All fellows are expected to participate in scholarly activity during as a requirement from the ACGME. Fellows are encouraged and supported with the goal of producing a research project that results in a publication in a peer-reviewed journal. Fellows present abstracts of their work at major cardiology meetings. Additional focused clinical or basic research experience is available with research mentors within the department and in other departments at the Washington University School of Medicine. Previous fellows have been successful at obtaining grant supported research experience past the three years of fellowship in order to become independent investigators. Extensive research facilities and opportunities are available to fellows at Washington University. At the start of their training, fellows are assigned a faculty advisor who helps them identify research opportunities and mentors. Once a fellow identifies a project and a research mentor, their progress is independently evaluated by a Scholarship Oversight Committee.
Scholarship oversight committee
The fellowship program employs a single Scholarship Oversight Committee, which provides supervision and mentorship for all fellows as they work toward satisfying the expectations of the American Board of Pediatrics for scholarly activity. Members of the committee represent investigators with experience in basic, translational and clinical cardiovascular research. The committee meets to hear fellow presentations monthly, and fellows meet with the committee twice per year. These meetings are an opportunity for the committee to monitor the progress of the fellows in completing their projects and giving advice when needed on questions of hypothesis generation, research design, data analysis and eventual publication strategies. Fellows receive a written progress report from the committee after each meeting. Ultimately, the committee certifies successful completion of the board’s requirement regarding scholarly activity and eligibility for taking the pediatric cardiology board examination.