General Pediatrics Residency

Welcome to the AdventHealth for Children!

The faculty and I are so happy that you have decided to explore our page. We are looking for highly motivated physicians to join our “family” of pediatric residents. My goal is to cultivate a love for learning pediatric medicine that goes beyond the hospital and clinics. Our goal at AdventHealth for Children is to nurture problem-solving skills and foster an environment where curiosity and creativity thrive. My hope is that together we can unlock the potential within each resident. Pediatrics is more than patient care; it is using our role as physicians to be advocates, shape policy and serve as a voice for children and their families. We will dive into exciting topics throughout your training and engage in simulations to challenge and stimulate your mind. From diverse presentations of common diseases to the management of rare conditions - we see it all!

Through interactions with families from all corners of the globe we are here to prepare you to take care of the next generation of children. By way of direct patient care, real-world applications, you will build a solid foundation in pediatrics and develop the confidence to tackle any case that comes your way.

Communication is vital, and I look forward to working with you and building a strong partnership with you as we inspire, challenge, and celebrate you as a pediatrician.

The AdventHealth for Children Pediatric Residency Program is growing! The Class of 2027 and beyond will be 12 residents per class. We are looking forward to meeting you!

Please feel free to reach out with any questions!

Yours in education,

Shani Cunningham, DO, M.ED, FAAP

A young boy in a pediatric visit with his mother.

About the Program

We received our initial accreditation in April of 2013 from the ACGME and began the program in July of 2013. We are accredited for 6 residents per year and graduated our inaugural class in 2016. The Pediatric Residency Program is designed with the Adult Learner in mind- and can accommodate those who wish to do General Pediatrics or go into a subspecialty via fellowship. As a residency program, we have the flexibility to allow residents to customize their training program- they can participate in away rotations, research electives or specialized electives in our ICUs or subspecialties. The Children’s Hospital has a diverse patient population with an amazing array of pathology among all the subspecialty areas. We not only see a variety of common pediatric illnesses, but also have the opportunity to care for patients from all over the world with our proximity to tourism locations. The residents are an integral part of the team caring for patients, which consists of faculty physicians, medical students, nurses, Nurse Practitioners and the extensive support system within the Children’s Hospital.

Exterior photo of the AdventHealth for Children Walt Disney Pavilion

Facilities

AdventHealth for Children in the Walt Disney Pavilion is a medium sized Children’s Hospital within a Hospital in Orlando Florida. AdventHealth Orlando has been taking care of children in the Orlando area for over 100 years and we teamed up with Disney in 2006 to design the Walt Disney Pavilion. The Walt Disney Pavilion opened in 2011, is an amazing Children’s Hospital designed by the Imagineers of Disney to promote the healing of children.

We are the only Children’s hospital in the AdventHealth Hospital system, and serve 13 AdventHealth hospitals in Central Florida as a referral center. The Children’s hospital has over 200 inpatient beds, including a 22 bed PICU, 9 bed CVICU, and a 91 bed NICU. We have over 8,000 admissions per year and see around 30,000 kids in our pediatric emergency rooms. The Center for Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, which is the site for our Residency Continuity Clinic in Winter Garden, Southwest Orlando, is a busy primary care clinic with 5 General Pediatricians and an Adolescent Medicine Specialist.

AdventHealth for Children

Our Faculty

Our faculty is comprised of General Pediatricians, Hospitalists, Intensive Care Specialists and a broad variety of Pediatric Subspecialists and Surgeons who are providing hands on care to patients here in our Children’s Hospital. They come from a variety of backgrounds, and have interests in Education, Research and Quality Improvement/ Patient Safety. One of the many benefits of our program includes the fact that the residents is that they get to work directly with the faculty, who are very supportive and value the resident input.

Faculty Information

A Physician Checks Her Pediatric Patient's Height

Observerships

Observerships are available with select physicians. Observerships may be 2-4 weeks in length with the option to attend our morning reports as well as afternoon didactics. We request a resume, cover letter, and completion of the application below.

Please provide all requested items in a single email to: [email protected].

