Mission Statement

To improve the wellbeing of children with developmental and behavioral disabilities, their families and communities, we train developmental and behavioral pediatricians in an inclusive environment with diverse clinical and academic experiences. Our program’s training is built upon the following foundational commitments:

• To value and focus on the importance of diverse interdisciplinary collaboration in caring for children with developmental and behavioral disabilities
• To foster a learning environment for our fellows that promotes scientific inquiry, cultural humility, and both personal and professional well-being
• To provide flexible training and mentorship that develops excellent independent subspecialty physicians and researchers who are life-long learners, educators, and advocates

Overview

Our Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics Fellowship is an ACGME accredited fellowship and is a three-year program for pediatricians wanting a subspecialty focus that addresses the needs of the 1 in every 8 children and youth living with neurodevelopmental, behavioral and psychosocial impairment. Our fellowship prepares the next generation of physicians for careers that integrate diagnostic challenges, collaborative research, advocacy, long-term connections with the children and families they serve through consultation and ongoing treatment for their conditions. Upon completion of the program, graduates will be Board-eligible in the subspecialty of Developmental-Behavioral Pediatrics.

Our faculty members pursue a wide variety of clinical, research and advocacy interests and serve a diverse group of patients and families. Working closely with faculty, our fellows collaborate with other internal and external fellowship programs across departments and institutions to tailor a fellowship experience that best fits their interests and future goals.

Wellness

As a clear priority in our fellowship program, we are first committed to both personal and professional wellness. We acknowledge that people learn best when they are rested and well supported, and our fellowship leadership fosters this in our program’s work environment. Our program is truly a partnership, and we are privileged to be a part of each of our fellow’s professional development and early career.

Structured Educational Experiences

In keeping with the longitudinal nature of the fellowship experience, DBP fellows participate in clinical and more structured educational activities throughout their three years of training in center-based and community-based settings. We provide foundational curriculum at the beginning of each academic year, Fellow Foundations, to provide our fellows with highly relevant topics to support them as the beginning of the year commences. Additionally, a curated curriculum, with an emphasis on the American Board of Pediatrics content specifications in Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics is woven into our weekly divisional teaching sessions for all faculty, clinicians, and learners. All fellows participate as long term trainees in Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental and Related Disorders (LEND) at the University of Washington. As a training program that is located within a large University, fellows may explore many other experiences during their training as befitting their learning and career goals.

Clinical Training Experiences

Clinical experiences span the broad field of Developmental-Behavioral Pediatrics including cerebral palsy, intellectual disability, neural tube defects, CNS abnormalities, autism, developmental language disorders, sensory deficits, learning disorders, Fragile X, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and psychopharmacology. Our core clinical rotations are located at three main sites: Seattle Children’s Hospital, University of Washington Center on Human Development and Disability, and Madigan Army Medical Center.

Fellows will develop clinical competence over the entire spectrum of brain dysfunction from high severity, low frequency disorders (e.g. spina bifida) to low severity, high frequency disorders (e.g., ADHD). Acquired clinical skills will encompass the prevention, diagnosis, assessment, and management of these and related disorders.

Examples of training schedules can be found here.

Teaching Experiences

Fellows develop skills as educators in this program, helping to facilitate our Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics Rotation for all Pediatric Residents (currently approximately 46 residents per year rotate through this experience), as well as elective rotations for fourth year medical students from the University of Washington School of Medicine. Mentorship in curriculum design and teaching techniques is also provided in a variety of settings including through the Seattle Children’s Fellow’s College, the University of Washington Office of Graduate Medical Education, and more directly within our own Division of Developmental Medicine.

Scholarship Experiences

Opportunities to pursue diverse scholarly interests and additional training are offered through our program, including time to pursue graduate coursework via a graduate certificate in Maternal and Child Health through the University of Washington School of Public Health. This coursework provides our fellows to build skills in scientific inquiry processes in keeping with our commitment to foster lifelong learning.

What is a Developmental-Behavioral Pediatrician?

Developmental-Behavioral Pediatricians evaluate, treat and manage infants, children, and adolescents with a wide range of neurodevelopmental and behavioral concerns and conditions, including challenges that affect learning, movement, general health, behavior and community access. Our fellows are active in numerous STET settings and closely collaborate through a bio-behavioral approach with faculty and trainees across other professional disciplines.

Developmental-Behavioral Pediatrics focus on:

• Understanding the complex developmental processes of infants, children, adolescents and young adults, in the context of their families and communities
• Integrating the biological, psychological, and social influences on development across the emotional, social, motor, language, and cognitive domains
• Preventing primary and secondary disorders in behavior and development
• Identifying and treating disorders of behavior and development throughout childhood and adolescence

In keeping with the longitudinal nature of the fellowship experience, DBP fellows participate in clinical activities throughout their three years of training in center-based and community-based settings.

Clinical training experiences span the broad field of Developmental-Behavioral Pediatrics including cerebral palsy, intellectual disability, neural tube defects, CNS abnormalities, autism, developmental language disorders, sensory deficits, learning disorders, Fragile X, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and psychopharmacology.

Fellows will develop clinical competence over the entire spectrum of brain dysfuction from high severity, low frequency disorders (e.g. spina bifida) to low severity, high frequency disorders (e.g. ADHD).

Acquired clinical skills will encompass the prevention, diagnosis, assessment, and management of these and related disorders.

Informational Videos

• Introduction by the Vice Dean of Graduate Medical Education
• Your Life Outside of Work
• Your Life at Work
• Developmental-Behavioral Pediatrics Fellowship Overview