Director of Fellowships: A New Level of Educational Leadership in Academic Pediatric Departments

Objective: A departmental educational leadership role, Director of Fellowships (DF), has emerged in academic pediatric departments to aid in subspecialty programmatic support. Demographics, job responsibilities, and challenges are not fully described and thus may be underappreciated. Methods: An electronic survey was distributed to DFs through the Association of Pediatric Program Directors listserv. Descriptive statistics and thematic analysis of free text were performed. Results: Response rate was 36/54 (67%). Most DFs were female (75%) and were in clinical practice for a median of 15 (interquartile range 12.5–20) years with 10 (interquartile range 7–13) years in fellowship program leadership and 39% with advanced training in education. The main responsibilities included oversight of fellowship core curriculum, faculty development of fellowship program directors, assistance with performance issues, and coordination of common fellowship events. Challenges were limited community understanding of DF role; insufficient time/resources; and disparate fellowship needs. Perceived outcomes included centralization of and advocacy for resources, educational innovation, and greater visibility/enhanced community among fellowship program directors, fellows, and coordinators. Conclusions: DFs are increasingly widespread, filling important gaps in graduate medical education. Individuals in this role provide necessary expertise and management of central resources, which can break down fellowship silos. However, support is variable and institutional impact is understudied.