Fellowship

The Pediatric Surgery Fellowship Program at UT Southwestern

Find out why you should choose UT Southwestern and Children’s Health to complete your pediatric surgery training. Hear from the fellowship program director, associate program director, and leaders in the Division of Pediatric Surgery.

The educational mission of our Pediatric Surgery Fellowship Program at UT Southwestern is to teach pediatric surgical fellows the specialized knowledge and skills needed to manage surgical diseases in children and become competent, thoughtful leaders in academic pediatric surgery. We offer a two-year fellowship training program with a new fellow accepted every year. Our fellows spend the majority of their time at Children’s Health- Children’s Medical Center of Dallas – the seventh-largest pediatric health care provider in the country, and consistently recognized among the top children’s hospitals in the country by U.S. News & World Report.

Our division is dedicated to the education of knowledgeable, independent leaders in academic pediatric surgery. We are committed to fostering and incorporating innovative pediatric surgery treatments and techniques as well as promoting and retaining thoughtful, inquisitive pediatric surgeons to be local and national leaders in academic pediatric surgery. Our fellows are well trained across all aspects of pediatric surgery.

Keys to this training include:

Robust Multi-disciplinary Clinical Programs: Surgical Oncology, Fetal Evaluation and Treatment Alliance Center/neonatal surgery, Pediatric Intestinal Rehabilitation Program, Surgical Endocrine Program, Center for the Pectus and Chest Wall Anomalies, ACS Level 1 accredited Trauma Program, ECMO program (we perform non-cardiac ECMO), Robotic Surgery, Adolescent Weight Loss Program (including Bariatric Surgery), Transplantation
Outstanding array of over 50 pediatric specialty and subspecialty programs including national experts in pediatric Hematology/Oncology, Neonatology, Cardiology, Cardiac Surgery including transplant, Endocrinology, GI (ERCP, endoscopic intervention and endoscopic US), Nephrology, Intervention Radiology, Pathology, Neurology, Neurosurgery, Orthopedics, Pulmonology, and Urology to name a few.
One of the busiest pediatric emergency medicine programs in the country with an annual volume of ~170,000 patients with 20-40% of all hospital admission coming through the ED.
Robust Educational Curriculum: Learn from experts in surgery and other disciplines at regularly scheduled conferences: Grand rounds, Mortality and Morbidity Conference, Journal Club, Pediatric Surgery in Review (utilizing Score curriculum and NAT), SurgRadPath Conference, Oncology Review, Fetal conference, Fetal Journal Club, Professor Rounds, Multidisciplinary Combo Conferences (fetal, NICU, PICU, ECMO, GI, urology) and pediatric tumor boards (solid tumor, thyroid, musculoskeletal tumor board).
Surgical Simulation Center: We utilize fresh tissue and inanimate models to teach advanced minimally invasive neonatal surgical techniques with faculty proctors.
Mentorship: Through our mentorship program, we coach our fellows to identify specific career goals and encourage clinical, educational, research, and leadership opportunities to further develop unique expertise.
Research Opportunities: Our faculty are involved in clinical, translation, and basic science research including multi-center national trials, drug/device trails, local clinical trials, prospective registries, retrospective/prospective reviews, and bench research. Fellows participate in research most fitting with their career goals and clinic interest.

Program Structure

The first year includes rotations in the neonatal intensive care unit and pediatric intensive care unit. The entire second year is spent on the pediatric surgery service. During the second year, the fellow will run the pediatric surgery service, teach the general surgery residents and medical students, and will participate in the organization of the formal teaching conferences. The fellow will also act as the teaching assistant for progressively more complex procedures.

Educational Experience

The Pediatric Surgery Fellowship Program offers a wide range of educational experiences. Training includes the operating room, bedside, outpatient clinic experiences, and the Simulation Center. The Program offers conferences throughout UT Southwestern Medical Center and Children’s Health. UT Southwestern conferences are held on Wednesday and Children’s Health conferences are held every Thursday; topics are rotated over the length of the program to provide a thorough coverage of diagnoses and management options. We also utilize the Simulation Center for teaching minimally invasive neonatal techniques.

Training Sites

Children’s Health – Children’s Medical Center of Dallas
Dallas, TX United States
Free standing children’s hospital

Parkland Memorial Hospital
Dallas, TX United States

Quick Links

Faculty Information

Diana L. Diesen, M.D.
Program Director,
Pediatric Surgery Fellowship Program

Samir Pandya, M.D.
Associate Program Director,
Pediatric Surgery Fellowship Program

Rachel Howell
GME Program Coordinator I
rachel.howell@UTSouthwestern.edu
Phone: 214-456-9917

Fellow Information

The Pediatric Surgery Fellowship Program accepts one fellow per year.

Videos

UT Southwestern and Children’s Health Dallas Partnership

Requirements

To enter the program as a trainee, you must have completed a general surgery residency and meet the requirements for certification by the American Board of Surgery. You also, at minimum, must have: Advanced Trauma Life Support (ATLS), and Pediatric Advanced Life Support (PALS) certifications at the provider level.

Why UT Southwestern?

“My 2 years with the UT Southwestern Pediatric Surgery Fellowship were an amazing time of growth, fun, and learning both in and out of the operating room. There are many reasons why I ranked UT Southwestern high, but I especially valued:

“The fun and collegial working environment. Everyone in the hospital – from the other pediatric fellows at Children’s Health, bedside nursing, OR staff, the cafeteria workers, coffee stand baristas, and environmental services – knows the pediatric surgery fellows. It’s wonderful to see so many familiar and smiling faces 24/7, especially when responding to an emergency and you are greeted with ‘oh, thank goodness it’s you!’
“The faculty challenge you and push you to be better than yesterday, but they are also open to new techniques and learning themselves. In many ways the fellowship is like a family and I have made lifelong mentors and friends.
“The volume. Our affiliation with the birthing centers at Parkland, Clements University Hospital, Texas Health Presbyterian, and many other local and regional hospitals ensured we were a referral center for complex neonatal cases.
“A Level I Trauma Center and one of the busiest ERs in the state. We saw a diverse patient population and unusual presentations of common and uncommon pathology.
“Our advanced practice providers (NP/PA) are the core and continuity of our service, and are amazing individuals to work with and learn from!
“The UT Southwestern residents that rotate with us are excellent and hard working!
“The Dallas metro area is ridiculously convenient. Want to go trail running? Sky diving? Brunch? Shop at the Asian markets? Boat on the lake? And if it’s not here, Love Field is 8 minutes from the hospital and DFW is 25 minutes away.”

Jessica Zagory, M.D.
Fellow