For further inquiries, please contact [email protected]

Observership Application

Pediatric Residency Faculty

Shani Cunningham, DO, FAAP

Program Director

Samantha Carroll, MD

Associate Program Director

Anita Morjani MD — Anita Moorjani, MD, FAAP

Medical Director
Acute Care/Continuity Clinic Rotation Director

Heather Elizondo Vega, MD, FAAP

Adolescent Medicine Rotation Director

Stacy McConkey, MD, FAAP

CCK Clinical Rotation Director

Brett Pierce, MD

Inpatient Rotation Director

Marlene Fernandez, DO

Inpatient Rotation Director

Jonathan Chan, MD

PICU Rotation Director

Shelly McLaren, MD

Newborn Rotation Director

Barbara Bostick, MD

Pediatric EM Rotation Director

Hilton Bernstein, MD

NICU Rotation Director

Konda Reddy, MD

Endocrinology Rotation Director

Matthew Zussman, MD

Cardiology Rotation Director

Emily Forrest, MD

Developmental-Behavioral Rotation Director

Maggie Sifain, MD

Pulmonology Rotation Director

Dennis A Borrero Ramos, MD — Dennis Borrero Ramos, MD

Hematology/Oncology Rotation Director

Monique Kumar, MD

Dermatology Rotation Director

Sridhar Goli, MD

Gastroenterology Rotation Director

Jennifer Willis, MD

Nephrology Rotation Director

Fatma Levent, MD

Infectious Disease Rotation Director

Ammar Hussain, MD

Neurology Rotation Director

Current Residents

female physician headhsot — Alexis Aranda, MD

PGY-3

Buse Baykoca-Arslan, MD

PGY-3

Alexander Garcia, DO

PGY-3

Emerald Russell-Nathan, MD

PGY-3
Chief Resident

Christian Soeharsono, MD

PGY-3
Chief Resident

Richard Ulangca, MD

PGY-3

Alonso Abugattas, DO

PGY-2

Rute Borges, MD

PGY-2

Natalia Josiah, MD

PGY-2

Alfredo Pacheco, MD

PGY-2

Amanda Ramos, DO

PGY-2

Taylor Smith, DO

PGY-2

Setu Dagli, MD

PGY-1

Karina Darby, DO

PGY-1

Tamara Duarte, MD

PGY-1

Naomi Edwin, DO

PGY-1

Donya Javeshghani, MD

PGY-1

Quintell Johnson, MD

PGY-1

Ashin Khoshnaw, MD

PGY-1

Quynh Bao Le, DO

PGY-1

Rushell Reid, DO

PGY-1

Farwa Rubab, MD

PGY-1

Sierra Sanchez, MD

PGY-1

Karol Velasquez, MD

PGY-1

The educational curriculum includes a broad variety of conferences, including case-based discussions, didactic lecture, morning report and simulation experiences with faculty involvement. We also have some self-study modules, and online curriculum. Our faculty and residents have developed specialized curriculum, such as Breastfeeding educational modules, Financial Wellness training, and a Peer Mentoring program to supplement the Conference series.

We are utilizing the American Board of Pediatrics content specifications to organize our educational series to repeat every 12 months- to ensure that all residents have a chance to experience the topics needed to practice Pediatrics today. We also are providing access to the AAP’s Pedialink, and Med Study Question banks as well as a variety of Board Prep materials.

Conference types include the following:

Case Conference:: Interesting and educational cases will be presented by residents and faculty followed by an interactive discussion about the presentation. Management and differential diagnosis will be led by the chief residents and supported by faculty from a variety of subspecialties.
Grand Rounds:: In depth presentations on new developments in pediatrics from local and outside speakers on topics that are pertinent to a broad interdisciplinary group.
Board Review:: A series based on review of high yield topics for board prep. Sessions will include question dissection and Jeopardy games to make learning fun and interactive.
Specialty Conferences:: Diversity and Inclusion series, Journal Club, Ethics discussions, Morbidity, Mortality and Improvement Conference, Financial Wellness and Research basics will be presented on a rotating basis throughout the year during noon conferences.
Wellness Program:: Resident wellness is very important to us at AdventHealth - whole person care for our staff and residents is key to your success and longevity in Medicine. The Wellness program is curated by the GME departments Psychologist, who provides education and activities for the residents on topics such as burn out, depression, resilience training, as well as providing individual counseling, free of charge to residents
Readings:: Faculty from each rotation will choose pertinent reading for each rotation, which will be cataloged on New Innovations. We will be utilizing the Med Study program (provided to residents for free) for case-based questions and board-style preparation questions. We have a small library in our office of textbooks recommended by rotations that are available for check out by residents, as well as easy to access to our online medical library including medical librarians who can perform literature searches and send electronic copies of articles from almost any online journal.

The rotation schedule consists of 13 four-week blocks per year, with a mix of in and outpatient rotations which follow the Pediatric RC guidelines with 6 rotations over three years allotted for individualized curriculum (resident chosen) to prepare each resident for their chosen career path.

PGY - 1: Rotation Block(s)
General Pediatrics 4
Newborn Nursery 1
NICU 1
Emergency Medicine 1
Developmental Behavior 1
Vulnerable Child 1
Acute Care 1
Hematology Oncology 1
Elective 1
Pediatric Potpourri 1
PGY - 2: Rotation Blocks
General Pediatrics Inpatient Days: Supervisory Role 1
General Pediatrics Inpatient Nights: Supervisory Role 1
PICU 2
NICU 1
Emergency Medicine 1
Adolescent Medicine 1
Community Pediatrics 1
Infectious Disease 1
Elective 2
Acute Care 1
Pediatric Potpourri 1
PGY - 3: Rotation Blocks
General Pediatrics Inpatient Days: Supervisor 1
General Pediatrics Inpatient Nights: Supervisor 1
PICU 1
Emergency Medicine 1
Acute Care: Supervisory Role 1
Cardiology 1
Electives 5
Behavioral Health 1
Pediatric Potpourri 1

Rotation	Block(s)
General Pediatrics	4
Newborn Nursery	1
NICU	1
Emergency Medicine	1
Developmental Behavior	1
Vulnerable Child	1
Acute Care	1
Hematology Oncology	1
Elective	1
Pediatric Potpourri	1

Rotation	Blocks
General Pediatrics Inpatient Days: Supervisory Role	1
General Pediatrics Inpatient Nights: Supervisory Role	1
PICU	2
NICU	1
Emergency Medicine	1
Adolescent Medicine	1
Community Pediatrics	1
Infectious Disease	1
Elective	2
Acute Care	1
Pediatric Potpourri	1

Rotation	Blocks
General Pediatrics Inpatient Days: Supervisor	1
General Pediatrics Inpatient Nights: Supervisor	1
PICU	1
Emergency Medicine	1
Acute Care: Supervisory Role	1
Cardiology	1
Electives	5
Behavioral Health	1
Pediatric Potpourri	1

The Pediatric residency program is fortunate to work with the AdventHealth Simulation team to provide training for our residents in all areas of patient care.

Procedural Simulation:: We will be providing simulated training for most procedures listed in the ACGME guidelines, via simulated models. We have Procedure Bootcamp for interns during orientation where we have hands on practice for the procedures most often done on the inpatient unit. These bootcamps are taught by faculty and nursing educators for the following procedures:
Lumbar Punctures
Ultrasound guided IV insertion and phlebotomy
Urinary Catheterization
IM and Sub Cutaneous Injections
Medication Dosing
Needle Pneumothorax
Intraosseous Line Insertion
Defibrillation
Intubation and Bag and Mask Ventilation
Mid-Year Simulation Week: During the rotation encompassing the holidays (Pediatric Potpourri block) we have designed a rotation that allows the residents to participate in another weeklong simulation experience with the addition of the following Procedures:

Umbilical Line Insertion

Suturing, Incision and Drainage

Gastrostomy Tube Changes

Arterial Punctures

Tracheostomy Tube Changes

Splinting and Casting workshop
Mock Code Practice:: Throughout the year, and during our Potpourri rotation, we provide a safe venue for training residents in the following scenarios:

Rapid Response Scenarios

NICU Codes

PICU Codes

These are done in interdisciplinary settings with videotaping and feedback on both medical decision making and communication/leadership.
Communication Simulation: We utilize standardized patients to assist in training for the following scenarios:
STAR (Sensory Tactile Auditory Rockstars) training utilizing the expertise of our Child Life team. This training teaches residents the best way to interact with our Autism Spectrum Patients utilizing the specialty equipment and personalized care plans that have been designed specifically to make the hospitalization easier.
SVRA (Safety Violence Risk Assessment): training utilized for team members to teach them how to be safe and de-escalate situations where patients might be violent or aggressive.
Difficult Conversations: a variety of real-life scenarios in which residents can practice the difficult art of delivering difficult news to patients and families.
Cultural Humility: Simulation portion of our health equity and diversity curriculum.

Eligibility: 2024-2025 Interview Season
Completed applications must be received by November 1, 2024, to be considered for the 2025 Match.
All applicants must register with the National Resident Matching Program (NRMP) for an PGY- 1 position.
All applications to our residency program must come through the Electronic Residency Application Service (ERAS).
A complete application consists of the ERAS Common Application form, medical school transcript, personal statement, USMLE scores (Step 1), MSPE and letters of recommendation.
For the 2024-25 application season, we recognize many clinical experiences have been delayed for applicants. We will consider your application complete and ready for review and invitation with receipt of ONE letter of recommendation prior to November 1st. We ask for a total of THREE letters of recommendation to be submitted by December 1st. USMLE Step 1 must be taken prior to application and Step 2CK must be passed before the match.
We accept applications from the following types of medical schools:
Liaison Committee on Medical Education (LCME)–accredited medical schools in the U.S. or Canada
American Osteopathic Association (AOA)–accredited colleges in the U.S.
International medical schools if one of the following criteria is met:
The applicant holds current ECFMG certification before applying to our program.
The applicant has proof of US citizenship or appropriate visa status (H1b visas are sponsored).
All applicants must have graduated from medical school no more than three years prior to the residency start date unless they have been participating in another ACGME-accredited residency or fellowship program or other post-graduate education since graduation.
We take a “whole person” approach to the admissions process that emphasizes individual experiences, background, leadership potential and lifelong learning. Our program looks for applicants from diverse backgrounds who are curious, adaptable, and excellent communicators that value integrity and teamwork.
Benefits: We’ll Take Care of You
The Pediatric Residency program offers the following additional benefits to residents:
Annual Retreats
Membership to the AAP -includes access to PREP question banks and AAP resources
Subscription to Med Study Question Banks
CME Allowance
$4500 over 3 years to cover the cost of books, journal subscriptions, personal computers and equipment.
Physician Wellbeing
For more information on the many benefits offered across all programs, click here.

As one of the key components in ACGME program requirements, research activity and scholarly productivity is an essential part of training in the era of evidence-based medicine, we strongly believe at AdventHealth Orlando that residents should develop critical thinking skills to evaluate the publications and apply new knowledge in their clinical practice, fostering their intellectual curiosity that drives the future of medical care forward.

Research/Scholarly Productivity: Our program has a well-developed infrastructure and fostering culture to support residents who are interested in pursuing basic research, clinical research, or quality improvement/patient safety projects. In addition, the Pediatric Residency program has the Scholarly Oversight Committee, which provides residents with assistance in the development, creation and publication of their research or scholarly product by graduation.
GME Research: From our GME department, residents and faculty involved in required GME scholarly activities also receive guidance from the Center for Academic Research Excellence (CARE) through the Clinical Academic Research team, which is comprised of an Academic Research Mentor, a Project Coordinator, and a Regulatory Coordinator. In addition, the center includes a group of biostatisticians, a health economist, and a medical editor.
CARE assists residents and faculty with all types of scholarly activities (case studies, and research studies), from study design and protocol development, to data analysis and poster, presentation or manuscript preparation.
QI: Residents also participate in QI Projects of their own design, which have made a significant impact on safety, education and patient care in the Children’s hospital every year.
By promoting research and scholarly activities, our goal is to train the next generation of physicians with strengths in both clinical and academic medicine

Class of 2024: Name
Position Location
Zenobia Cooper, MD Endo Fellow Atlanta, GA
Kimberly DeLeon, MD Peds EM Fellow Dallas, TX
Katelyn Hernandez, DO Peds EM Fellow Dallas, TX
Victoria Larson, MD Pediatrician Orlando, FL
Audrey Merrill, MD Pediatrician Orlando, FL
Anniesha Noel, MD Neonatology Fellow Austin, TX
Class of 2020 - 2023: 2020 Alumni
Position Location
Fatima Ajmal, MD PICU Fellow Milwaukee, WI
Heather Cross, MD Pediatrician Orlando, FL
Paola Pare, DO Pediatrician California
Brett Pierce, MD Hospitalist Orlando, FL
Courtney Rozbitsky, MD Hospitalist Orlando, FL
Genevieve McKinley, MD Peds ER Fellow Orlando, FL
2021 Alumni
Position Location
Abigail Adair-Dimmick, MD Pediatrician Orlando, FL
Carlos Carmona, DO PICU Fellowship Richmond, VA
Adriana Delgado-Alvarez, DO Hospitalist Orlando, FL
Matthew Goldstein, DO PICU Fellowship Atlanta, GA
Melissa Zegarra, MD Pediatrician Orlando, FL
Rafaela Uwaibi, MD Medical Education Brazil
2022 Alumni
Position Location
Marlene Fernandez, DO Hospitalist Orlando, FL
Phillip Jay Frayre, MD Peds EM Fellow Memphis, TN
Feras Hares, MD PICU Fellow Orange, CA
Monica Lee, MD Hematology/ Onc Fellow New York, NY
Emma Mancini, MD PICU Fellow Orlando, FL
Barbara Braz, MD Peds EM Fellow Miami, FL
2023 Alumni
Position Location
Callie Alt, MD Peds EM Fellow Miami, FL
Melinda Chance, MD Hematology/Oncology Fellow Birmingham, AL
Caio Freitas, MD Cardiology Fellow New York, NY
Chelsea Hawthrone, DO Peds EM Fellow Memphis, TN
Chantal Soobhanath, MD Pediatrician Orlando, FL
Class of 2016 - 2019: 2016 Alumni Position Location
Saif Al Haque, MD Pediatrician Florida
Suneeta Brito, MD Pediatrician Florida
Catherine Loe, MD Pediatrician Florida
Shahzaib Mirza, MD Pediatrician Florida
Ramin Nazari, MD Critical Care Florida
2017 Alumni Position Location
Jennifer Arble, DO Pediatrician Colorado
Shannon Bogan, MD Locums Hospitalist Texas
Marcos Colon, MD
Current DB Fellow,
Vanderbilt University
Tennessee
Christian Chaban, MD Pediatrician Florida
Hafid Mantilla, MD Hospitalist Idaho
Mark Stephens, MD
Neonatal Fellow,
University of Kentucky
Kentucky
2018 Alumni Position Location
Wendla Sensing, DO Hospitalist Ohio
Sasha Wee, MD
Hospitalist Fellow,
Medical University of SC
South
Carolina
Prema D souza, MD Urgent Care Missouri
Jordan Schneider, MD
ICU Fellow,
Children’s Hospital of Michigan
Michigan
Sophie Thibault, MD Pediatrician Florida
Kary Vega, MD Pediatrician Texas
Alumni Position Location
Jillian Green, MD
Developmental Behavioral
Pediatrics
Colorado
Emmy Jean - Marie, MD General Pediatrics Florida
Ashley Muszinski,MD ProMedica Physicians Oregon
Lyndsay Van Der Laan, MD Peds ER Fellowship Texas
Binh Vu, DO Tandem Health
South
Carolina

Name	Position	Location
Zenobia Cooper, MD	Endo Fellow	Atlanta, GA
Kimberly DeLeon, MD	Peds EM Fellow	Dallas, TX
Katelyn Hernandez, DO	Peds EM Fellow	Dallas, TX
Victoria Larson, MD	Pediatrician	Orlando, FL
Audrey Merrill, MD	Pediatrician	Orlando, FL
Anniesha Noel, MD	Neonatology Fellow	Austin, TX

