Program Signaling for Pediatric Fellowships - June 16

Program signaling will be implemented for certain subspecialty fellowships during the 2025–2026 application cycle. In this webinar, ERAS leadership will provide an overview of the most up-to-date information on program signals. A diverse panel of fellowship leaders representing Allergy/Immunology, Pediatric Critical Care, Pediatric Gastroenterology, and Neonatal Perinatal Medicine, along with members of the Association of Pediatric Program Directors Fellowship Recruitment Action Team, will explore key topics related to signaling and applicant advising. 

Participants are encouraged to submit questions in advance through the registration form to help guide the discussion and address the most frequently asked questions and pressing concerns.

Richard Peng

Richard Peng is a Director for ERAS Outreach and Engagement. He was previously a manager for that team. Before joining Outreach and Engagement, he was an ERAS Senior Account Relationship Management Specialist, a Lead Program Relations Specialist and a Training Senior Specialist. After 10 years with the AAMC he has a deep and thorough understanding of the ERAS systems, an appreciation for the needs of individuals across medical education and a desire to ensure that they receive timely and accurate information and guidance.

Jill J. Fussell, MD

Jill Fussell, MD is a developmental behavioral pediatrician (DBP) and professor at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) and Arkansas Children’s Hospital. She is the UAMS DBP fellowship director and the Vice Chair of Fellowship Education in UAMS Department of Pediatrics. Dr. Fussell has been active in DBP and medical education research, and is currently a member of the Association of Pediatric Program Director’s (APPD) Subspecialty Pediatric Investigators’ Network. She has held leadership positions in national pediatric organizations including the Society of DBP, the American Board of Pediatrics, and the Council on Pediatric Subspecialties. Dr. Fussell is currently the Chair of the APPD Fellowship Recruitment Action Team, the group that collaborated with ERAS to host this webinar.

Carrie Rasbach, MD

As the Program Director for the Stanford Pediatrics Residency Program, Dr. Carrie Rasbach’s vision is to develop outstanding pediatricians and leaders in child health. She is also a medical education researcher and teacher, having received training in education through a Master’s degree at Stanford as well as through the Academic Pediatric Association’s Educational Scholars’ Program and through the Rathmann Family Fellowship in Medical Education Research at Stanford. Dr. Rasbach’s past roles include founding and leading the Stanford Pediatric Hospital Medicine Fellowship Program and the Stanford Pediatrics Residency Coaching Program. In addition, she co-directs the Medical Education Scholarly Concentration for residents and fellows and the Faculty Peer Scholarship Community in Medical Education. She is the past Chair of two national groups: the Pediatric Hospital Medicine Fellowship Directors’ Council and the Association of Pediatric Program Directors’ Assessment Learning Community. Dr. Rasbach’s research interests include coaching in medicine, learning environment, healthcare communication, and physician wellbeing.

Monica Lawrence, MD

Dr. Monica Lawrence is an Associate Professor of Medicine and Pediatrics in the Division of Asthma, Allergy and Immunology at the University of Virginia. She currently serves as the Allergy/Immunology Fellowship Associate Program Director and is the chair of the American Academy of Asthma, Allergy and Immunology’s Program Director Assembly Executive Committee.  She also is the Designated Institutional Official and Associate Dean for Graduate Medical Education at the University of Virginia.

Adrian Zurca, MD

Adrian Zurca, MD is a pediatric intensivist and attending physician in the pediatric intensive care unit at Ann and Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago, where he also serves as fellowship director for the pediatric critical care fellowship at Lurie/Northwestern McGaw School of Medicine. Dr. Zurca has distinguished himself as a leader in pediatric critical care medical education, participating in a number of multi-center efforts to evaluate and improve training for residents and fellows in the pediatric intensive care unit. He is also interested in the use of medical simulation as both an educational and quality tool, and has led multiple efforts to study the use of simulation in the pediatric inpatient setting. Dr. Zurca is chair-elect for the Society of Critical Care Medicine’s Pediatric Critical Care Fellowship Program Directors’ Group.

Danny Mallon, MD

Danny Mallon is a pediatric gastroenterologist at Cincinnati Children’s, where he serves as Associate Fellowship Program Director, Director of Student and Resident Education, and Associate Clinical Director. He also serves as the chair of the Training Committee of the North American Society of Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition (NASPGHAN).

Ben Thompson, MD, FAAFP, FASAM

Ben Thompson, MD, FAAFP, FASAM is a hospice and palliative care physician with a distinguished career in clinical leadership, education, and program development. Before joining Gentiva Hospice, Dr. Thompson served as the Division Chief of Hospice and Palliative Care for Prisma Health in the Midlands and the Program Director for the Hospice and Palliative Care Fellowship, where he was instrumental in expanding palliative care services, mentoring future clinicians, and advocating for excellence in patient-centered care.

Dr. Thompson’s leadership in education has been widely recognized. He has delivered numerous lectures on topics such as goals of care discussions, inpatient pain management, and caring for patients with serious illness and substance use disorders. In 2024, his dedication to education and leadership was nationally recognized with an appointment to the Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine’s Fellowship Training Committee, election as Chair of the Education Special Interest Group, and recognition as an Emerging Leader in the field of Hospice and Palliative Medicine.

Now at Gentiva Hospice, Dr. Thompson brings his deep experience in clinical care, education, and leadership to continue improving hospice and palliative services, ensuring compassionate, high-quality care for patients and families.

Megan M. Gray, MD

Dr. Megan Gray is the Neonatal Perinatal Medicine Fellowship Director at the University of Washington and Seattle Children's Hospital.  She co-chairs the AAP's national Organization of Neonatal-Perinatal Training Program Directors and led the program signaling discussion to determine our field's approach to signaling.