Department of Pediatrics
Department of Pediatrics
The Department of Pediatrics

Fellowship in Adolescent Medicine

The Department of Pediatrics at the University of Texas Medical School at Houston is dedicated to improving the health and welfare of all infants, children, and adolescents.


I.       PURPOSE:

In this three-year fellowship, the fellow will acquire skills in clinical medicine, teaching, research, and administration.  The fellow has a choice of degree programs that emphasize training in research. The fellowship director is Dr. William Risser, MD, PhD, who is Board-certified in Adolescent Medicine.  The fellowship is accredited by the American Board of Pediatrics.  Additional information about the UT Department of Pediatrics is available at http://ped1.med.uth.tmc.edu.  Please also see the description of the Adolescent Medicine Fellowship at the website, FREIDA Online: http://www.ama-assn.org/ama/pub/category/2997.html.
(Or access FREIDA through Google or another search engine)

II.       REQUIREMENTS:

  1. U.S. citizenship.
  2. Completion of an approved 3 year Pediatrics, 4 year Medicine/Pediatrics, 3 year Internal Medicine, or 3 year Family Practice residency.

III.      SPECIFIC OBJECTIVES:

  1. Training and direct experience in the delivery of medical care to adolescent patients in inpatient and outpatient settings.
  2. Experience in the organization and management of clinical programs and services; and knowledge and experience in the identification and use of community health resources for adolescents with special needs (for example the chronically ill handicapped, and visually disabled).
  3. Training and clinical experience in the specific areas important to adolescents, including mental health, medicine, and gynecology.
  4. Training and experience in the teaching of Adolescent Medicine to medical students and residents.
  5. The opportunity to design, execute, and analyze at least one research project in Adolescent Medicine.
  6. Completion of at least one manuscript to submit for publication.

IV.      CLINICAL FACILITIES:

Memorial Hermann Children’s Hospital of Houston and Lyndon B. Johnson General Hospital, where we provide inpatient care and consultations on adolescents.

Harris County Psychiatric Center, where we provide medical consultations on adolescents

Ambulatory Facilities include:

Medical Center Adolescent Clinic
LBJ General Hospital Adolescent Clinic
Medical clinic at the Harris County Juvenile Detention Center
Mobile clinic for homeless youth

The fellow also does a variety of required subspecialty rotations in subspecialty services of the department and at sites outside of the department, for example the University of Houston Student Health Service.

V.       DEGREE PROGRAM:

The fellow has a choice of two training programs in research design: a degree program at the University of Texas-Houston School of Public Health, or at the Medical School.   

Degree Programs at the University of Texas-Houston School of Public Health

  1. The fellow can enroll as a candidate for the degree of Master of Public Health (MPH) or of Master of Science in Epidemiology (MS-Epi)

Degree Requirements for the MPH.

  1. Satisfactory completion of a prescribed course of study of at least one academic year, a minimum of 36 credit hours, and demonstration of a breadth of knowledge in the areas basic to public health.
  2. Satisfactory completion of a research thesis that demonstrates a substantial knowledge of an aspect of public health, including clinical studies.  If appropriate the thesis may be in a form suitable for publication in a professional journal.

Degree Requirements for the MS-Epi

  1. Course work in Epidemology, Biometry, and a minor field, usually one related to the thesis topic, for example a clinical discipline or behavioral science.
  2. Satisfactory completion of a thesis or a project in a form suitable for publication in a professional journal, which demonstrates an understanding of Epidemology and Biometry, and the ability to do Epidemiological research.

Degree Program at the Medical School
The fellow can enroll at a candidate for the Master of Science in Clinical Research (MS-CR)

Degree requirements for the MS-CR include course work in epidemiology, biostatistics, and research design; practical experiences in scientific writing and presentation of research; and a thesis that may be a literature review or a research proposal.

Whichever program the fellow chooses, she/he will conduct a carefully designed and mentored research project under the direction of the fellowship director and other faculty from the Medical School and/or the School of Public Health.

VI.       DISTRIBUTION OF TIME:

  1. Fifty percent of time will be spent in course work related to epidemiology, biostatistics, and research design; in planning and executing one or more research projects; and in a variety of didactic experiences concerning research, teaching, clinical work, and academic development.
  2. Fifty percent of time will be spent in direct patient care and teaching activities, and in training in clinical, teaching, and administrative skills, as described in Section III.  The clinical work emphasizes out-patient experiences in community-based facilities.

For further information contact:

William L. Risser, MD, PhD
Dept. of Pediatrics, UTHMS, Ste. 3146
6431 Fannin
Houston, TX 77030
E-mail: william.l.risser@uth.tmc.edu
Telephone: 713- 500-5755
FAX: 713-500-5750
Assistant: Mrs. Susan Ramos, 713-500-5663