Global Child Health Pediatrics Residency Curriculum

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Our Curriculum

The Dr. Kelly DeScioli Global Child Health Pediatrics Residency Program at 91��Ƶ is a four-year program designed to shape future leaders in global child health. By combining rigorous pediatric training in Houston with a unique year-long clinical immersion at a global health site, our curriculum offers unparalleled educational opportunities, patient care experiences, and global networking. This curriculum is designed to equip residents with the comprehensive training and global health expertise needed to address the complex challenges of pediatric care worldwide.

Program Structure:

3 Years in Houston: Comprehensive pediatric training at Texas Children's Hospital and community health centers.
1 Year Abroad: A full year at a Texas Children’s Global Health Network site in Africa or Latin America, gaining firsthand experience in global pediatric healthcare.

Clinical Training in Houston

Residents spend the majority of their training at Texas Children’s Hospital, a state-of-the-art quaternary referral hospital and one of the largest children’s hospitals in the world. Residents also rotate through Harris Health sites that serve as safety-net hospitals and clinics for residents of Harris County, Texas. Our residents complete their 3-year general pediatrics training alongside BCM categorical pediatrics residents. Refer to the categorical training curriculum here.

Continuity Clinic

Residents provide patient care at continuity clinic sites that serve high numbers of patients living in locally under-resourced areas.

Advocacy and Teaching

Residents engage in advocacy projects and collaborate with faculty on initiatives ranging from global health to local child health policy. They also gain valuable teaching experience by mentoring medical students and participating in educational activities both in Houston and abroad.

Global Health Training 12-Month Clinical Immersion

Residents spend one year at a Texas Children’s Global Health Network site, working alongside local healthcare professionals to provide care in resource-limited settings. This experience is invaluable in developing the skills, knowledge, and cultural sensitivity necessary for leadership in global health. During their time abroad, residents have the opportunity to pursue a scholarly or advocacy activity with local mentorship.

Annual Global Health Network Meeting

During the year abroad, residents have the opportunity to attend the annual Texas Children’s Global Health Network Meeting in South Africa, where they can engage with global health leaders across the network and participate in discussions on the latest developments in the field.

two women smiling at each other at a conference table

Selected Scholarly Activity

Our trainees are involved in a myriad of research, community engagement, advocacy activities, leadership positions, and other scholarly work both during their time abroad and while in Houston. There is no shortage of global health-related opportunities and both our faculty and co-residents are a great resource on ways to get more involved.

Residents have the opportunity to pursue a scholarly or advocacy activity with local mentorship during their time abroad. This may take the form of a descriptive case series, a quality improvement or safety initiative, curriculum development, or another project deemed important to the resident, the faculty mentor, and the local community where the resident works.

Below is a non-exhaustive list of global health-related publications and projects our residents have done or have been involved in during residency.

Foughty, Z., & Silverstein, A. (2019). 19(5), 481-482.

George, P. E. (2018). e20173521.

Ness, T. E., & Small, A. T. (2019). 101(6), 1197.

Singer, T. (201).

Singer, T. & Tabb, Z. (2020)

Tabb, Z.

Tabb, Z. (2020). The American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene, 102(1), 9.

Tabb Z., Hyle L., Haq H. . Dev World Bioeth. 2021;21(3):102-110.

Otto, Boniface, Paul E. George, Rebecca Mercedes, et al. BMC Infectious Diseases 20.1 (2020). PMID: 31964348. doi: 10.1186/s12879-020-4797-2

Global pediatric health, 6, 2333794X18822995.

Russell, E. A., Daza Atehortua, C., Attia, S. L., Genisca, A. E., Palomino Rodriguez, A., Headrick, A., ... & Thomas, J. A. (2020). Global Public Health, 1-13.

George, Paul E., et al. Future Science OA 5.9 (2019). PMID: 31608156.

Jasumback, C. L., Perry, S. H., Ness, T. E., Matsenjwa, M., Masangane, Z. T., Mavimbela, M., ... & Mandalakas, A. In Open Forum Infectious Diseases. ofaa052

Singer, T., Yuhao H. et al, (2019) , Journal Neurosurgery of Pediatrics, Vol 24(4), 353-479.

Dow, D. E., Mmbaga, B. T., Turner, E. L., Gallis, J. A., Tabb, Z. J., Cunningham, C. K., & O’Donnell, K. E. (2018). AIDS care, 30(sup4), 12-20.

