Leadership Education Excellence in Pediatric Nutrition Fellowship Program

Each year, the Nutrition & Dietetics Department offers four clinical fellowships in Leadership Education Excellence in Pediatric Nutrition as part of an Education Excellence in Pediatric Nutrition Training Program.

The fellowships are in coordination with the Department of Pediatrics (Section of Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine) at the Indiana University School of Medicine. The training will occur in the Indiana University Hospitals, including the James Whitcomb Riley Hospital for Children and University Hospital.

Objective

The objective of the fellowship program is to prepare dietitians/nutritionists to function as specialists in the care of high-risk infants, children and adolescents throughout the continuum from acute hospital care to ambulatory community care.

Qualifications

The fellow must be a registered dietitian and have a minimum of 12 months of clinical experience. A master's degree in nutrition or enrollment in a master's degree program in nutrition is highly desirable.

Content

The program content will be individualized to meet the interests, needs and abilities of the leadership education excellence in pediatric nutrition fellow. The fellowship program consists of core content that includes lectures that discuss medical and nutritional principles of the management of normal infants and high-risk infants and children with specific diseases or conditions such as prematurity, bronchopulmonary dysplasia, cyanotic heart disease, myelomeningocele, cystic fibrosis and failure to thrive.

The core content also includes guided clinical experiences in managing the nutritional care of high-risk infants with these conditions and others. The core training will occur in the high-risk infant and toddler units and newborn intensive care units at James Whitcomb Riley Hospital for Children and University Hospital, community public health clinics and the Indiana State Board of Health in Indianapolis. An outline of the program follows.

Expenses

The fellowship expenses include travel, room and meals. Information regarding housing will be provided upon selection for the fellowship. No registration fee is charged for the program due to the training grant support from the Bureau of Maternal and Child Health and Resources Development. A monthly stipend is provided for each participant.

Application

If you are interested in participating in the Four- or Six-Month Clinical Leadership Education Excellence in Pediatric Nutrition Fellowship Program, please complete and submit the following:

Application form
Three (3) references - form provided on application
Physical report and immunization record - form provided on application
Official transcripts

Course Faculty

Course faculty includes Karyl Rickard, RD, PhD, Professor of Nutrition & Dietetics; James Lemons, MD, Director of Neonatal-Perinatal Section of Pediatrics; and Sue Brady, RD, DMSc, Professor of Nutrition and Dietetics.

Additional neonatal-pediatric dietitians, neonatologists/pediatricians and other health care providers from James Whitcomb Riley Hospital for Children, Indiana University Medical Center, and Public Health Nutritionists from the Indiana State Board of Health will provide guided learning experiences related to the nutritional management of the high-risk infant, children and adolescents.

Fellowship Program Outline

The four- to six-month clinical fellowship program in Leadership Education Excellence in Pediatric Nutrition provides learning experiences that enable the dietitian/nutritionist to function as a specialist in the care of high-risk infants, children and adolescents throughout the continuum from acute hospital care to ambulatory community care.

The program will provide hospital and clinic-based experiences such that the dietitian/nutritionist will be able to manage the sophisticated needs of high-risk newborns in secondary and tertiary level newborn intensive care units, infants at high nutritional risk throughout the first years of life as well as high risk children and adolescents.

The four-month fellows will complete the first 16 weeks of the program. The six-month fellows also will complete weeks 16 through 23.

Rotation 1

Weeks 1-4: Normal and High-Risk Infants
High-Risk Infant Units, Infant and Pediatric Intensive Care Units (Infants with failure to thrive, infants being prepared for discharge from NICU, infants with bronchopulmonary dysplasia, congenital heart disease, parenteral and enteral nutrition);
Hospitalized infants/toddlers with cystic fibrosis;
Pulmonary Follow-up Clinic that includes infants with cystic fibrosis; pediatric pulmonologist and nurse practitioner;
Riley Child Development Center Clinic (Tuesday) includes interdisciplinary training in the care of the young child with neurodevelopmental and related disabilities;
Supervision of background reading and in-depth discussion of normal infant nutrition and prevention of nutrition related disorders; coordination, supervision and/or provision of lectures for Advanced Pediatric Nutrition Course (N 540) (annual update of content); weekly discussion of didactic information and select topics of interest to the fellows such as an approach to developing a new nutrition program for a specific neonatal intensive care unit.

Rotation 2

Weeks 5-8: High-Risk Toddlers and Preschoolers with Special Health Needs
High-risk Toddler and Preschool Age Units that includes toddlers with failure to thrive, feeding disorders, myelomeningocele, food allergies, and cerebral palsy, parenteral and enteral nutrition support for high-risk infants and toddlers; Riley Child Development Center Clinic (Tuesday) includes interdisciplinary training in the care of the young child with neurodevelopmental and related disabilities; interdisciplinary team;
Inborn Errors of Metabolism Follow-up Clinic;
Supervision of background reading and in-depth discussion of infants/children at high nutritional risk; chronically ill infants/children; coordination supervision and/or provision of Advanced Pediatric Nutrition Course (N 540);
Weekly discussion of select topics of interest to fellows.