2020 Alumni	Position	Location
Fatima Ajmal, MD	PICU Fellow	Milwaukee, WI
Heather Cross, MD	Pediatrician	Orlando, FL
Paola Pare, DO	Pediatrician	California
Brett Pierce, MD	Hospitalist	Orlando, FL
Courtney Rozbitsky, MD	Hospitalist	Orlando, FL
Genevieve McKinley, MD	Peds ER Fellow	Orlando, FL

2021 Alumni	Position	Location
Abigail Adair-Dimmick, MD	Pediatrician	Orlando, FL
Carlos Carmona, DO	PICU Fellowship	Richmond, VA
Adriana Delgado-Alvarez, DO	Hospitalist	Orlando, FL
Matthew Goldstein, DO	PICU Fellowship	Atlanta, GA
Melissa Zegarra, MD	Pediatrician	Orlando, FL
Rafaela Uwaibi, MD	Medical Education	Brazil

2022 Alumni	Position	Location
Marlene Fernandez, DO	Hospitalist	Orlando, FL
Phillip Jay Frayre, MD	Peds EM Fellow	Memphis, TN
Feras Hares, MD	PICU Fellow	Orange, CA
Monica Lee, MD	Hematology/ Onc Fellow	New York, NY
Emma Mancini, MD	PICU Fellow	Orlando, FL
Barbara Braz, MD	Peds EM Fellow	Miami, FL

2023 Alumni	Position	Location
Callie Alt, MD	Peds EM Fellow	Miami, FL
Melinda Chance, MD	Hematology/Oncology Fellow	Birmingham, AL
Caio Freitas, MD	Cardiology Fellow	New York, NY
Chelsea Hawthrone, DO	Peds EM Fellow	Memphis, TN
Chantal Soobhanath, MD	Pediatrician	Orlando, FL

2016 Alumni	Position	Location
Saif Al Haque, MD	Pediatrician	Florida
Suneeta Brito, MD	Pediatrician	Florida
Catherine Loe, MD	Pediatrician	Florida
Shahzaib Mirza, MD	Pediatrician	Florida
Ramin Nazari, MD	Critical Care	Florida

2017 Alumni	Position	Location
Jennifer Arble, DO	Pediatrician	Colorado
Shannon Bogan, MD	Locums Hospitalist	Texas
Marcos Colon, MD	Current DB Fellow, Vanderbilt University	Tennessee
Christian Chaban, MD	Pediatrician	Florida
Hafid Mantilla, MD	Hospitalist	Idaho
Mark Stephens, MD	Neonatal Fellow, University of Kentucky	Kentucky

2018 Alumni	Position	Location
Wendla Sensing, DO	Hospitalist	Ohio
Sasha Wee, MD	Hospitalist Fellow, Medical University of SC	South Carolina
Prema D souza, MD	Urgent Care	Missouri
Jordan Schneider, MD	ICU Fellow, Children’s Hospital of Michigan	Michigan
Sophie Thibault, MD	Pediatrician	Florida
Kary Vega, MD	Pediatrician	Texas

Alumni	Position	Location
Jillian Green, MD	Developmental Behavioral Pediatrics	Colorado
Emmy Jean - Marie, MD	General Pediatrics	Florida
Ashley Muszinski,MD	ProMedica Physicians	Oregon
Lyndsay Van Der Laan, MD	Peds ER Fellowship	Texas
Binh Vu, DO	Tandem Health	South Carolina

