This curriculum is designed to provide a clear, structured roadmap for fellows as they develop expertise in evaluating and caring for children and adolescents with developmental, behavioral, learning and psychosocial differences. Grounded in competency-based education and aligned with ACGME expectations, it outlines the clinical experiences, didactic learning, scholarly activity and interdisciplinary collaboration that together form the foundation of fellowship training.
Throughout fellowship, trainees build progressive skills in diagnostic assessment, evidence-based intervention, family-centered care, systems-based practice, advocacy and consultation across medical, educational and community settings. This page summarizes the goals, core content areas and learning activities that support fellows’ growth into thoughtful clinicians, educators and leaders in Developmental-Behavioral Pediatrics.
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Year 1
Educational
- Participation in required activities for the Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental Disabilities (LEND) curriculum
- Regular attendance at the weekly Division of Developmental Medicine educational and administrative meetings
- Regular attendance at the weekly Department of Pediatrics Grand Rounds
- Regular attendance at the weekly developmental medicine fellowship meetings
Clinical
- Participation in the Center for Child Development Clinics, including general Developmental-Behavioral Clinics and clinics for autism spectrum disorder, intellectual disability, Down syndrome, cerebral palsy and spasticity, spina bifida, NICU follow-up and neurogenetics
Research
Critical review of the medical literature to foster competency in practice-based, life-long learning
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Educational
- Regular attendance at the weekly Division of Developmental Medicine educational and administrative meetings
- Regular attendance at the weekly Department of Pediatrics Grand Rounds
- Regular attendance at the weekly developmental medicine fellowship meetings
- Provide educational sessions for pediatric residents and medical students during their Developmental-Behavioral Pediatrics rotation
Clinical
- Conduct a developmental assessment during a new patient clinic appointment and provide interpretation and feedback to family
- Participation in Autism Evaluation Clinics, with age-specific assessment teams, to focus on evaluations with psychologists.
- Participation in sessions with behavioral specialists
- Participation in the Center for Child Development Clinics, including general Developmental-Behavioral Clinics and clinics for autism spectrum disorder, intellectual disability, Down syndrome, cerebral palsy and spasticity, spina bifida, NICU follow up and neurogenetics
- Participation in subspecialty clinics outside the Center for Child Development, including child neurology, genetics, sleep, adolescent medicine
Research
- Develop a research question based on clinical experience or a faculty member's existing project.
- Write a research proposal and get approval by Institutional Review Board at Vanderbilt University School of Medicine
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Educational
- Regular attendance at the weekly Division of Developmental Medicine educational and administrative meetings
- Regular attendance at the weekly Department of Pediatrics Grand Rounds
- Regular attendance at the weekly developmental medicine fellowship meetings
- Provide educational sessions for pediatric residents and medical students during their Developmental-Behavioral Pediatrics rotation
Clinical
- Conduct a developmental assessment during a new patient clinic appointment and provide interpretation and feedback to family
- Participation in Autism Evaluation Clinics, with age-specific assessment teams, to focus on evaluations with psychologists.
- Participation in sessions with behavioral specialists
- Participation in the Center for Child Development Clinics, including general Developmental-Behavioral Clinics and clinics for autism spectrum disorder, intellectual disability, Down syndrome, cerebral palsy and spasticity, spina bifida, NICU follow up and neurogenetics
- Participation in subspecialty clinics outside the Center for Child Development, including child neurology, genetics, sleep, adolescent medicine
Research
- Conduct original research project and obtain adequate data to perform a statistical analysis
- Submit abstract to a major pediatric conference