Fellowship information
The Division of Urology's fellowship program provides a comprehensive training experience for board-certified physicians seeking subspecialty certification in pediatric urology. The fellowship consists of two years, each dedicated to a specific area of training. Both years include dedicated time with faculty to develop the fellow's skills in each area.
The first year is dedicated to academic productivity, via basic science and/or research efforts, in order to lay the groundwork for a career in academic pediatric urology. Fellows may choose between a traditional, basic science effort and a dedicated, clinical research project based on their individual goals or interests.
The second year provides a broad-ranging clinical experience with volumes that ensure practice in a wide breadth of cases and conditions. The clinical year also presents fellows the opportunity to develop leadership skills through management of the service and supervision of team rounds.
Throughout both years, fellows interact and collaborate with our faculty to develop their academic, clinical, and professional skills, and achieve their individual career goals. For candidates without a specific focus, our faculty provides mentorship and offers career development counseling.
Our program offers flexibility to meet the individual goals of our fellows. We work with candidates to incorporate their specific goals into the overall program requirements in order to provide an individualized, yet comprehensive fellowship experience.
Our fellowship is fully accredited by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) and is administered through our academic partner, the Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. We participate in the National Fellowship Match through the Society for Pediatric Urology.
Fellowship Testimonials
"The best and most fruitful 2 years of my training without a doubt. My experience in Chicago provided me the skill and confidence to succeed in Academic Urology."
Andrew MacNeily, MD, Chief of Pediatric Urology
Vancouver Children's Hospital
Vancouver, British Columbia
“I really enjoyed my fellowship in Chicago for a number of reasons. As one of the two initial fellows after Bill Kaplan became chief, I benefited from his leadership of the division and restructuring of the fellowship. As a fellow at Children's Memorial, you were given a good deal of autonomy in the clinic and in the OR while still having the opportunity to work closely with several attendings whose clinical and surgical styles were diverse. You were treated more like a peer or junior attending instead of as a subordinate or senior resident. I liked getting to do procedures in multiple different ways since each attending had certain nuances that each had perfected over the years. Even though I came into fellowship with very little basic science experience, I was able to become a part of a research lab and participate in some projects there while completing several clinical projects of my own choosing and design, resulting in presentations at national meetings, publications in the Journal of Urology and a book chapter during my tenure. I cannot say enough about what a great city Chicago is and the infinite possibilities are for activities outside of the hospital. Much of where I am now and what I have achieved in my career so far is due to the strong training I received while at Children's Memorial and I always look forward to seeing my Chicago colleagues at reunion dinners and at our meetings."
Seth A. Alpert, MD
Section of Pediatric Urology
Nationwide Children's Hospital
Columbus, OH
"I enjoyed the experience very much. I worked with Casey Firlit, Bill Kaplan and mostly with Max Maizels, with whom I wrote a book chapter concerning cystic renal disease. I believe they prepared me very well for private practice. Appreciated operating with all three and the nuances that they taught to me freely. The autonomy given was quite different from any other fellowship that I knew of at the time. I was well prepared for a very busy private practice in Tampa where I have been for 20 years."
Mike Reisman, MD
"When I think back on my year at Children's, I truly have nothing but good things to say about the program, the experience, the staff and the attendings. I was able to participate on several clinical projects with some wonderful guidance from Earl Cheng and Max Maizels. One of the projects yielded a publication in J. Urology. The clinical experience was wonderful as well. I got plenty of exposure to “bread and butter” pediatric urology as well as the more complex stuff which included exstrophy and quite a few augments. The most important point I can make about the program was one Dr. Kaplan stressed in his “welcome to the program” discussion. They saw us as colleagues and wanted us to know that was how we should approach being a fellow. That mutual respect made a huge impression on me. That is how I try to approach my life and your program maintained that attitude, which was great."
John Edmondson, MD
"I am grateful for the wide breath of Pediatric Urologic surgical and medical training I received by such an experienced faculty and staff."
Peter D Furness III, MD
Rocky Mountain Pediatric Urology
On the Master of Science in Clinical Investigation (MSCI) program
"This coursework has given me the vocabulary to communicate effectively with programmers and statisticians. I have learned about what information and documentation is required for a project before I begin. I've also become more aware of different kinds of research I can engage in. Perhaps the greatest benefit is in learning about people that I can potentially collaborate with on projects. The faculty members in this program are open and approachable. It's easy to discuss research protocols and get their feedback. Having access to experts in these fields has enhanced my research experience. It has been a wonderful environment to learn and grow as a physician-scientist along with other medical professionals who are at a similar stage in life."
Michaella Prasad, MD
Pediatric Urology Fellow, 2010-2012
Requirements and Application
Our program participates in the National Resident Matching Program's Fellowship Match. To qualify for the fellowship, applicants must be in an accredited urology residency program in the United States, complete the fellowship application, and submit it with a current curriculum vitae and two letters of reference. An interview will then be scheduled with the faculty members of the Division.
Contact Information
For more information on the Fellowship in Pediatric Urology, please contact:
Division Head William Kaplan, MD
Fellowship Coordinator
Division of Urology—Box 24
Children's Memorial Hospital
2300 Children's PlazaChicago, IL 60614
Phone: 773-880-4428
E-mail: wkaplan@childrensmemorial.org
Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine
Office of Graduate Medical Education
Arthur J. Rubloff Building
420 East Superior Street
Chicago, IL 60611
Phone: 312-503-8194
E-mail: gme@northwestern.edu
Find the Fellowship application here.
Useful Links
The American Urological Association (AUA), founded in 1902, is the premier professional association for the advancement of urologic patient care, and works to ensure that its more than 17,000 members are current on the latest research and practices in urology. The AUA also pursues its mission of fostering the highest standards of urologic care by providing a wide range of services — including publications, research, the Annual Meeting, continuing medical education (CME) and the formulation of health policy.
The Society for Pediatric Urology (SPU) is a non-profit society whose main purpose is to promote pediatric urology, appropriate practice, education as well as exchanges between practitioners involved in the treatment of genitourinary disorders in children.
The Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) is responsible for the Accreditation of post-MD medical training programs within the United States. Accreditation is accomplished through a peer review process and is based upon established standards and guidelines.
The Department of Urology at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine is our academic partner.
The National Resident Matching Program (NRMP) is a private, not-for-profit corporation established in 1952 to provide a uniform date of appointment to positions in graduate medical education (GME).
Computer Enhanced Visual Learning (CEVL) is a new method to train residents to perform surgery using components and provide access to a personalized surgical feedback/remediation archive using the internet. Current research has shown CEVL is an effective tool to train residents to perform the orchiopexy procedure. Faculty member Max Maizels, MD, is the creator of CEVL.