A primary objective of the fellowship program is to train future academic neonatologists. To this end, nearly two-thirds of the three-year training period is devoted to research activity. Most of this time is spent in blocked months during the second and third years of fellowship training.
Selecting an Interest and Mentor
During orientation and for the first few months, fellows identify areas that interest them and explore opportunities for their research activities. In consultation with the program director, fellows are encouraged to meet investigators working in their field of interest and to visit laboratories.
Mentors can be selected from within the Division of Neonatology faculty, the Department of Pediatrics, or throughout Baylor College of Medicine, including the basic science departments.
Completing a Project
Once a mentor is selected, the fellow and mentor identify a specific research project and a training curriculum. A Scholarship Oversight Committee is appointed for each fellow to monitor progress during the course of training and to approve the training in scholarly activities upon completion of the fellowship program.
By the end of their second year, fellows are well established in their own research projects. During the third year, fellows present their data at national meetings and prepare a manuscript for publication.
