APA Combined SIG: Medical Student Education and Teaching in Community | The Pediatric Workforce Crisis: What Can Frontline Educators Do To Help?

Saturday, April 26, 2025

7:00am – 8:30am HST

Location: Convention Center: 322

CE: 1.5

SIG Chair(s)

Hana Smith, MD (she/her/hers)

Associate Professor
Pediatrics
University of Colorado School of Medicine
University of Colorado School of Medicine
Denver, Colorado, United States
Marguerite Costich, MD,MS

Assistant Professor of Pediatrics
Pediatrics
Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons
New York, New York, United States
Lolita (Maria) Alkureishi, MD (she/her/hers)

Clerkship Director, APD Primary Care
University of Chicago
Chiago, Illinois, United States
KO

Katherine O'Donnell, MD (she/her/hers)

Associate HMS Dean for UME at Boston Children's Hospital
Boston Children's Hospital
Boston, Massachusetts, United States
VS

Vivien Sun, MD, MPhil (she/her/hers)

Clinical Associate Professor
Pediatrics
Stanford University School of Medicine
Stanford University School of Medicine
Palo Alto, California, United States
Ann Allen, MD (she/her/hers)

Associate Professor of Pediatrics
Pediatrics
University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health
Madison, Wisconsin, United States

Disclosure(s):

Hana Smith, MD: I do not have any relevant financial / non-financial relationships with any proprietary interests.

Marguerite Costich, MD,MS: I do not have any relevant financial / non-financial relationships with any proprietary interests.

Lolita (Maria) Alcocer Alkureishi, MD: I do not have any relevant financial / non-financial relationships with any proprietary interests.

Katherine O'Donnell, MD: I do not have any relevant financial / non-financial relationships with any proprietary interests.

Vivien Sun, MD, MPhil: I do not have any relevant financial / non-financial relationships with any proprietary interests.

Ann Allen, MD: I do not have any relevant financial / non-financial relationships with any proprietary interests.

The percentage of offered pediatric positions that were filled in the 2024 NRMP match decreased significantly as compared to prior years. This large number of unmatched positions is concerning for both the general pediatric and pediatric subspecialty pathways and forecasts challenges in meeting pediatric workforce needs and the needs of our pediatric patients in the future. This underscores the importance of understanding and strengthening the pipeline to pediatrics. Although the decline in those seeking a pediatric career is multifactorial and involves systemic issues beyond the scope of many of our individual roles, as frontline medical educators, there are actionable steps that we can and must take to address these trends. As a collaboration between the Medical Student Education and Teaching in the Community, this workshop will describe the current landscape of medical students entering pediatrics. We will then focus on strategies to leverage institutional and community resources to expose students to the joys of pediatrics and the breadth of pediatric careers. In breakout groups, participants will create individualized, action plans of what pediatric engagement could look like at their institutions. Join us to learn about the pediatric workforce crisis, brainstorm potential strategies, and create a practical action plan for your educational role and practice setting.

Learning Objectives:

Describe the current landscape of pediatric medical student education and medical students entering pediatrics.
Review innovative approaches to expose students to pediatricians and pediatric content in the pre-clerkship and clerkship years.
Generate action plans that leverage resources at your institution and/or community to implement local changes to increase exposure to pediatric content.

Presentations:

7:00am – 7:05am HST

Introduction to Workshop/chairs
SIG Speaker: Hana Smith, MD (she/her/hers) – University of Colorado School of Medicine
7:05am – 7:10am HST

Ice Breaker Activity with Participant Introductions
SIG Speaker: Marguerite Costich, MD,MS – Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons
7:10am – 7:20am HST

Innovative Work Being Done in UME & GME
SIG Speaker: Lolita (Maria) Alcocer Alkureishi, MD (she/her/hers) – University of Chicago
SIG Speaker: Erica R. Levin, MD (she/her/hers) – Rutgers, Robert Wood Johnson Medical School
7:20am – 7:30am HST

Current Landscape Overview
SIG Speaker: Katherine O'Donnell, MD (she/her/hers) – Boston Children's Hospital
7:30am – 7:50am HST

Break Outs - Brainstorming Ideas with Report Out
SIG Speaker: Vivien Sun, MD, MPhil (she/her/hers) – Stanford University School of Medicine
7:50am – 8:15am HST

Break Outs - Brainstorming Action Plans and Report Out
SIG Speaker: Ann Allen, MD (she/her/hers) – University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health
8:15am – 8:30am HST

Current Landscape Overview
SIG Speaker: Chris B. Peltier, MD, FAAP (he/him/his) – Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center