Rotation 3

Weeks 9-12: Adolescents Including Those with Diabetes Mellitus and Other Health Needs
Teen Unit (adolescents aged 15-21 years), School Age Unit (adolescents aged 11-14 years) including those with Diabetes (type l) and other health care needs;
Hospital Ambulatory Care Follow-up Clinics (Riley Transitional Clinics: Diabetes Mellitus, Cystic Fibrosis, Cardiology), Adolescent Clinics (eating disorders and weight gain), Inborn Errors of Metabolism Clinic, Community Ambulatory Services (Wishard Hospital, Action Center, Methodist;
Riley Child Development Center Clinic (Tuesday) includes interdisciplinary training in the care of an adolescent with neurodevelopmental and related disabilities.

Rotation 4

Weeks 13-15: Healthy Premature Infant
Intermediate Care Nursery (Level II newborn intensive care unit);
Newborn Intensive Care Unit Discharge Planning Meeting that coordinates continuity of care in the community for infants following discharge;
Newborn ICU Follow-up Clinic (Wednesday afternoon) that includes a system for screening, assessment and education/referral to community resources; prevention of feeding and growth related problems of VLBW infants; nutrition counseling and community coordination of care for high-risk infants with nutrition concerns or problems; nutrition in-services for community resources;
Severe Bronchopulmonary Dysplasia Clinic (Comprehensive Care Coordination Twvi) that includes prevention of and intervention for feeding disorders: twice a month;
Community Public Health (MCH) Clinics in Marion County, IN;
Services for Children with Special Health Needs Clinic; MCH Programs in Indiana and integration of services into existing health care;
Supervision of background reading and discussion of newborn requiring intensive care; coordination, supervision and/or provision of didactic content and case problems related to the newborn in intensive care, the third section of the Advanced Pediatric Nutrition Course (N540);
Weekly discussion of select topics of interest to fellows.

Rotation 5

Weeks 16-23: Six-month fellows may choose from the following possible areas:
At-Risk Infants in Intensive Care and Following Discharge Into the Community;
Newborn ICU (Level 111);
Newborn Intensive Care Unit Discharge Planning Meeting (continues);
Newborn Follow-up Clinic (same as Rotation 4);
Severe Bronchopulmonary Dysplasia Clinic (same as Rotation 4);
Riley Child Development Center Clinic (Tuesday);
Community Public Health (MCH) Clinics in Marion County, IN;
Services for Children with Special Health Needs Clinic;
MCH Programs in Indiana and integration of services into existing health care;
Weekly discussion of select topics of interest to fellows.

Children with Special Health Needs

Riley Child Development Center Clinic (Tuesday) includes interdisciplinary training in the care of the child/adolescent with neurodevelopmental and related disabilities;
Inborn Errors of Metabolism Follow-up Clinic;
Children with conditions such as cystic fibrosis, HIV/AIDS, cerebral palsy, myelomeningocele, congenital heart disease, failure to thrive, feeding disorders (enteral/parenteral nutrition);
Community Public Health (MCH) Clinics in Marion County, Indianapolis, IN; Services for Children with Special Health Needs Clinic; MCH Programs in Indiana and integration of services into existing health care;
Weekly discussion of select topics of interest to fellows.

Adolescents, Including Those with Diabetes Mellitus and Other Health Needs

Teen Unit (adolescents aged 15-21 years), School Age Unit (adolescents aged 11-14 years) including those with Diabetes (type I) and other health care needs;
Hospital Ambulatory Care Follow-up Clinics (Riley Transitional Clinics: Diabetes Mellitus, Cystic Fibrosis, Cardiology), Adolescent Clinics (eating disorders and weight gain), Inborn Errors of Metabolism Clinic. Child Development Center Clinic, Community Ambulatory Services (Wishard Hospital, Action Center, Methodist);
Community Public Health (MCH) Clinics in Marion County, IN; Services for Children with Special Health Needs Clinic; MCH Programs in Indiana and integration of services into existing health care;
Riley Child Development Center Clinic (Tuesday) (same as Rotation 3);
Weekly discussion of select topics of interest to fellows.

Leadership Development Project

Develop a proposal for real-world leadership development project that innovatively integrates some aspect of pediatric nutrition (services, education, advocacy, cultural competence or outcomes evaluation) into a health system;
Apply the knowledge and skills related to leadership and pediatric nutrition, with mentoring and coaching from the key nutrition and leadership development faculty.
Present the project at the end of the program.

One Week (Optional)

Supervision for development of a proposal related to the integration of nutrition services into the Children with Special Health Needs care system or the integration of special needs children into existing health care system.

For more information contact:
Karyl Rickard, PhD, RD or Sue Brady, DMSc, RD
Directors of Leadership Excellence in Pediatric Nutrition Program
IU School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences
Coleman Hall 224
1140 West Michigan Street
Indianapolis, IN 46202-5119
Phone: 317-274-9910 (Karyl Rickard) or 317-274-9911 (Sue Brady)
Fax: 317-278-3940
Email: Krickard@iupui.edu or mabrady@iupui.edu