Pediatric Critical Care Residency Program

Thank you for visiting the Loma Linda University Pediatric Critical Care Residency web pages. Our three-year program is accredited by the Residency Review Committee for Pediatrics. Successful completion of the residency will establish eligibility to sit for the pediatric critical care subspecialty certification examination offered by the American Board of Pediatrics. We accept two fellows per year and are now accepting applications for the residency beginning in July.

About the Medical Center
Loma Linda University Medical Center is a 427-bed tertiary care medical center to which our 244-bed Loma Linda University Children's Hospital was added in 1994. The Children's Hospital contains 59 ICU (intensive care unit) beds which are currently divided into a 25-bed medical-surgical PICU (pediatric intensive care unit), a 14-bed unit dedicated to cardiology/cardiothoracic surgery patients, and a 20-bed step-down ICU. The 25-bed PICU has an average daily census of 20.5. Nearly 75 percent of patients in the intensive care unit have medical illness with the remainder being split between trauma and other surgical cases.

We have an active cardiothoracic surgery and cardiac transplant program through which PICU fellows rotate; these patients are cared for in the cardiology/cardiothoracic portion of the new ICU. The remainder of the 34 new ICU beds are currently used as step-down beds, but may eventually be used as regular PICU beds as our census grows.

Transport program
Our transport program is one of the most active in the United States, transporting approximately 900 pediatric patients per year. Transports are conducted by a team composed of a variable combination of nurses, respiratory therapists, and residents. PICU attendings or fellows supervise the transport team and occasionally accompany the team for high-risk patients. All surgical and medical subspecialties are active in the care of our patients.

Staff supervision
Seven pediatric intensivists provide staff supervision. Dr. Shamel Abd-Allah has research interests in use of Heliox in small airway obstruction, pediatric bronchoscopy and ECMO; Dr. Farrukh Mirza has research interests in acute respiratory distress syndrome and therapies; Dr. Cynthia Tinsley has research interests in shock, and child abuse; Dr. Mudit Mathur has research interests in sepsis, organ donation, and HIV in children; Dr. J. Chiaka Ejike has research interest in post-operative morbidity related to cardiopulmonary bypass, and intra-abdominal hypertension; and Dr. Stephen Treiman has research interest in hypoxic-ischemic brain injury, and nutrition in critical illness.

Clinical responsibilities
Clinical responsibilities during residency include a total of 12 months of first call on the clinical PICU service. This is divided into one-week blocks with equal amounts spent in each of three years. There are four residents (PL2, PL3) in the ICU each month who provide patient care under the direction of PICU attendings and fellows. Although pediatric critical care attendings round daily on the patients in the PICU, fellows are expected to progressively assume responsibility for the daily operations of the ICU and for the teaching and direction of pediatric residents. Additional rotations include one month of anesthesia and three months of cardiothoracic surgery. Optional electives in medical ICU, neonatal ICU, pediatric neurosurgery, general pediatric surgery, pediatric pulmonary medicine, pediatric emergency medicine, rehabilitation, and adult SICU are available. Loma Linda University has one of the largest, most active pediatric ICU programs in the country, which exposes fellows to a wide range of pathology and provides ample clinical experience.

Research
Additionally, a strong emphasis is placed on research activities. A major objective of our residency program is that each trainee receive sufficient research experience to enable him/her to perform successfully in a research-oriented, academic medical center at the completion of training. Our large patient population and broad clinical pathology exposure provide ample opportunity for clinical research. Fellows have access to basic science laboratory facilities (including several pediatric laboratories and a shared, large animal research facility) and will generally participate in ongoing research activities within the department of pediatrics in addition to their own research projects. Fellows receive instruction and experience in the design, performance, and analysis of both clinical and basic science research projects and are expected to present and publish their research results. Additionally, fellows are strongly encouraged to participate in the process of writing and submitting a grant application for funding of research projects.

For more information
You may download an application form. For further information, please contact:

Shamel Abd-Allah, MD
Director, Pediatric Critical Care Residency
11175 Campus St., Coleman Pavilion, A1117
Loma Linda, California 92350
Phone: (909) 558-4250
Email: sabd-Allah@llu.edu

Mudit Mathur, MD
Associate Director, Pediatric Critical Care Residency
Email: mmathur@llu.edu

Visit the pediatric residency program web pages for more information and a photo tour. Again, thank you for your interest in our program.

[Residency programs]