Vonasek BJ, Itaye, T, Mhango J, Dean AL, Kazembe PN. Socioeconomic factors associated with virologic suppression in children and adolescents living with HIV in Lilongwe, Malawi. J Public Health. 2020.

Vonasek BJ, Chiume M, Crouse HL, et al. Risk factors for mortality and management of children with complicated severe acute malnutrition at a tertiary referral hospital in Malawi. Paediatr Int Child Heal. 2020;9047.

Rees CA, Lukolyo H, Keating EM, et al. . Trop Med Int Health. 2017;22(11):1362-1370.

Lukolyo H, Rees CA, Keating EM, et al. . Acad Pediatr. 2016;16(4):387-393.

Rees CA, Keating EM, Lukolyo H, et al. . Pediatr Blood Cancer. 2016;63(8):1325-1331.

Keating EM, Lukolyo H, Rees CA, et al. . Int J Med Educ. 2016;7:295-296. Published 2016 Sep 11.

Javier M, Akabwai G, Elyanu P, Kekitiinwa A. Third Line Compromise: Resistance in Ugandan Children and Adolescents Failing Second-Line. Accepted abstract at AIDS 2020 and INTEREST 2020.

Ness TE, Bedard, K, Oullette, L Hotez PJ, Weatherhead JE (2019) Maternal Hookworm Infection and its Effects on Maternal and Child Health: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. IDWeek 2019 (poster)

Ness TE, Simelane T, Korsa, A, Lukhele B. (2019) Evaluating and Optimizing Antibiotic Use in a Children’s HIV Clinic in Eswatini. 21st Annual BIPAI Network Meeting (poster)

Tupas K, Silverstein A, Nguyen D. 91��Ƶ International Pediatrics AIDS Initiative (BIPAI) Continuing Professional Development Program: Year Two. BIPAI Network Meeting. Johannesburg, South Africa. November 2019.

Small, A. et al “Innovative management of chronic poor adherence and ART failure in patients on Protease Inhibitors-based regimen - 91��Ƶ Children's Clinical Centre of Excellence Eswatini.” ICASA conference, Kigali, Rwanda, 2019. Poster

Small, A. et al “Reaching our Youngest Population: A Tailored Differentiated Service Delivery Model for Infants and their Caregivers Living with HIV in Mbabane, eSwatini.” AIDS 2020 conference, San Francisco, USA, 2020. Poster, Accepted

Vonasek BJ, Dhillon D, Dlamini S, Devezin T, Haq H, Sanders J, Kay A, Bacha J, Simon K, and Mandalakas A. Performance of tuberculosis symptom screening for children and adolescents living with HIV in six high HIV/TB burden countries in eastern and southern Africa. The Union World Conference on Lung Health. 2019 Nov 2; Hyderabad, India.

Russell EA, Daza Atehortua C, Attia SL, Palomino Rodriguez A, Headrick A, et al. Childhood Malnutrition within Indigenous Wayuu Children of Northern Colombia. Poster presentation at the 2019 International Pediatric Association Conference, Panama City, Panama.

Rees CA, Keating EM, Lukolyo H, Swamy P, Turner TL, Marton SA, Sanders J, Mohapi EQ, Kazembe PN, Schutze GE. Professionalism beyond borders: International host preceptors’ perceptions from two global health elective sites in sub-Saharan Africa. Pediatric Academic Societies Conference, San Francisco, CA, May 2017.

Keating EM, Lukolyo H, Rees CA, Swamy P, Turner TL, Marton SA, Sanders J, Mohapi EQ, Kazembe PN, Schutze GE. Benefit or burden? International preceptors’ perceptions of short-term global health elective learners at two sites in sub-Saharan Africa. Association of Pediatric Program Directors Annual Meeting, Anaheim, CA, April 2017.

Pitt M, Anderson C, Cooper T, Hagen S, Houser L, Jacquet G, Lukolyo H, Peto H, Vercio C, Watts J, Butteris S. Making a Case for Simulation in Global Health: A Multi-Institutional, Multi-Disciplinary Collaboration to Expand SUGAR Beyond Pediatrics. American Academy of Pediatrics National Conference and Exhibition, San Francisco, CA, October 2016.

