Thank you for your interest in our residency program. We are very excited about our program, and we hope that you will share in our enthusiasm as you learn more about the program from this web site.

About the Program
The Grand Rapids Medical Education and Research Center/Michigan State University Pediatric Residency Program at Helen DeVos Children's Hospital offers a complete experience with community-acquired disease as well as specialty-oriented exposure to the broad array of pediatric disease that only a referral center can provide. With its affiliation with the Michigan State University College of Human Medicine, it also offers the quality teaching faculty and educational experiences provided by a university-based residency.

As a resident in our program, you will obtain the knowledge and skills to be an excellent general pediatrician. If you choose to pursue a subspecialty fellowship, you will have a solid background in pediatric knowledge and clinical practice as well as exposure to nearly all pediatric subspecialties. Most importantly, though, you will learn to take care of children and their families, not just diseases.

Please click on this link to meet our Program Director & residents and learn more about us by viewing our informational video.

About Helen DeVos Children's Hospital

• Referral center for 37 Michigan counties
• More than 150 physicians in 40 pediatric specialties
• More than 7,600 inpatient admissions annually
• More than 190,000 outpatient visits annually
• More than 38,000 pediatric emergency department visits annually and Level I trauma center with pediatric surgeons available 24/7
• Nearly 9,000 surgeries a year
• One of the largest children’s cancer and blood disorders programs in the nation with more than 700 patient visits monthly
• West Michigan’s only bone marrow transplantation program
• Only pediatric radiology department in West Michigan with nearly 75,000 visits a year
• Expanded pediatric cardiology program including advanced interventional cardiology and electrophysiology
• Cardiovascular surgery for infants and children as well as adults with congenital or childhood-onset heart disease
• Comprehensive pediatric nephrology program including dialysis and kidney transplantation
• Only pediatric sleep disorder laboratory in West Michigan managed by pediatric pulmonary specialists
• Nation's 10th largest neonatal centers with more than 1200 babies admitted each year.
• One of only 115 nationally accredited cystic fibrosis care centers in the United States
• One of Michigan’s largest pediatric diabetes programs
• A team of child life specialists focused on kids’ developmental needs and innovative ways of reducing the anxiety of hospitalization
• Leader of Partners in Children’s Health, a network of hospitals throughout Michigan working together to improve the health of children and families
• More than 40 specialty clinics in Grand Rapids and throughout the region
• