Los Angeles County-Harbor-UCLA Medical Center Program

The Neonatal-Perinatal Fellowship Program at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center is a three-year, ACGME-accredited fellowship that offers comprehensive training in neonatology. This program is designed to cultivate highly skilled clinicians who can function independently as neonatologists in both community and academic settings.

The fellowship is conducted primarily at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center, alongside its affiliate, Cedars-Sinai Guerin Children’s Hospital. The neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) at Harbor-UCLA serves as a designated Regional NICU, equipped with advanced technologies and trained professionals, ensuring high-quality, evidence-based care for critically ill newborns and their families. Meanwhile, the NICU at Cedars-Sinai is recognized for its excellence in managing complex neonatal conditions.

Curriculum

The curriculum is organized to provide a robust clinical experience. The fellowship is structured around eighteen months of clinical training, with the remaining time dedicated to research and quality improvement projects. During this time, fellows gain increasing responsibility and independence, starting with foundational clinical training in physiology, diagnosis, and management of neonatal conditions, progressing to supervisory roles capable of instructing peers, residents, and medical students.

Clinical Training Goals

In the first year, fellows are expected to establish a solid understanding of feto-neonatal physiologic principles, providing antenatal consultations and participating in obstetrical discussions. The second year emphasizes refined management of high-risk infants, while the third year transitions fellows into supervisory roles, preparing them for the responsibilities of faculty positions.

Research Opportunities

Research is a core component of the fellowship. Each fellow is required to complete a scholarly activity and a quality improvement project, with mentorship from experienced faculty members. Research training includes study design, methodology, and data analysis, allowing fellows to develop proprietary projects and present findings at conferences.

Institutional Resources

Fellows have access to the Lundquist Institute for Biomedical Innovation, where cutting-edge research on pediatric health and women's care is conducted. Cedars-Sinai also supports a vast array of biomedical research projects, providing a diverse and rich environment for fostering academic curiosity and scholarly output.

Unique Aspects of the Program

This fellowship is distinguished by its supportive and engaging environment, alongside the multicultural demographic it serves. In addition to clinical training, fellows receive mentorship aimed at developing them into clinician-educators and pioneering researchers. The program emphasizes the importance of understanding patient care not only through the clinical lens but by considering social factors and ethical implications in medical practices.

Training Sites

Clinical components of the fellowship are largely situated within the functioning units of both Harbor-UCLA Medical Center and Cedars-Sinai Guerin Children’s Hospital. Each site provides unique experiences that contribute to the fellows’ professional growth. This dual-site approach enhances the fellowship, exposing participants to varied patient populations and clinical practices.

Visa Support

The Neonatal-Perinatal Fellowship Program offers visa sponsorship for J-1 Visas for international applicants. However, it does not sponsor H-1B visas. This allows for a diverse range of candidates from diverse backgrounds to apply and benefit from the training opportunities provided by the fellowship.

Competitiveness and Application Requirements

The fellowship is highly competitive and primarily accepts applicants who are graduates or upcoming graduates of ACGME-accredited three-year pediatric residency programs. The program does not have a specific limit on failed Step exams, but strong performance on licensure exams is generally expected.

Benefits

The fellowship offers a competitive salary alongside comprehensive health benefits, professional development allowances, and provisions for a good work-life balance. Specifics regarding salary and additional benefits can be found on their Graduate Medical Education page.

Living in Southern California

Located in Torrance, California, the training sites offer fellows the opportunity to live in a culturally diverse and vibrant area that features proximity to both beaches and mountains. The climate lends itself to year-round outdoor activities and the region is well-known for its rich culinary and artistic culture.