Boards Pass Rate: We currently have a board pass rate of 100% for the class of 2023! It is our top priority to ensure residents pass their boards and take this very seriously. We have protected conference time as well as enforce a strict conference attendance rule to ensure residents are prioritizing their education.
We have made numerous changes to our boards review study plan for residents, including the purchasing of the Med Study Q bank for all residents, Jeopardy style board review w faculty, and Board study plans designed specifically for individuals with their mentors.
Religious Affiliation: Does being a part of a religious institution affect your medical practice? No, in fact, we see many positive aspects of our affiliation with the Adventist Church – the practices of the church stress whole person care, and how all aspects of a person’s life affect their health. There are no edicts from the church that prevent physicians from discussing birth control, end of life practices, no restrictions on other religions from ministering to the needs of their patients in our hospitals. We have active participation by our Chaplains from every denomination in our Family Centered Rounds to assist with the spiritual needs of our patients.
Recruiting Success: We had a very successful match year over the past several years, with excellent results from our first experience with virtual interviews during COVID. We plan to continue with virtual interviews and open houses from October 2024 - January 2025.
Presence of Other Trainees and Medical Students: Other Trainees
Are there a lot of other trainees at your hospital that work in pediatrics?
We have around 290 residents / fellows in the GME program here at AH. We work with residents from our FM MD and FM DO programs on our inpatient Gen Peds and newborn services, our ED residents in the PICU. We do not have any pediatrics fellows currently and do intermittently have ARNP/ PA staff that are training or orienting on our non-teaching services. Our primary concern and priority are teaching our pediatric residents but enjoy the interactions and learning from other residents that work with us and are rotating on pediatric services such as Peds surgery, ED, and radiology. We do not allow medical students, PA students or ARNP students to displace residents, or have them working on the same rotation simultaneously.
Medical Students
Which Medical School are you affiliated with?
Our current affiliation is with Loma Linda Medical School since 2019 and have been a Regional Campus here in Florida since 2022. We currently have associations with several medical schools, both osteopathic and allopathic including LECOM, FSU, Nova.
Numbers of Procedures: Will I be able to do procedures? Is there much competition for them? Yes, you will be allowed and will have lots of opportunities to do procedures- we have simulated models of most ACGME required procedures, and have multiple opportunities per year to practice the procedures in a simulated environment, as well as abundant opportunities to perform procedures under the supervision of well-trained mid-level providers and faculty physicians. There are no fellows at AHFC currently, thus maximizing exposure to procedures for out residents. We pride ourselves on our residents having a large amount of procedure training that often sets them ahead when starting their new career.
Research Opportunities: What kind of research projects can I get involved with during residency? Our residents are all required to produce a scholarly product during residency (see link to SP section) and have been very prolific! Residents can choose to do any kind of project; we have several national studies that we are participating in as well as independent research projects being completed by faculty. If you have a research interest or question that you would like to develop, we can connect you with our GME research team as well as our Children’s hospital research team with a large variety of resources at your disposal, including assistance w project design, data collection, IRB protocols, Medical editing, and Biostatistician consultation. All of this is free of charge, and many projects can be carried out without requiring funding. You can do 2 research blocks over your 3 years in residency. Please see the Research section for more information
Fellowships: If you do not have any fellowships at your hospital, how do residents get into the fellowship of their choice?
We have had a 100% fellowship match rate over the past 4 years (see list). We understand that residents may want to get a feel for an even larger children’s hospital, so we allow our residents to do away rotations (one per year) to experience other programs and help fellowship directors get to know the high-quality, well-trained residents that are graduating our programs. We also have subspecialists in all fields who are very willing to mentor residents, work with them on publishing research, and reaching out to their contacts in the field who might be willing to meet our residents in interviews. Being part of a small program has real benefits in your faculty getting to know you!
Please take a look at our Alumni section!
International Health Opportunities: What kind of opportunities do residents have to participate in international health? Residents can do one away rotation per year in their PGY-2 and PGY-3 years- this would include international health rotations.
Opportunities with the Underserved, Healthcare Disparities, Advocacy: Do residents have opportunities to work with underserved, healthcare disparities, advocacy?
Opportunities abound in the diverse city of Orlando. We are also active in the Florida Chapter of the AAP, sending representatives to the National meeting, as well as to experience Legislative advocacy via our Day on the Hill. Our QI projects have involved looking at disparities in our healthcare system for our patients with asthma, and there are many other opportunities to develop projects in this arena!
Diversity of the Patient Population and Variety of Pathology: How is the diversity of the patient population and the variety of pathology at AHFC, especially since there are 3 children’s hospitals in the area?

Residents and faculty frequently comment on the excellent variety of pathology that comes through our hospital: we serve a broad area across Central Florida as the only Children’s hospital in the AH system so we get an excellent variety of both pathology and diversity of our patients. We serve multiple communities here in Orlando, with a fantastic mix of both culture, race and socioeconomic status. Being the hospital closest to Disney (Celebration) offers the opportunity to see a wide variety of vacationers with emergent issues- always ask a good travel history in our hospital!