Pediatric Urology
Pediatric Urology Fellowship
Program Director
Hillary L. Copp, MD, MS
The Pediatric Urology Fellowship at UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospitals is a two-year training program for board-certified physicians interested in pursuing pediatric urology subspecialty certification. We participate in the national match and accept one ACGME fellow per year. Our fellowship consists of one year of clinical pediatric urology (accredited by the Accreditation Council of Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) and a second year of research with the option for a concentration in transitional urology.
We aim to attract bright, committed, and compassionate applicants from diverse backgrounds, who aspire to become future leaders in this specialty. They should possess a genuine desire to serve culturally diverse and medically underserved populations while being dedicated to addressing issues related to diversity, equity, and inclusion.
The first year of fellowship is focused on clinical pediatric urology. Clinical rotations involve all aspects of pediatric urology including outpatient clinic, newborn and pediatric intensive care units, emergency ward, complex and ambulatory surgery, urodynamics, spina bifida clinic, fetal treatment, transplantation, reconstruction, Disorders of Sex Development multidisciplinary clinic and pediatric oncology (tumor board).
The second year of fellowship the fellow will have the option for the Standard Track or the Transitional Urology Track. Fellows will work on abstracts, papers and chapters during the second year. The fellow will take limited attending call with back up during the second year of fellowship.
The Standard Track will be devoted to pediatric urology research-either basic science, clinical or both. For those interested in basic science, the laboratory research year would focus on the interactions between epithelium and mesenchyme in the urinary tract, genital development, and urinary tract obstruction. For those interested in clinical research there are numerous opportunities for projects from our clinical research databases and large administrative datasets ranging from surgical outcomes to health services utilization research. We have a dedicated programmer and analyst to help with secondary data analysis and faculty who are experienced in outcomes and health services research. We offer a more formalized program to develop quantitative and analytic skills needed for robust clinic research through summer- and year-long certificate programs through the UCSF Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics: https://ticr.ucsf.edu/programs/overview.html.
The Transitional Urology Track will be a combined clinical and research year with a focus in Transitional Urology. The clinical aspects of the second year will include two days of Transitional Urology clinic attendance monthly, two days of Transitional Urology OR attendance monthly, and two half days of pediatric spina bifida clinic attendance monthly. Along with this clinical activity, in the second year the fellow will participate in specific transitional urology research projects, capitalizing on our research infrastructure that includes a prospective transitional urology registry and a transitional urology health services research group with weekly meetings and a dedicated biostatistician.
The ACGME-accredited clinical program takes place at UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospitals' two main sites: San Francisco Mission Bay and Oakland. We serve a diverse patient population and receive a wide range of pediatric urology cases. The entire UCSF faculty is involved with training the pediatric urology fellow. The clinical rotation involves all aspects of pediatric urology with specific rotations in outpatient clinic, complex inpatient, and ambulatory surgery, urodynamics, spina bifida clinic, transitional urology clinic, differences in sexual differences clinic, fetal treatment, transplantation reconstruction, and pediatric oncology (tumor board).
Associated faculty that are instrumental in the training of the pediatric urology fellow include the Pediatric Endocrinologist, Nephrologists, Neonatologist, Oncologists, Neurosurgeons, Infectious Disease Specialist, Geneticists, Radiologists, and Pediatric Surgeons. The pediatric urology fellow also works with the Pediatric Urology Nurse Practitioners in the Pediatric Continence Clinic. The Pediatric Urology Fellow participates in educational conferences, didactic teaching sessions, ward rounds with the urology residents, and the yearly UCSF Pediatric Urology Seminar.
A complete description of the program is available for downloading:
UCSF Pediatric Urology Fellowship Description
Pediatric Urology Fellowship Application Process
The pediatric urology fellowship is open to US and Canadian citizens who have completed an approved ACGME or RCPS residency program in urology, preferably a candidate for the American Board of Urology and eligible to obtain a full Physician and Surgeon’s CA medical license.
Starting in July 2024, the program can accept exceptionally qualified international graduate applicants as stated in the ACGME Common Program requirements. Evaluation by the program director and fellowship selection committee of the applicant’s suitability to enter the program will be reviewed, based on prior training and review of the summative evaluations of training in the core specialty. International applicants being considered should note that their training may not lead to certification by ABMS member boards or AOA certifying boards and would be eligible for a Post Graduate CA Medical Training License only. International applicants must obtain ECFMG certification along with passing the USMLE Exams or equivalent exams as listed on the California Medical Board.
Licensure requirements of the California Medical Board can be found at http://www.medbd.ca.gov/. Applicants with concerns about eligibility for licensure should contact the Medical Board or seek personal legal counsel.
The pediatric urology fellowship participates in the matching program run by the AUA and The Society for Pediatric Urology. Applications are due in winter or early spring , approximately one and quarter years prior to the applicant starting the program. Information about the matching program is online at http://www.spuonline.org/fellowships.cgi. The Fellows' guide to the Pediatric Urology Fellowship Match on this website describes the matching process. If you have any questions about the matching process please contact the match office at 866.746.4282 Extension 3913 or [email protected].
Applicants are pre-screened by Hillary L. Copp, MD, MS, Fellowship Director, and the UCSF Pediatric Urology Fellowship Review Committee. Finalists are interviewed by UCSF Pediatric Urology Faculty and current research and clinical pediatric urology fellows in the winter and spring prior to the match. Those interested in applying to the Pediatric Urology Fellowship Program should email a cover letter, personal statement, curriculum vitae, three letters of recommendation, a headshot photo (jpeg) and the SPU Universal application form to Hillary L. Copp, MD, MS, c/o Katherine Jung
Contact:
Katherine Jung
[email protected]
415-885-7748
Applications are due March 1st of each year, 16 months prior to beginning the fellowship.
Virtual Open House
Learn more about our exciting new 2024 pediatric urology fellowship with a transitional urology focus approved by the ABU and ACGME!
In adherence to the UC Policy, UCSF OGME and in support of the AAMC, virtual interviews will be conducted in the 2023-2024 academic year.
2024 Virtual Interview Date:
Tuesday, April 30, 2024
Research Fellowship Application Process
Persons interested in applying to the pediatric urology research fellowship program should email a cover letter, curriculum vitae, three letters of recommendation, a headshot photo (jpeg), and the UCSF Fellowship Application to Hillary L. Copp, MD, MS, c/o Katherine Jung:
Contact:
Katherine Jung
[email protected]
415-885-7748
To view past clinical/research fellows trained, click here.