Research

A major goal of the training program is to develop future academic neonatologists. Since many residents joining the program have had limited exposure to research, the fellowship program provides all the training and experience necessary for achieving their research goals.

Training

Research training begins in August of each year as fellows attend a month long introduction to academic neonatology, which covers the following scholarly topics:

Selection of Area of Research and Mentor

During the first year, fellows identify research areas of interest and, in consultation with the Program Director, meet investigators working that field. Mentors can be selected from within the Division of Neonatology, the Department of Pediatrics, the Division of Maternal-Fetal-Medicine, or throughout Robert Wood Johnson Medical School and Rutgers University.

Scholarly Oversight Committee

Once a research project and mentor are selected, a Scholarship Oversight Committee is appointed for each fellow to monitor progress during the course of training and to approve the training in scholarly activities upon completion of the fellowship program. The committee will:

• Determine whether a specific activity is appropriate to meet ABP guidelines for scholarly activity
• Determine a course of preparation beyond the core fellowship curriculum to ensure successful completion of the project
• Evaluate the fellow’s progress as related to scholarly activity
• Meet with the fellow early in the training period and regularly thereafter
• Require the fellow to present/defend the project related to his/her scholarly activity
• Advise program director on the fellow’s progress and assess whether the fellow has satisfactorily met the guidelines associated with the requirement for active participation in scholarly activities

Project Completion

The anticipated research progress will result in project/mentor selection by December 31 of the first year and protocol completion and IRB submission by June 30 of the first year. The second and part of the third years are devoted to data collection and analysis and the last six months of the training is reserved for abstract and presentation preparation, manuscript and, possibly, grant submission.