About the Program
Established in 1950 by Dr. H. William Clatworthy, Jr., a world-renowned clinical pediatric surgeon, and clinical educator, the Ohio State’s residency and fellowship programs are regarded among the most prestigious and comprehensive pediatric surgical training programs in the United States. Graduates of the program have been recognized as academic and clinical leaders in pediatric surgery. They include distinguished pediatric surgeons Dr. Eric Fonkalsrud, Dr. Jay Grosfeld, Dr. James O’Neill, Dr. Marc Rowe and Dr. Donna Caniano. The division’s award-winning fellowship in pediatric surgery has been recognized for excellence in its educational programs.
Facilities
The Division of Pediatric Surgery is based at Nationwide Children’s Hospital (NCH), one of America’s largest not-for-profit freestanding pediatric health care systems. The pediatric surgery service is one of the busiest services of its kind across the United States, with 6,645 clinic visits and 3,661 operative cases in the 2021-2022 academic year.
The division sponsors a Level I pediatric trauma program verified by the American College of Surgeons and a pediatric burn program verified by the American Burn Association. The faculty members in the division include 20 pediatric surgeons, many of whom are certified in both pediatric surgery and surgical critical care. In addition to providing general pediatric surgical care, the division provides world-leading expertise in multiple focused areas of excellence including pediatric burn care, trauma care, minimally invasive surgery, robotic surgery, inflammatory bowel diseases, adolescent bariatric surgery, gastrointestinal motility disorders, chest wall deformities, surgical oncology, and surgical endocrinology. Our Center for Colorectal and Pelvic Reconstruction (CCPR), initially developed in 2014, is the first center in the world to formally integrate all specialties involved in providing complete care of colorectal and pelvic reconstructive surgery in children.
As home to the Department of Pediatrics of The Ohio State University College of Medicine, Nationwide Children’s physicians train the next generation of pediatricians and pediatric specialists. The Abigail Wexner Research Institute at NCH is one of the Top 10 NIH-funded freestanding pediatric research facilities.
Goals
- Develop expertise in the diagnosis, operative management and perioperative care of infants, children and adolescents with congenital and acquired diseases. These include major anomalies, solid tumors, thermal injuries and traumatic disorders
- Acquire expertise in minimally invasive thoracic and abdominal surgery
- Develop skill in pediatric surgical endoscopy
- Develop the skills necessary for delivery of surgical care in the tertiary setting, including team management, continuous performance improvement, application of new technology and participation in clinical research
Program Requirements
- The rotating general surgery resident is expected to acquire the requisite knowledge, technical proficiency, and experience in aspects of pediatric surgery as defined by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) and American Board of Surgery (ABS)
- The pediatric surgery resident is expected to perform 1,000 to 1,200 major operations covering the breadth and scope of neonatal and pediatric surgery. At the completion of the program, the resident is eligible for the qualifying examination in pediatric surgery administered by the American Board of Surgery.
Educational Schedule
- Morbidity and Mortality conference, weekly
- Combined Pediatric Surgery/Gastroenterology conference, quarterly
- Clinical/translational/outcomes research meeting, monthly
- PedSCORE tutorial, weekly
- Trauma grand rounds, monthly
- Trauma professor rounds, weekly
- Surgical clinic, weekly
- Multiple specialty clinics (burn clinic, bariatric clinic, chest wall deformity clinic, inflammatory bowel disease clinic, tumor clinic, endocrine surgery clinic and others)
- Tumor board, weekly
- Pediatric surgery review (PSR), weekly
- Multidisciplinary Colorectal Case conference, weekly
Pediatric Surgery Residency Rotations: All residents in the general surgery residency training program at the Ohio State Wexner Medical Center rotate during PGY-1 (4 weeks) and PGY-3 (8 weeks). In addition, residents who identify a career interest in pediatric surgery are paired with mentors early during residency and are given the opportunity for an additional 4-week PGY-4 rotation before entering the fellowship match.
Pediatric Surgery Research Labs: Research opportunities with pediatric surgery faculty are available for residents in the general surgery training program at the Ohio State Wexner Medical Center during their professional development years. Research Fellows in Pediatric Surgery have typically obtained a Master of Medical Science degree through the OSU Graduate School upon completion of their research. Past pediatric surgery research fellows have typically pursued fellowships in pediatric surgery, cardiac surgery, transplantation, complex surgical oncology, or other sub-specialties:
Basic/Translational Science
- Dr. Gail Besner (Intestinal Injury/Necrotizing Enterocolitis)
- Dr. Chris Breuer (Tissue Engineering)
- Dr. Cory Criss (Surgical Innovation)
- Dr. Oluyinka Olutoye (Fetal surgery/Necrotizing Enterocolitis)
- Dr. Rajan Thakkar (Immune Dysfunction/Burn Injury)
Center for Surgical Outcomes Research
- Dr. Jennifer Aldrink (Clinical Research, Surgical Oncology)
- Dr. Kyle Van Arendonk (Clinical and Outcomes Research)
- Dr. Sara Mansfield (Clinical Research, Surgical Oncology)
- Dr. Dana Schwartz (Clinical Research, Burns/Trauma/ Surgical Oncology)
- Dr. Rajan Thakkar (Clinical Research, Burns/Trauma)
- Dr. Richard Wood (Clinical Research, Colorectal)
Residency Application Process
The residency participates in the Electronic Residency Application Service (ERAS) of the National Resident Matching Program. Candidates are invited for interviews based on their applications and the expected completion of an accredited fellowship in general surgery.