(Madera, Calif.) – Valley Children’s Pediatric Hospital Medicine (PHM) Fellowship Program announced this week its first class of two pediatric hospital medicine fellows:
- Dr. Miriam Ahmad is a Fresno native who completed her residency training in the Spectrum Health/Michigan State University College of Human Medicine Pediatrics Residency Program at Helen DeVos Children's Hospital in Grand Rapids, Michigan. She also volunteered at Valley Children's Hospital when she was younger and is very excited to be coming home to help improve care for our kids in the Valley.
- Dr. Emma Schumacher is a Colorado native who completed her residency training at the Indiana University School of Medicine Pediatrics Residency Program at Riley Children's Hospital in Indianapolis, Indiana. She is passionate about health equity and patient-centered communication.
“I am thrilled to welcome Dr. Ahmad and Dr. Schumacher into the Valley Children’s family,” said Valley Children’s PHM Fellowship Program Director Dr. Nicole Webb. “Valley Children’s pediatric hospitalists have long prided ourselves on our dedication to strong interprofessional collaboration and patient- and family-centered care. Drs. Ahmad and Schumacher will be an important part of continuing that tradition.”
Valley Children’s pediatric hospital medicine team began discussing a PHM Fellowship Program – Valley Children’s first-ever fellowship program – in 2017 and officially submitted their application to the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) in February 2022, receiving accreditation just two months later. PHM fellowship is a rigorous two-year program that focuses on the care of children in a hospital setting, and occurs after a doctor has completed undergraduate studies, medical school and a three-year pediatric residency program.
Although the field of pediatric hospital medicine has existed for decades, accredited PHM fellowship programs are still relatively nascent in the world of medical education; the nation’s first PHM fellowship launched in 2005, and today there are more than 70 PHM fellowships nationwide. However, PHM fellowships did not begin receiving accreditation from the ACGME until January 2020.
“We are excited that Valley Children’s PHM Fellowship Program can bring dedicated and compassionate pediatric hospitalists to our Valley to continue their training,” said Dr. Webb. “Drs. Ahmad and Schumacher are the beginning of a new legacy for Valley Children’s that will improve care for kids in the Valley for generations to come.”
Dr. Ahmad and Dr. Schumacher will begin their training at Valley Children’s main hospital campus in Madera in July 2023. Learn more about Valley Children’s Pediatric Hospital Medicine Fellowship at valleychildrens.org/phmfellows.