Lukolyo H, Rees CA, Keating EM, Swamy P, Schutze GE, Marton S, Turner TL. Perceptions and expectations of host-country preceptors of short-term learners at four clinical sites in sub-Saharan Africa. Association for Pediatric Program Directors Meeting, New Orleans, LA, April 2016

Wobudeya E, Lukolyo H, Akello MG, Nakawungu R, Zewedde S, Nakanwagi A. Perceptions of health workers towards sputum sample collection from children for the diagnosis of tuberculosis in Uganda. The Union Against Tuberculosis and Lung Disease World Conference on Lung Health, Liverpool, United Kingdom, October 2016.

Lukolyo H, Murungi M, Damba D, Mandalakas A, Kekitiinwa A. Clinical and Immunologic Profile of TB/HIV Co-Infected Children at a Pediatric HIV Clinic in Uganda. The Union Against Tuberculosis and Lung Disease World Conference on Lung Health, Cape Town, South Africa, December 2015.

Rees CA, Slone JS, Lukolyo H, Keating EM, Scheurer ME, Mehta PS, Lubega J. Mapping the incidence of Kaposi sarcoma among children in sub-Saharan Africa. International Society of Paediatric Oncology. Cape Town, South Africa. 10/2015.

Kasozi I, Nalugo M, Lukolyo H, Murungi M, Kanywa JB, Tukei V, Kekitiinwa A. Outcomes of the sputum induction procedure at a large pediatric and adolescent HIV clinic in Kampala. Uganda Society for Health Scientists Annual Conference, Kampala, Uganda, August 2015.

Amodot S, Lukolyo H, Atungonza R, Kekitiinwa A. Integrating Early Childhood Development in HIV Care: Experiences from a Pediatric HIV Clinic in Uganda. Uganda Paediatric Association 11th Annual Scientific Conference, Kampala, Uganda, August 2015

Resident	Location Abroad	Scholarly Project(s)	Graduating Class
David De Give	Malawi	Set up a clinician hot line to help with questions from the community about children with HIV	2014
Jennifer Werdenberg	Lesotho	Created inpatient protocols, pocket cards, and lectures for pediatrics in Lesotho	2014
Oluwakemi “Kemi” Ogundipe	Botswana	Converted clinic resources including forms and letters, HIV guidelines, and other medical resources into digital format and created new resources including visual diagnosis and patient handouts to be available for daily use by clinicians in Botswana	2014
Padma Swamy	Swaziland	Implemented the Jadelle implant for women living with HIV in a resource-limited setting in Sub-Saharan Africa; Concerns for drug interactions leading to unintended pregnancies – Presented at the International AIDS Society Meetings in Malaysia in July 2013	2014
Shoba Reddy-Holdcraft	Botswana	Studied Cytophenias: abnormalities in blood counts.	2014
Agnes Hernandez-Grande	Swaziland	Implemented a program to help patient adherence with HIV medications and clinic appointments by setting up free reminder phone calls to their cell phones.	2015
Andrea Dean	Malawi	Helped set up a pediatric consultation line for HIV providers across Northern Malawi	2015
Paola Carrasco	Malawi	Created and delivered a training module for Nutritional Rehabilitation Unit (NRU) staff in Kamuzu Central Hospital based upon the latest WHO guidelines as well as the Ministry of Health guidelines for community management of acute malnutrition.	2015
Robert “Bobby” Ricketts	Lesotho	Wrote “Our Little Soldiers” – A book for children living with HIV	2015
Chris Pretorius	Botswana	Organized and funded a retreat for 60 adolescent patients to promote adherence and healthy living.	2016
Gregory Valentine	Romania	Studied mortality and lost-to-follow-up rates among HIV positive children at several sites in Sub-Saharan Africa	2016
Krishnan Subrahmanian	Botswana/Rosebud Indian Reservation South Dakota	Conducted a community-based assessment of childhood activity, nutrition, and school successes.	2016
Nathan Serazin	Malawi	Created a triage training program for clinic staff to recognize warning signs	2016
Heather Lukolyo	Uganda	Designed a randomized controlled study of an adherence intervention for HIV-infected patients on antiretroviral therapy with virologic failure.	2017
Elizabeth Keating	Lesotho	Developed a health screening tool for use in orphanages in Lesotho and used it to screen 50 orphans.	2017
Lynda Aririguzo	Tanzania	Studied clinical outcomes of patients attending expedited clinic visits to improve efficiency of ART delivery among children	2017
Yi Wang	Lesotho	Studied treatment failure rates and associations among patients on second line antiretroviral therapy	2017
Chris A. Rees	Malawi	Studied clinical indicators of patients’ final clinical encounter before outpatient mortality in Malawi	2017

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