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Why I Chose the Yale Pediatric Residency Program...

A few words from some of our 1st year residents:

Catherine Harris, MD

Catherine Harris, MD
I chose Yale Pediatrics because I knew it was the perfect place for me to accomplish both my personal and professional goals at this stage in my training. Yale has many great educational opportunities, such as cutting edge research projects, fully funded international health electives, and stipends to attend major conferences. I felt confident that regardless of whether I specialized or went into general pediatrics, I would get great training at Yale. I was excited about the prospect of having yearly ER experience in a level 1 trauma center and a mostly Spanish-speaking continuity clinic. At the same time, Yale pediatrics has a family feel to it. Being new to the area, it was important for me to have an intern class small enough that I could get to know everyone quickly. With a class size of 18, weekly social events, softball games, intern retreat, and frequent parties with the whole pediatric department, there are many opportunities to build relationships with fellow residents. Not only is Yale so close to fun places like New York City, Boston, beaches, and vineyards, but the program actually provides some free time to enjoy them. Most of all, I chose Yale pediatrics because I knew it would be a supportive learning environment where residents, fellows, and attending professors alike would treat me as a vital part of the health care team. ~ Catherine Harris, MD, PGY-1, Louisiana State University

Matthew C. Egalka, MD

Matthew C. Egalka, MD
Having spent four years at Yale as a medical student, I was well-acquainted with the Pediatrics residency program by the time the residency application process began. Despite the multitude of excellent programs offering a wide variety of opportunities, my overwhelming first choice was to continue my training at Yale. A number of key factors contributed to this decision. The academic strength, excellent didactics, and world-renowned prestige of the program certainly was attractive, especially considering my eventual goal to enter subspecialty pediatrics. I found that practicing medicine of any variety in New Haven is especially rewarding considering the unbelievable ethnic and socioeconomic diversity of the catchment population and the substantial impact that resident-delivered care makes in the community. My wife and I have also enjoyed living in New Haven over the past few years - and not just because it's between New York and Boston! What really cemented Yale as my chosen destination was the remarkable collection of residents and faculty. The small class size and the inherent laid-back friendliness of the residents truly begets a cohesive and social bunch of (future) pediatricians. Even as a 3rd-year medical student, I was impressed with the attitude of camaraderie and helpfulness the interns and residents seemed to have - an attitude which I'm happy to report continues with my intern class. The faculty is similarly friendly, low-key and immensely accessible despite being world-renowned experts in their fields. I can't imagine regretting my decision to stay, and so far I haven't been disappointed. ~ Matthew C. Egalka, MD, PGY-1, Dartmouth College

Mareen Thomas, MD

Mareen Thomas, MD
I participated in two "matches" lately- one the match to Yale pediatrics, and the other a match to my husband! Couples-matching can be a life lesson in and of itself - an exercise in compromise and organization in an inherently intense period when the pursuit of a residency can really test the mettle of what ties you to your partner. Here at Yale any trepidation I had about the difficulty of being married to another intern was quickly squashed during my first conversation with the chiefs residents and residency director. They were so incredibly understanding of scheduling conflicts and alternate calls that now I've come to believe in my situation as a strength: training together in a new and dynamic environment that opened my eyes to potential I never thought possible...

The warm and fun attitude of fellow housestaff is the real treasure of Yale's pediatric program. The relationship amongst residents cultivates personal growth and collegiality. Traditions, such as the on-call intern bringing coffee and breakfast for the post-call intern, make it easy to see why the residents truly regard each other as colleagues and friends. Attendings strive to maximize resident educational experience as well as personal wellbeing which grants a balanced perspective even during the extremes of any quality program.

There are many opportunities to pursue community involvement through the Adopt-a-Doc program to community health fairs. There are also opportunities during the third year of residency to pursue international health electives.

If all of the above isn't enough evidence to prove how great New Haven is, just try a bite of our famed pizza... ~ Mareen Thomas, MD, PGY-1, Medical College of Virginia of Virginia Commonwealth University