Pediatrics Residency
Chief Residents Welcome
Dear Prospective Pediatric Residents,
As chief residents, we would like to welcome you to the University of South Florida Pediatric Residency Program. Thank you for visiting this website and showing an interest in our program. USF Pediatrics is a unique and special residency program. As a resident, you will have the opportunity to work in both a free-standing tertiary referral children's hospital at Johns Hopkins All Children's Hospital in St. Petersburg, as well as a large urban community hospital with a level one trauma center at Tampa General Hospital. The combined clinical experience at these two distinct sites truly fosters our residents’ ability to confidently and competently manage both complex and straightforward patients in a progressively independent manner in all patient care settings.
Our residents are exposed to a strong didactic curriculum with the new weekly Academic Half Day (AHD) experience. These half-day sessions are protected time for education that include an integrated board review. Didactics follow the ABP content guidelines and divide educational topics across 18 months so residents should complete the curriculum twice during their residency. Additional educational experiences at both sites include daily morning reports, case conferences and weekly Grand Rounds.
Our faculty are dedicated to your professional development; they provide learning opportunities and also serve as superb resources. Our program has a long history of supporting and placing residents in top subspecialty fellowships all over the country as well as graduating general pediatricians, many of whom remain in our community and practice in a variety of the well-respected local practices. Residents are encouraged to participate in research and quality improvement projects. Much of the USF faculty is invested in clinical or basic sciences research and many of our residents have published in peer-reviewed journals and presented posters at various conferences.
Tampa Bay is a wonderful place that offers a lot of sunshine and innumerable year-round activities.
USF also offers numerous opportunities for community outreach and advocacy. There are several clinics for underserved populations such as the Ybor Youth Clinic. Many residents stay involved in the community through Health Fairs, toy drives, school health education and some have received grants from the AAP including the CATCH grant for community projects. Additionally, our residents have been involved in legislative advocacy both at state and national level.
Another large focus of our program is Resident Wellness. Residents are surveyed throughout the year for signs of burnout. We have an entire wellness curriculum with themed lectures that are integrated into our didactics and as well as monthly wellness events held in the evening. We have an annual Wellness Competition between residents that encourages residents to participate in wellness activities for points. Our Big-Little Sib mentoring program also serves to support your journey through residency.
The USF Pediatric Department leadership is very open to feedback. Dr. Sharon Dabrow, our residency director, is a strong advocate for our program. She is a general pediatrician who has been on the faculty since 1995 and has focused her career on resident education. She is dedicated to the continual improvement of the program and is always available for any resident needs. Our Chairman, Dr. Patricia Emmanuel, an infectious diseases specialist, is approachable, accessible and extremely supportive of resident education. She routinely attends resident conferences and presentations, and her door is always open to the housestaff.
Tampa Bay is a wonderful place that offers a lot of sunshine and innumerable year-round activities. There are beautiful beaches along the Gulf of Mexico, multiple performing arts theaters, aquariums, museums, and historical sites, as well as professional sports teams including the Buccaneers, Rays, and Lightning. Tampa Bay has all of the resources of a large city, but the closeness of a small town. You can easily live in a vibrant downtown neighborhood or in a cozy suburban community.
Last, but certainly NOT least, the program is composed of a strong, cohesive group of residents that work well together and provide immense support for each other. We are professional colleagues as well as good friends. It is truly a "family-friendly" residency that stresses the importance of life outside the program to foster an atmosphere of unity and unparalleled cooperation amongst the residents.
- Andrea and Ivy, Chief Residents
We look forward to meeting you!
Please do not hesitate to contact us if you have any questions.
Andrea Lafnitzegger, DO
Ivy Wilson, MD
usfpedichiefs@usf.edu