Program details
Faculty member as Clinical Instructor
UCSF Benioff Children's Hospitals San Francisco and Oakland
The Pediatric Otolaryngology Fellowship at the UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospitals is a one-year program that provides unique exposure to the breadth and depth of pediatric otolaryngology.
Our 10 full-time pediatric OHNS faculty provide a rich and comprehensive exposure to the following surgical arenas:
- endoscopic and open pediatric airway
- pediatric otology (including chronic ear disease, cochlear implants, and ear canal atresia)
- head and neck neoplasms including thyroidectomy
- Complex sleep surgery
- VPI/voice
- endoscopic sinus and skull base surgery
The fellow participates in the multidisciplinary clinics offered at the Benioff Children’s Hospitals. At each campus, our pediatric otolaryngologists participate in Craniofacial Clinic, Aerodigestive Clinic, Tracheostomy Clinic, and Hearing and Communication Clinic. In addition, the Mission Bay campus offers the West Coast’s longest-standing Birthmark and Vascular Anomalies Clinic.
One of the most critical elements of pediatric otolaryngology training is participation in a robust and varied in-patient experience. Our fellowship offers an apprenticeship model of training in which a faculty member is made available each week for consultation and guidance in the management of the in-patient service. At each campus, the fellow will find state-of-the-art intensive care facilities and a high-volume emergency room. The Oakland campus is also a level I trauma center.
- Weekly didactic sessions, fully integrated across both campuses of BCH, led by pediatric OHNS faculty members, residents, or the fellow
- Monthly multidisciplinary airway conference, designed to promote discussion of complex airway challenges among OHNS, pulmonary, critical care, emergency medicine, and anesthesia faculty from both campuses of BCH
- Weekly case conferences with pediatric OHNS faculty to discuss active issues on the inpatient service as well as challenging outpatient cases.
- Voluntary formal courses in Medical Education, Global Health, and Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion are offered to our fellow through UCSF
UCSF has a long history of groundbreaking research. In 2022, for the 16th year in a row, UCSF received the most NIH funding of any public institution (2nd most of any institution). Accordingly, fellows will find many research projects available to them. The fellow is expected to produce one publishable manuscript and one quality improvement project during their fellowship.
1 week/month. Predominantly back-up to UCSF OHNS residents. Pediatric OHNS moonlighting is available.
The Mission Bay campus in San Francisco is a state-of-the-art facility that opened its doors in 2015. The same year, UCSF merged with The Children’s Hospital of Oakland, a tertiary care children’s hospital with a long history of excellent pediatric care in the East Bay. Positioned on either side of the Bay Bridge, the two campuses are one of the premier children’s hospitals in the country providing a full range of primary to tertiary specialty care.
Steven Engebretsen, DO (Valley Children’s Medical Center)
"My UCSF peds OHNS fellowship provided me with the space to practice as the on-call hospitalist on a daily basis and participate in complex cases nearly every day… the faculty took the time to let me work out the whole solution and then add their opinions and suggestions. My confidence in my abilities and (more importantly) my joy for this profession grew because of the palpable enthusiasm that each of my colleagues and trainers showed for their patients and for education.
Margo Tanghetti, DO (Pediatric ENT of Oklahoma)
"Walking into my first year of practice, I felt confident in my abilities because of my training at UCSF. I looked at academic institutions, private practice and hospital-based positions. Because of the unique environment at UCSF, I was confident that I could thrive in any of these positions. I can attribute this confidence to the two hospitals I was exposed to and the depth of responsibility I was allowed as a fellow… I would choose this program again and again ."
Lia Jacobson, MD (UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital)
"[The UCSF pediatric otolaryngology fellowship] was especially impactful in bolstering my pediatric otology skillset and in preparing me for complex, multidisciplinary management of airway and aerodigestive issues in children. My choice to complete my fellowship year at UCSF hinged on the immediate affinity I felt toward the pediatric ENT faculty. My now-colleagues are incredibly inclusive, supportive of their patients/staff/trainees and collaborative in both clinical care and academic interests. Furthermore, as a powerhouse academic institution, UCSF provided me with foundational mentors and opportunities to develop my career path in global health and surgical equity."
Tammy Wang, MD (Children’s Hospital Colorado)
"At UCSF, I found a collaborative approach to unique and complex cases. The diverse faculty with different training offered multiple approaches to clinical management."
Edward Lee, MD (San Francisco Ear, Nose, and Throat)
"I most appreciate the supportive attendings and the autonomy given during training… [These allowed me] to develop my skills both as a fellow but more importantly to prepare me for the real world. Rotating at both campuses of Benioff Children's Hospital in San Francisco and Oakland provides unique perspectives in training and a diversity of patient pathology. "
Lois Montague, MD (Napa Valley ENT)
"You see a wide variety of pathology and patients from all walks of life. From ancillary staff to nurses I was blown away by the humanism and collegiality of everyone who worked on both campuses. So many people are operating at the top of their field. The ENT department especially is crammed full of "triple threats", or people who are good surgeons, good teachers, and good researchers (just all around good people)."
