A Beginner Pediatric Cardiac Critical Care “Boot Camp” Curriculum for Multi-Disciplinary Fellow Trainees
Faculty Information
Name:
Dr. Wei Wang Wang
Email
wwang29@peds.ufl.edu
Phone
(407) 431-5921
Faculty Department/Division
Pediatrics
This project is primarily:
Clinical
Research Project Description:
Background
Although fellowship “boot camps” have been well established as an integral part of the general pediatric critical care fellowship curriculum, few similar programs exist to prepare pediatric/neonatal critical care and cardiology fellows for the cardiac critical care portion of their training. We developed a standardized beginner pediatric cardiac critical care “boot camp” curriculum with the goal of ensuring adequate coverage of core principles and objectives essential to all fellow trainees (pediatric critical care, pediatric cardiology, and neonatology fellows) in the PCICU.
Methods
All pediatric critical care, neonatal critical care, pediatric cardiology fellow trainees who rotate through the PCICU at University of Florida Congenital Heart Center have participated in our pilot “boot camp” curriculum for two years as of now. Our curriculum consisted of four one-hour long didactic sessions, three hands-on workshops, and two low fidelity simulation sessions over 2 days. Didactic topics included post operative care, common arrhythmias in the PCICU, introduction to ventricular assist devices, and cardiopulmonary interactions. Hands-on sessions focused on airway skills, bedside echocardiography, and operating the temporary pacemaker. Fellows then worked together as a team to solve simulation scenarios on common post operative complications (bleeding, tamponade, and junctional ectopic tachycardia). Fellows were surveyed before and after each day of the curriculum on their comfort level with basic PCICU core principles and objectives. Feedback was solicited in the form of questionnaires on a Likert-type scale and free responses.
Students will be responsible for inputting data from feedback questionnaires and simulation assessment forms from the previous two years onto a data base and assisting with a plan for qualitative data analysis of this pilot curriculum. Ideally, students should be available to observe this 2 day curriculum in Jan or Feb of 2026. Opportunities are available for abstract presentation at national conferences such as the Society of Critical Care Medicine. Students will be included in the final manuscript publication of this project after the 2026 cycle.
This project can be done remotely. However, additional opportunities are available for interested students for shadowing in the pediatric cardiac ICU or cardiac operating rooms in the congenital heart center. In addition, opportunities are available for case report write ups for interested students as an additional manuscript publication.
Students should ideally have an interest in medical education, pediatrics, pediatric cardiology, pediatric critical care medicine, anesthesiology, or emergency medicine.
Does this project have an international component or travel?
No
Lo Fidelity Sim Based Mask Ventilation Skill Drill (SimBa Drill)
Faculty Information
Name:
Dr. Wei Wang
Email
wwang29@peds.ufl.edu
Phone
(407) 431-5921
Faculty Department/Division
Pediatrics
This project is primarily:
Clinical
Research Project Description:
Simulation has become an integral part of procedural teaching for medical trainees; however, there is limited evidence in nursing education. The goal of this project is to assess the feasibility of a short low-fidelity simulation (LFS) session in improving nursing comfort in performing bag mask ventilation in critically ill children. This project will involve surveying pediatric critical care (pICU) and cardiac critical care (pCICU) nurses at Shands Children’s hospital before and after they participate in a single 5-minute low-fidelity simulation session during their clinical shifts. The sessions will be led by a PALS certified provider with scripted coaching on a pediatric airway management case scenario. Students will be responsible for distributing pre-participation and post-participation surveys to assess the participants’ current level of experience, and comfort on performing bag-mask ventilation (BMV) based on a Likert-type scale. Students will also be responsible for inputing and analyzing survey data and writing up a subsequent manuscript for publication. Abstract presentation opportunities will be available at national level conferences such as the Society of Critical Care Medicine, as well as institutional opportunities such as the UF Patient Safety and Quality Week.
