Supporting Medical Education Research Fellow Scholars (SMERFS) is a program that provides pediatric subspecialty fellows with instruction about scholarship and mentoring of a medical education research project. This is a two-year program to allow for project development, collection of data, data analysis and study presentation and publication. The goal is for this medical education research project to meet the American Board of Pediatrics’ Fellowship Scholarly Work requirement.
The mission of APPD SMERFS is to provide instruction and mentoring for pediatric fellows to conduct medical education research for the purpose of promoting medical education scholarship.
Upon completion of the SMERFS program, fellows will:
- Describe foundational concepts in medical education research
- Develop a mentoring relationship with a medical education research expert
- Design and carry out a medical educational scholarly project with assistance of a mentor
- Present their medical education research at the APPD Spring Meeting during their final year in the program
- Draft a medical education research manuscript in preparation for publication
Program Features:
- Each mentor has one fellow
- Meet no less than monthly, maybe more during research months. Virtual except at APPD fall meeting
- Curriculum to support medical educational research
- Fulfill SOC requirements: Project MUST have an outcome measure to meet ABP requirements
- Some mentors could provide coaching for first year fellows as projects conceptualized
- Webinars/Q and A sessions to help with design
While the program primarily focuses on the medical education scholarly project, the following curriculum topics will be included as supplemental content within the APPD SMERFS program:
• Mentorship and being a good mentee
• Introduction to medical education scholarship
• Quantitative methods
• Qualitative methods
• Curriculum development
• Survey development
• Conceptual frameworks
• IRB in medical education research
• Assessment
• Overview of statistical analysis
• Dissemination of scholarship
• Program Evaluation
• DEI in medical education research
• Pursuing a medical education research career
Applications for Cohort 2 are Now Closed.
Prerequisites for Participation
- 1st Year Fellow enrolled in a 3-year pediatric fellowship or an incoming fellows enrolled in a 2-year fellowship.
- Letter of Support from Fellowship Program Director (must use template provided)
- $3,000 program fee.
This includes the registration fee for attending the APPD 2026 Pediatric Medical Education Conference in the first year of the program (September 25-26) and the APPD 2028 Annual Spring Meeting in the second year.
Application process is online and requests:
- Applicant contact information
- Reasons for SMERFS program participation and how program aligns with career goals
- Research experience
- What can SMERFS program provide that is not available at applicant institution
- Description of research question
- Curriculum vitae
- Letter of Support from Fellowship Program Director (must use template provided)
Fellows are expected to:
- Meet in-person with their designated mentor at the SMERFS session prior to the 2026 Pediatric Medical Education Conference
- Meet virtually with their mentor monthly
- Attend monthly educational sessions
- Present their medical education research project at the Spring 2028 APPD meeting
Mentors are expected to:
- Meet virtually with their mentees on a monthly basis
- Discuss the mentee’s interests and goals
- Provide guidance for a medical education research study, including
- Study design and methodology
- IRB submission and consent process
- Analysis plan
- Abstract submission
- Manuscript writing and publication
- Establish timelines and deadlines with their mentee such that their project is completed by the end of fellowship and can be submitted to the ABP for Board eligibility
- Support the mentee at:
- SMERFS session at the APPD 2026 Fall Meeting for the first year of the program (required)
- APPD 2028 Spring Meeting for the second year of the program (optional but highly encouraged)
- Provide support/expertise for mentee’s SOC
Council Members
Richard Mink, MD, MACM
Melissa Langhan, MD, MHS
Karen Mangold, MD, MEd
Jennifer Yu, MD
Kellie Barsotti, MD
Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine
Oregon Health & Science University
Irina Cooley, MD
Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine
University of South Florida Morisani
Kayleah Lavinia Cumpian, MD
Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine
Orlando Health Winnie Palmer
Hospital for Women & Babies
Richard DeStefano, MD
Hematology-Oncology
Zucker School of Medicine at
Hofstra/Northwell Health at
Cohen Children's Medical Center
Charlotte Formeller, MS, MD
Infectious Diseases
Medical College of Wisconsin
Affiliated Hospitals
Brittany Le, MD
Hospital Medicine
Baylor College of Medicine/Texas
Children’s Hospital
Elizabeth McCain, MD
Endocrinology
Duke University Medical Center
Kayla Solstad, MD
Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine
University of Minnesota
Katlyn Taylor, MD
Critical Care Medicine
University of Arkansas for
Medical Sciences
Allen Trevino, MD
Gastroenterology
Baylor College of Medicine/San
Antonio
Adrianne Ankerman
Gastroenterology
Case Western Reserve University/Rainbow Babies and Children's Hospital
Eleni Duni
Hospital Medicine
University of Florida/Orlando Health Arnold Palmer Hospital for Children
Jillian Heckman
Endocrinology
Johns Hopkins Children's Center
Michael Judy
Hospital Medicine
Icahn School of Medicine at Mt Sinai Medical Center
Wilson Mei
Neonatal-Perinatal Medicine
Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell Health at Cohen Children's Medical Center
Makenna Paradowski
Critical Care Medicine
University of Texas Southwestern Medical School
Vishruti Patel
Hospital Medicine
Phoenix Children’s Hospital
Shannon Snellgrove
Critical Care Medicine
University of Alabama Medical Center
Jasmine Solola
Emergency Medicine
University of Chicago
Madeleine Stansberry
Hospital Medicine
Louisiana State University
