, distinguished physician scientist faculty members provide mentorship to maximize exposure to relevant aspects of the field of interest. Other features of this pathway include travel stipends for presentations at national meetings and networking opportunities.
Categorical Pediatric Residency with Research Concentration
In addition to the opportunities listed above in the categorical track, those residents choosing to pursue a research concentration will have up to three months of strategically placed elective time to allow for protected time for scholarly work of a mentored project.
Current ARP/IRP Residents
Dr. Courtney Edwards, M.D., Ph.D.
Dr. Edwards is a 2nd year resident in our Accelerated Research Pathway (ARP). As an undergraduate student, a serendipitous opportunity to work in a cancer research laboratory and other early, formative clinic experiences inspired her to pursue a career as a physician-scientist. Her dissertation work later investigated parathyroid hormone-related protein (PTHrP) as a differential regulator of breast tumor growth and metastasis to bone. After residency, she plans to purse fellowship training in pediatric hematology-oncology at Johns Hopkins. Although her prior research studied breast cancer, which rarely affects the pediatric population, she hopes to create a niche focusing on adolescent/ young adults (AYAs) with cancer and use her experience to develop novel molecular therapies that inhibit metastatic outgrowth and reduce recurrence of solid tumors.
Dr. Eric Yau, M.D., Ph.D.
Dr. Yau is a 1st year resident interested in the Integrated Research Pathway (IRP). His research interest is understanding how immune responses develop during infections and how this process can become dysregulated. After his undergraduate studies, he pursued a master's degree at the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health studying nutrient signaling in regulating yeast growth. During his time there, he was inducted into the Delta Omega Honorary Society in Public Health. He then completed his PhD work at Penn State College of Medicine in the laboratory of Dr. Zissis Chroneos studying how surfactant protein regulated macrophage responses to influenza infection and processing. In 2019, he received the Richard J. Courtney Graduate Student Award. In the future, he hopes to investigate pathogenic triggers for development or exacerbation of autoinflammatory conditions and plans to pursue a fellowship in pediatric rheumatology or infectious diseases.
ARP/IRP Alumni
Dr. Kate Williams
Dr. Andy Kleist, M.D., Ph.D.
Dr. Zaw Phyo, M.D.
Who to Contact
Nicole Shilkofski, M.D., M. Ed.
Pediatric Residency Program Director
Associate Professor of Pediatrics, Vice Chair of Education
[email protected]
How to Apply
All physician-scientist applicants interested in applying to a PSTP pediatric pathway are encouraged to email the residency program director, Dr. Nicole Shilkofski at [email protected] and include a statement of interest describing areas of research interest and subspecialty career goals (maximum one page).
Interview with a Physician-Scientist
Read an interview with physician-scientist James Cronk about why he chose Johns Hopkins for his training.