“Valley Children’s is taking the lead in training the next generation of pediatricians and pediatric surgical and medical specialists,” says Dr. David Christensen, Valley Children’s chief medical officer. “With Stanford as our academic partner, we’ll prepare doctors to continue providing the highest quality medical care for children.”The “Valley Children’s Pediatric Residency Program, Affiliated with Stanford University School of Medicine” will allow Valley Children’s residents to have rotations and learning opportunities at the Palo Alto campus and for Stanford’s residents to learn here.
The fellowship program at Valley Children’s will be the first of its kind in the Valley. It will train doctors to become pediatric subspecialists, building on the highest quality of exceptional care in service lines like Pediatric Surgery, Gastroenterology and Emergency Medicine.
“We are excited about the opportunity to partner with Valley Children’s in the creation of a new, pediatric-focused teaching program in Central California and for our current residents and fellows to rotate at Valley Children’s,” says Dr. Lloyd Minor, dean of the Stanford University School of Medicine. “Valley Children’s is one of the largest children’s hospitals in California and has the state’s busiest emergency department for patients younger than 21 years of age. By spending time there, our residents will have the opportunity to see a wide variety of complex and critically ill patients in a short period of time.”
A unique aspect of the Pediatric Residency and Fellowship programs will be Valley Children’s partnership with hospitals and medical groups throughout the area. Valley Children’s residents and fellows will have the opportunity for rotations at partner locations – including Kaiser Permanente and Saint Agnes Medical Center in Fresno and Dignity Health – and local pediatricians’ offices.
“These relationships are key to the success of our program,” says Valley Children’s President and CEO Todd Suntrapak. “One of our goals is to attract pediatricians and subspecialists to our area and keep them here. That means more Valley families will have access to the care they need, right where they live. One of the best ways we can do this is by exposing our residents and fellows to the diverse practice opportunities that exist in the Central Valley. We are grateful that so many groups are committed to helping Valley Children’s train the next generation of pediatricians and pediatric specialists.”
Leading the new program is Valley Children’s Chief of Pediatrics Dr. Jolie Limon. Dr. Limon joined Valley Children’s as a pediatric hospitalist in 2000. She has won numerous teaching awards during her tenure and her areas of expertise include resident leadership and inter-professional education.
“This is an exciting time,” says Dr. Limon. “I look forward to building a program that not only trains exceptional pediatricians, but also creates future leaders in pediatric care for the Valley. Valley Children’s Hospital has a wealth of wonderful clinicians, educators and patients by which to sustain an amazing training program.”
Valley Children’s Hospital will continue to serve as a teaching site for more than 190 residents and medical students in a dozen other programs, including those based at Kaweah Delta Health Care District in Visalia, Mercy Medical Center in Merced and Clinica Sierra Vista in Fresno.
Source: County of Madera
