Pediatric Residency Training Pathways

group of residents at the standing outside of a patient room and consulting

The pediatrics residency training program at Johns Hopkins Children’s Center is a three-year categorical program, accredited by the Accreditation Council of Graduate Medical Education, leading to certification in General Pediatrics by the American Board of Pediatrics.

The program also offers several special training pathways:

Combined Training in Pediatrics and Medical Genetics

Training in Pediatrics and Medical Genetics is a four-year combined residency program. The first 12 months of training are spent performing the required rotations in the Pediatrics internship (please see the Curriculum page for a complete list of rotations taken during the intern year). Time is evenly split in years two through four in Pediatrics and Medical Genetics with six continuous months spent in each specialty per year. During training, residents also take graduate courses in human and medical genetics and attend the Bar Harbor Short Course in Medical Genetics and educational conferences, such as Little People of America conference on skeletal dysplasias and the North American Metabolic Academy (NAMA) course on inherited metabolic diseases. Residents are also encouraged to attend national genetics meetings, such as American Society of Human Genetics and American College of Medical Genetics to present their research during residency. Residents who have successfully completed this four-year program are qualified and eligible for examinations leading to certifications by American Board of Pediatrics and American Board of Medical Genetics and Genomics in Clinical Genetics. At completion of their four year combined residency, residents are strongly encouraged to complete additional year(s) of clinical and/or laboratory research fellowship training in genetics as a bridge towards scientific independence. The combined Pediatrics and Medical Genetics residency aims to prepare our trainees to become leaders in the field of pediatric genetics and genomics medicine.

Please visit the  Institute of Genetic Medicine  for further information.

Applicants interested in the combined training pathway should submit their application through ERAS to the Combined Pediatrics and Medical Genetics program (7652344010). Any questions regarding application status can be directed to the Pediatric residency coordinators, Yinka Omosule and Kathy Mainhart. Interviews for the combined program span two days, one spent in Pediatrics and one interviewing in Genetics. Coordinators for both programs work hard to ensure that both interview days coordinate with your schedule. You will be contacted by both departments should you be offered an interview. Additional information about the combined program can be found on the following websites:

For any further questions about the combined program, please contact Kathy Mainhart at [email protected].


Combined Training in Pediatrics and Anesthesia

The combined pediatrics-anesthesiology program at Johns Hopkins provides a unique opportunity to learn from faculty in both the pediatrics and anesthesiology departments. One of the strong points of our program is that we have numerous faculty who are dual trained in pediatrics and anesthesiology. Combined training is ideal for individuals interested in pursuing a career in pediatric critical care, pediatric anesthesiology or pediatric pain management. Two positions are available each year. The first year of residency is devoted to pediatrics—residents begin the program as interns alongside categorical pediatric residents. The second year is devoted to anesthesiology training with residents beginning PGY-2 year with categorical anesthesiology residents who have completed preliminary or transitional internships. The third through fifth years are spent in both departments alternating every three months for a total of six months in each department annually. While in pediatrics, residents attend pediatric continuity clinic for a half-day once a week and spend one full day each month in the OR to keep up their skills with anesthesia. Similarly, during anesthesiology rotations, residents spend a full day once a month in pediatric continuity clinic. 

Please visit  Combined Anesthesiology and Pediatrics Residency  for further details.


Pediatric Training Leading to Residency in Neurology and Child Neurology

Three positions in each pediatric residency class are reserved for individuals who plan to enter neurology and child neurology training at Johns Hopkins after completing two years of pediatrics residency. Residents in this pathway are assigned the same rotations as the categorical pediatric residents, and those rotations meet the requirements of The American Board of Pediatrics for candidates who will be seeking certification in pediatrics following child neurology training.

Please visit Neurology and Neurosurgery for further information.


Health Equity Track

To train leaders in health equity, this program leverages world-renowned resources across Johns Hopkins to provide graduates with a unique skill set that will equip them to make an impact for children affected by health disparities. The health equity/urban health track will leverage relationships and collaborations across the department and the institution, including Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health and The Johns Hopkins University.

Please see our Health Equity Track or the track overview for more information.


Global Health Track

To train future leaders in global health and international policy, the program’s track leverages university-wide resources across Johns Hopkins to provide mentorship in global health research and dedicated overseas elective experiences on five different continents.

The advisory board for the track is composed of experts and mentors in global health from Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Johns Hopkins Center for Global Health, International Vaccine Access Center, Johns Hopkins Center for Health Equity, Johns Hopkins Center for Clinical Global Health Education, the Center for Health Equity, Fogarty African Bioethics Training Program and the International Center for Maternal and Newborn Health.

Please see our Global Health Track or the track overview for more information.


Accelerated Research Pathway

The Accelerated Research Pathway (ARP) is designed to accommodate candidates who are committed to an academic career as physician scientists with a strong research emphasis in a pediatric subspecialty. Candidates entering the ARP may begin subspecialty training after completion of two years of general comprehensive pediatric training. A structured curriculum and close observation of the progress of the trainee during the core general pediatrics training is overseen by the program director.  The second year of training is adapted in such a way that specific curricular requirements in general pediatrics are met. Subsequent to two years of general pediatric training, the length of subspecialty fellowship will be a minimum of four years. Although it may be advantageous for both general pediatrics and subspecialty training to occur in the same institution, it is not a requirement of the pathway.


Integrated Research Pathway

Applicants who have earned both an M.D. and a Ph.D. and have plans to continue training in a pediatric subspecialty may be eligible for the Integrated Research Pathway. Residents interested in this pathway, who have met expectations during their clinical training in the first nine months of pediatric residency, will be sponsored by the Department of Pediatrics to apply to The American Board of Pediatrics  for participation in this pathway. After completing the intern year, residents in this pathway may spend as much as 12 months of the remaining 24 months of residency engaged in research that will help prepare them for research in their chosen field. A research mentor is identified and oversees the resident’s research experience during residency training. Ideally, research during the residency training years is coordinated with senior investigators who are involved in the resident’s research during subsequent subspecialty training. An additional 12 months of clinical training in pediatrics, in an accredited subspecialty fellowship program, are required before the candidate is eligible for the certifying exam in General Pediatrics.

Candidates who are interested in this special training pathway should contact Nicole Shilkofski, M.D., M.Ed., the residency program director for Pediatrics, or Yinka Omosule and Kathy Mainhart, the pediatrics residency coordinators, as soon as possible after submitting an ERAS application. Additional information about the requirements for this pathway is available at the American Board of Pediatrics.


Child Psychiatry Training

The Department of Pediatrics Residency Program offers ONE preliminary position intended for students who are interested in doing a year of pediatrics prior to general psychiatry and child psychiatry training at Johns Hopkins. Students will complete an internship year (PGY-1) in the Pediatric Residency Program, two years (PGY-2, PGY-3) in the Adult Psychiatry Residency Program and two years (PGY-4, PGY-5) in the Child Psychiatry Residency Program.

Applicants interested in this program should apply to the Pediatrics (Preliminary) program through Child Psychiatry.

For more information please contact the following: