Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2007 Oct;115(10):1383-7.
doi: 10.1289/ehp.10015.

The ambulatory pediatric association fellowship in pediatric environmental health: a 5-year assessment

Philip J Landrigan  1 , Alan D Woolf, Ben Gitterman, Bruce Lanphear, Joel Forman, Catherine Karr, Erin L Moshier, James Godbold, Ellen Crain
Affiliations

The ambulatory pediatric association fellowship in pediatric environmental health: a 5-year assessment

Philip J Landrigan et al. Environ Health Perspect. 2007 Oct.

Abstract

Background: Evidence is mounting that environmental exposures contribute to causation of disease in children. Yet few pediatricians are trained to diagnose, treat, or prevent disease of environmental origin.

Objectives: To develop a cadre of future leaders in pediatric environmental health (PEH), the Ambulatory Pediatric Association (APA) launched a new 3-year fellowship in 2001-the world's first formal training program in PEH. Sites were established at Boston Children's Hospital, Mount Sinai School of Medicine, George Washington University, University of Cincinnati, and University of Washington. Fellows are trained in epidemiology, biostatistics, toxicology, risk assessment, and preventive medicine. They gain clinical experience in environmental pediatrics and mentored training in clinical research, policy development, and evidence-based advocacy. Thirteen fellows have graduated. Two sites have secured follow-on federal funding to enable them to continue PEH training.

Discussion: To assess objectively the program's success in preparing fellows for leadership careers in PEH, we conducted a mailed survey in 2006 with follow-up in 2007.

Conclusions: Fifteen (88%) of 17 fellows and graduates participated; program directors provided information on the remaining two. Nine graduates are pursuing full-time academic careers, and two have leadership positions in governmental and environmental organizations. Ten have published one or more first-authored papers. Seven graduates are principal investigators on federal or foundation grants. The strongest predictors of academic success are remaining affiliated with the fellowship training site and devoting < 20% of fellowship time to clinical practice.

Conclusion: The APA fellowship program is proving successful in preparing pediatricians for leadership careers in PEH.

Keywords: community pediatrics; environmental medicine; environmental pediatrics; fellowship training; medical education.

PubMed Disclaimer

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

References

    1. Akinbami LJ, Schoendorf KC. Trends in childhood asthma: prevalence, health care utilization and mortality. Pediatrics. 2002;110(Pt 1):315–322. - PubMed
    1. Association of American Medical Colleges. AAMC Curriculum Directory 2005–2006. Washington, DC: Association of American Medical Colleges; 2006.
    1. Barr HM, Streissguth AP. Identifying maternal self-reported alcohol use associated with fetal alcohol spectrum disorders. Alcohol Clin Exp Res. 2001;25:283–287. - PubMed
    1. Berkowitz GS, Wetmur JG, Birman-Deych E, Obel J, Lapinski RH, Godbold JH, et al. In utero pesticide exposure, maternal paraoxonase activity, and head circumference. Environ Health Perspect. 2004;112:388–391. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Bertrand J, Mars A, Boyle C, Bove F, Yeargin-Allsopp M, Decoufle P. Prevalence of autism in a United States population: the Brick Township, New Jersey, investigation. Pediatrics. 2001;108:1155–1161. - PubMed

Publication types