Ideally students should have an interest in medical education, simulation, pediatrics, pediatric critical care medicine, anesthesia and/or pediatric anesthesia, or emergency medicine as this project focuses on teaching of procedural techniques.
Interested students are welcome to shadow with us in the cardiac critical care unit or the cardiac operating rooms at the Congenital Heart Center
Does this project have an international component or travel?
No
Investigating the Impact of Social Determinants of Health on Anemia Diagnosis in Pediatric Ambulatory Settings
Faculty Information
Name:
Dr. Maria Kelly
Email
kellymn@peds.ufl.edu
Phone
(352) 733-7337
Faculty Department/Division
Pediatrics
This project is primarily:
Clinical
Research Project Description:
Social determinants of health (SDOH), such as socioeconomic status, education, access to healthcare, and living conditions, significantly impact individual health outcomes. In pediatric care, these factors may contribute to anemia by influencing nutritional intake, healthcare access, and overall well-being. Anemia in children is particularly concerning due to its potential to cause developmental delays, cognitive impairments, and long-term health consequences if undiagnosed or untreated. Current recommendations from the American Academy of Pediatrics suggest screening for anemia only at one year of age or when traditional risk factors, such as preterm birth or low birth weight, are present. However, SDOH are not explicitly recognized as risk factors, despite their significant potential influence. Noninvasive transcutaneous hemoglobin testing (tcHgb) using the Pronto Pulse Co-Oximeter offers a painless and validated method for assessing hemoglobin, making it a practical tool for broader screening.
Building on findings from a prior MSRP study, which demonstrated early signs of correlation between SDOH and hemoglobin levels, this project aims to determine if specific SDOH domains can predict a higher risk of anemia in pediatric patients seen in primary care settings. The study will involve a retrospective chart review of pediatric patients aged 1–18 years, examining SDOH data collected through patient questionnaires, including factors such as income, parental education, food insecurity, housing stability, and healthcare access. Hemoglobin values from tcHgb or traditional lab-based methods will be analyzed alongside the SDOH data to identify potential correlations. Logistic regression models will assess whether specific SDOH domains independently predict anemia risk.
This expanded investigation seeks to identify which SDOH domains are most strongly associated with anemia, establish the foundation for incorporating SDOH into risk assessments, and provide evidence to support updated screening guidelines for earlier detection and intervention in vulnerable populations. This research has the potential to reduce health disparities, improve developmental outcomes, and influence anemia screening practices in pediatric primary care settings.
Does this project have an international component or travel?
No
Investigating the Impact of Social Determinants of Health on ADHD Treatment and Outcomes
Faculty Information
Name:
Dr. Maria Kelly
Email
kellymn@peds.ufl.edu
Phone
(352) 265-7231
Faculty Department/Division
Pediatrics
This project is primarily:
Clinical
Research Project Description:
This research proposal aims to examine the relationship between social determinants of health (SDOH) and treatment outcomes for pediatric patients with ADHD. The project will focus on obtaining and analyzing SDOH screeners for pediatric patients receiving ADHD care in general pediatric ambulatory practices.
The project has several levels of investigation. Specifically, it will explore how SDOH factors influence ADHD symptomatology, medication adherence, educational outcomes and accommodations, side effect profiles, and adherence to follow-up appointments—factors that are central to effective ADHD management.
This project is significant in light of the growing recognition of SDOH’s complex role in healthcare, particularly in managing chronic conditions like ADHD. By investigating these relationships, the study hopes to yield insights that could inform more holistic, context-sensitive care strategies for ADHD patients.
This retrospective study will leverage data from the Epic electronic medical record, which is expected to be available for analysis when the medical student research program begins.
Does this project have an international component or travel?
