Funding for pediatric sub-specialty fellowship programs has become increasingly more important to ensure care for children and adolescents across Georgia. Pediatric sub-specialists are doctors highly trained to treat children with complex, serious, rare or chronic conditions.
“Pediatric sub-specialty expertise is required for the care of the sickest and most complex patients,” said Dr. Valera Hudson, pediatrician-in-chief at Children’s Hospital of Georgia.
Hospital leaders, like Hudson, recognize the value in training tomorrow’s health care team so much so, that the Pediatric Fellows Fund was created. Money
raised to support this fund will expand the fellowship program to include three pediatric cardiology positions and three pediatric critical care positions.
“A pediatric sub-specialty fellowship provides an additional three years of training to gain this expertise,” said Hudson. “Fellows are an essential member of the care team, and fellowship training programs assure that we have a sufficient future workforce who can continue to provide this level of care.”
Dr. James St. Louis, chief of pediatric and congenital heart surgery, contributed personal dollars as well as funds from his endowed chair to help make these
positions possible.
“It’s gratifying because I love the education, but it is also self-serving in a way because we are training primary care and advanced care pediatric physicians
for this state.” said St. Louis. “The more people we can bring in, the more people we can train. Whether it is in southern Georgia or outside of Atlanta, they
have a dedication to us.”
The Children’s Hospital of Georgia is one of only two children’s hospitals in the state that offer sub-specialty fellowship programs.
