Pictured L to R: Nancy Tofil, M.D., Candice Dye, M.D., Lauren Nassetta, M.D., Michele Nichols, M.D. (Not pictured: Will Sasser, M.D.)

Selecting a Pediatric Residency Program is one of the most important decisions of your professional and personal life. We thank you for considering the University of Alabama at Birmingham for your Pediatric Residency Education. Our Pediatric Residency Program is designed to provide you with the best possible educational opportunities and to prepare individuals like you for a lifetime commitment to improving the health of children. Residency is also a time when life-long friendships are created. This spirit of camaraderie and teamwork forms the foundation of our Pediatric Residency Program.

Our Residency Program is a vigorous, well-balanced experience, with exposure to a wide diversity of disease processes. The outstanding educational experience provided throughout residency prepares our residents well for a career in both general pediatrics and pediatric subspecialty practice. All Pediatric Subspecialties are represented at our institution and all offer Pediatric Fellowships. Over the last ten years, 50% of our graduates have stepped into a career as a general pediatrician and 50% have pursued a Pediatric Fellowship.   

One of the most difficult challenges in a Residency Program is to create a stimulating, challenging, yet nurturing environment for learning. The strength and quality of the faculty are critical elements in fulfilling this goal. We are fortunate to have over 160 dedicated and bright faculty members known for their excellence in research and education as well as patient care. They are dedicated to our Pediatric Residency Program, serving as teachers, role models, advisors, and friends to the residents. Residents have the opportunity to participate in our Simulation Program on a regular basis and this experience greatly enhances our “hands-on” education. We also require scholarly activities in Quality Improvement and in presenting a Senior Talk. Many of our residents are involved in research as well and present at regional and national meetings.

Our Residency Program also focuses on Community Outreach and Advocacy with over half of our residents involved in community outreach activities. Our interns have an Injury Prevention and Advocacy experience and discover ways to become involved and make a difference. Our residents are involved in working in free health clinics, organizing a 5K run for our Weight Management Clinic, medical directing in pediatric camps, volunteering at health fairs, as well as serving on international medical teams.

Each year, the overwhelming response from our pediatric residency graduates when asked “What is the greatest strength of our program?” is “the people, the people, the people.” The people include our residents, our faculty members, and our health care team workers. It is the residents, in fact, who truly make our program. Each resident, with his or her own unique talents, contributes significantly to the overall success of our program. 

We welcome your application and inquiries. Our interview process is designed to give you the opportunity to acquaint yourself with our program, see first-hand our resident-faculty interaction, tour our facilities, and speak personally with our House Staff members. Thank you for considering our Pediatric Residency Program for your pediatric education.

Sincerely, 

Michele Holloway Nichols, M.D.
Director, Pediatric Residency Program

Nancy Tofil, M.D.
Senior Associate Director, Pediatric Residency Program

Candice Dye, M.D.
Associate Director, Pediatric Residency Program

Lauren Nassetta, M.D.
Associate Director, Pediatric Residency Program

Will Sasser, M.D.
Assistant Director, Pediatric Residency Program

We are honored to have been selected by our peers as the 2019-2020 chief residents. The University of Alabama at Birmingham Department of Pediatrics offers excellent training in pediatric medicine in a stunning clinical setting. Having recently finished three years in our residency program, we feel prepared to tackle a wide array of pediatric illnesses from common conditions to rarer “zebras” due to the large volume, high acuity, and variety of patients we have encountered in our training. We can say without hesitancy that with the current three classes of pediatric residents and four classes of combined medicine-pediatric residents, we have some of the highest quality trainees that any program could offer. The culture of our program is felt in the breadth of love, admiration, and dedication that we have for each other. We pride ourselves on resident autonomy and being a resident-run program. We are led by a great group of program directors in Drs. Nichols, Tofil, Hartig, Stein, Dye, Sasser and Nassetta. Our program directors are excellent physician models and create a tangible family environment.  

In choosing a residency, we desired a clinical environment that challenged our intellectual abilities, provided a reputable education, and was a welcoming place to work. We absolutely can say we found this at UAB. Our residents receive incredible hands-on clinical and procedural training and opportunities to serve a diverse patient population. We also offer and encourage international medical experiences across the globe. Education is valued and strengthened through our Stagno morning report and noon conferences, which provide learning opportunities with unique case presentations and didactic lectures from experts in every field. The Department of Pediatrics is comprised of faculty members with wide expertise, many of whom are leaders in their field. Our success in education is highlighted by our 100% board pass rate for the last 7 years running (2012-2018). The reach of our residency program also extends beyond the Southeast, as we have sent physicians from our program across the United States. We wish you the best of luck in choosing a residency program.

Please contact us with any questions you may have, and we would be happy to provide you with more information.

2019-2020 Chief Residents

Reid Burks, M.D. (allisonburks@uabmc.edu)
Eunice Dixon, M.D. (eunicedixon@uabmc.edu)
Spandana “Spud” Induru, M.D. (sinduru@uabmc.edu)

Emily Bufkin – Med-Peds Chief (enbufkin@uabmc.edu)

Thank you for your interest in the Department of Pediatrics at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB). We are looking for more great people. Our greatest strength is our people - our residents, our faculty, our nursing and support staff and our colleagues in the other Departments throughout UAB and Children’s of Alabama. The Department of Pediatrics provides a complete spectrum of care and education from primary care to subspecialty services. Our vision is to dramatically improve the health of the children of Alabama, the region and beyond.

The Children’s of Alabama campus is among the largest children’s hospitals in the United States. It serves as the largest provider of children’s health services in Alabama and in the immediate region, and is a world class, family friendly, state of the art facility. The Department of Pediatrics and Children’s of Alabama leadership are working closely together to advance their shared strategic vision and common missions. We are growing and we are building.

We believe in safety, integrity, equality, diversity, and respect for each and every child and for each other. Our UAB and Children’s of Alabama family is committed to our fourfold mission of Clinical Care, Research, Education, and Advocacy. We seek to: improve the health of children of Alabama, and the region in collaboration with community health care providers, other community partners and advocacy efforts; discover and apply important new knowledge to improve the outcomes for pediatric disorders; educate patients, families, and health care providers and train the next generation of pediatric providers and leaders in medicine; and improve the health delivery system so that it provides the best outcome at the lowest possible cost. We are proud of what have accomplished in all of these areas but we are striving to be the best at getting better.

Collaboration, teamwork, innovation, continual improvement and lifelong learning are a way of life at UAB. History is made here. Come join us at UAB and Children’s of Alabama.  

Sincerely,

Mitchell B. Cohen, M.D.

Professor and Chair

UAB Department of Pediatrics

Physician-in-Chief, Children's of Alabama