Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics Fellowship
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Program Overview
Program Overview
The Developmental-Behavioral Pediatric Training Program is sponsored by the University of Colorado School of Medicine Department of Pediatrics and Children's Hospital Colorado. This is a three-year fellowship program approved by the Pediatric Residency Review Committee of the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education.
Program Aims
- To prepare subspecialty pediatricians to provide patient-centered, comprehensive care of children and young patients with neurodevelopmental disabilities and associated behavioral problems and their families with a focus on promoting patient safety and quality improvement and developing excellent communication skills.
- To provide outstanding opportunities in basic science, translational, clinical, educational research and quality improvement methodology that prepare fellows for successful careers in academic pediatrics.
- To teach trainees strategies to maintain wellness (of self and others), to build resilience, and to minimize burnout.
- To build and maintain an infrastructure to recruit diverse fellows and provide an inclusive learning environment that promotes and celebrates differences.
Program Requirements
To qualify for the program, one must have completed core training in Pediatrics (three years). The program pays particularly close attention to the commitment to scholarship, education, research, and clinical excellence, as well as to the letters of recommendation and career performance records. Trainees will be funded at the CU SOM Department of Pediatrics PL 4-6 salary levels, including an excellent benefits package.
Clinical Learning
Clinical experiences are broad and emphasize comprehensive assessments and management of a wide range of developmental and behavioral disorders, based on evidence-based practice. All trainees participate fully in the structured activities of the program, including:
- Interdisciplinary developmental assessments
- Individual consultations and long-term management
- Community-based clinical experiences
- Core clinical curriculum
- Clinical conferences
Training Sites
Developmental Pediatrics Clinic
A tertiary referral center for children with developmental and behavioral disorders throughout the Eastern Rocky Mountain region.
- Approximately 1100 outpatient visits per year
- Infants through adulthood
- Individual consultations
- Fragile X and eXtraordinarY Kids Programs
- Oral Feeding Clinic
- Medication management
- Treatment options for children with developmental disabilities or behavioral challenges
Additional Hospital- and University-Based Services
- Special Care Clinic
- Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental Disabilities (LEND Program)
- Kempe Center for Child Abuse and Neglect
- Neuropsychiatric Special Care program
- Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation
- Down Syndrome Program
- Muscle Clinic
- Neurocutaneous syndrome programs
Community-Based Sites
- Child care program
- Early Intervention program
- Schools
- Other community agencies
Research Training
Fellows participate in a variety of seminars and didactics in research design, methods, and analysis. A research mentor is chosen or selected for each fellow, based on his or her area of interest. Each fellow is supported to develop and implement a scholarly project, with opportunities for additional funding for projects from the hospital or the university-based Colorado Clinical & Translational Sciences Institute.
Faculty Research Interests
- Autism Spectrum Disorders
- Fragile X
- XY Chromosome Disorders
- Down syndrome
- Children with Special Health Care Needs
- Palliative Care
- Congenital Diaphragmatic Hernia
Fellowship Education
Fellows are provided with a core curriculum of didactic lectures and seminars, as well as clinical conferences. In addition, considerable importance is given to the development of individual learning and scholarship. In addition to a research mentor, each fellow is assigned an advisor to support the learning of core material.
Teaching Conferences
The following conferences are an integral component of the program:
- DBP Seminar Series
- Journal Club
- Clinical Conferences
- LEND seminar series
- Works-in-Progress Research Conference
- Child Neurology Seminars
- Biostatistics
- Departmental Fellowship Education Series
- Pediatric Grand Rounds
Additional Learning Opportunities
Subspecialty Excellence in Educational Leadership & Scholarship (SEELS) Program
The University of Colorado Department of Pediatrics offers the Subspecialty Excellence in Educational Leadership & Scholarship (SEELS) Program for subspecialty pediatric fellows committed to an academic career in medical education.
Pediatric Fellowship Educational Series
This educational series addresses areas of scholarly interest common to all pediatric fellows. Nearly 100 sub-specialized physicians in training attend 5-6 half-day seminars spread across their 3 years of fellowship.
Pediatric Biostatistics for Clinicians Course
This course is primarily intended for 2nd and 3rd year Department of Pediatrics fellows as part of the comprehensive fellowship educational program. Designed to help fellows develop an ability to be a critical consumer of the literature and develop familiarity with many commonly used statistical methods.
Advanced Degrees Available at CU
- Masters of Public Health
- Masters of Science in Clinical Science
The Application Process
- Applicants must register through the National Resident Matching Program (NRMP).
- Submit application materials through the Electronic Residency Applications Service (ERAS).
ERAS Application Timeline
| Date | Activity |
|---|---|
| Monday, May 31, 2025 | ERAS 2024 season ends at 5 p.m. ET. |
| Wednesday, June 4, 2025 | ERAS 2025 season begins at 9 a.m. ET. |
| Thursday, June 5, 2025 | EFDO will release tokens to fellowship applicants. |
| Wednesday, July 2, 2025 | July cycle fellowship applicants may begin submitting applications to programs at 9 a.m. ET. |
| Wednesday, July 16, 2025 | July cycle fellowship programs may begin reviewing applications at 9 a.m. ET. |
| May 31, 2026 | ERAS 2026 season ends at 5 p.m. ET. |
NRMP Fall Match Timeline
| Dates | Activity |
|---|---|
| Wednesday, August 20, 2025 | Match Opens |
| Wednesday, October 1, 2025 | Ranking Opens |
| Wednesday, October 31, 2025 | Quota Change Deadline |
| Wednesday, November 19, 2025 | Rank Order List Certification Deadline |
| Wednesday, December 3, 2025 | MATCH DAY |
Current Fellows
1st Year Fellows
- Sierra C Stuerman, MD
- Medical School: University of Iowa RJ & L Carver College of Medicine
- Residency: University of Arizona - Tucson
2nd Year Fellows
- Ella Lee Dolan, MD
- Medical School: University of New Mexico School of Medicine
- Residency: University of New Mexico School of Medicine
3rd Year Fellows
- Melissa Magallanes, MD, MS
- Medical School: University of Illinois College of Medicine
- Residency: Advocate Children's Hospital-Park Ridge
- Research Interest: Experiences in transition planning for adolescents from racial and ethnic minority backgrounds with Autism Spectrum Disorder and other developmental delays