No
If your project has an international component please give details (where, when, data collection involved, etc.):
NA
Evaluating the Impact of an Adolescent Transition Questionnaire on Transition Readiness for Pediatric Patients
Faculty Information
Name:
Dr. Maria Kelly
Email
kellymn@peds.ufl.edu
Phone
(352) 265-7231
Faculty Department/Division
Pediatrics
This project is primarily:
Clinical
Research Project Description:
This research proposal aims to investigate how implementing an adolescent transition questionnaire affects transition readiness among adolescent and young adult patients. Transition of care is a complex, proactive process designed to prepare adolescents—medically, psychologically, and educationally—for a shift to an adult healthcare model.
Studies indicate that adolescents, particularly those with special healthcare needs, often lack adequate support during this transition. This project will assess whether the annual transition questionnaire improves patient readiness for transitioning to adult primary care and specialty practices.
In 2021, UF Health implemented an Adolescent and Young Adult Transition Process to streamline care and improve transition readiness. As part of this initiative, transition questionnaires were introduced for pediatric patients annually from ages 16 through 21. These questionnaires assessing readiness were instituted within the EHR as part of an annual pre-visit screener for patients age 16-21 to facilitate targeted conversations to address gaps in preparedness for the adult care transition.
This will be a retrospective study analyzing data already collected within the Epic electronic health record system for effectiveness in transition readiness.
Does this project have an international component or travel?
No
If your project has an international component please give details (where, when, data collection involved, etc.):
NA
The Pediatric Obesity Health Tracker Study: Impact of Lifestyle, Nutrition and Physical Fitness Testing and Counseling
Name:
Dr. Angelina Bernier
Email
angelina@ufl.edu
Phone
(352) 265-7337
Faculty Department/Division
Pediatrics
This project is primarily:
Case Review
Research Project Description:
Children with obesity are at higher risk for cardiovascular disease and metabolic comorbidities. This project is a chart review to describe the metabolic presentation by weight status in children presenting for obesity care at the UF Pediatrics Metabolic & Obesity clinic and examine the trends in health and fitness in response to therapy including lifestyle modification, medication therapy and bariatric surgery.
Using a REDcap database created for this project, we will complete data entry from content collected in clinical visits identifying comorbid diagnosis associated with the presentation of obesity. Specifically, we will analyze data collected during the visits including surveys and screeners such as 95210 Health Tracker screener, the PHQ8 and Cardiorespiratory Fitness testing. The 95210 Health Tracker screener is a survey that was created as part of a wellness initiative that encourages participants to reach their personal health and wellness goals by tracking health behaviors such as exercise and nutrition based on America Academy of Pediatric guidelines for obesity prevention. The Cardiorespiratory Fitness testing is an assessment developed as part of a wellness initiative to encourage patients to reach their fitness goals by assessing and tracking response to testing based on American College of Sports Medicine guidelines for fitness assessments.
Does this project have an international component or travel?
No
Structural and functional abnormalities in patients with localization related epilepsy
Name:
Dr. Edgard Andrade
Email
andrade@ufl.edu
Phone
(352) 273-8920
Faculty Department/Division
Pediatrics
This project is primarily:
Clinical
Research Project Description:
Epilepsy affects about 2% of the general population and represent one of the most common treatable neurological disorders. Individuals affected with focal impaired awarenessseizures usually have an irritative focus that produce functional and/or structural changes leading to chronic ictogenesis and epileptogenesis. At University of Florida, patientsreceive a comprehensive evaluation using state of the art tools such as video EEG studies, 3T brain MRI, Functional MRI, PET scan or MEG scan among others. The studyaims to evaluate the sensitivity and specificity of Granger causality measurements in extra and intracranial EEG recordings, brain MRI, functional MRI, PET and/or MEGstudies to determine seizure directionality and seizure onset zone (SOZ). The medical student will be in charge of submitting an IRB-1, obtain informed consent, complete achart review and process EEG raw data using customary software constructed on a MATLAB based platform. Medical students will participate in data collection, data analysis,abstract preparation, and manuscript drafting resulting from the study.
The results will help identify potential ictal networks involved in seizure generation leading to safe, effective and efficient interventions such as neuromodulation or surgicalresection of the SOZ.
Does this project have an international component or travel?
No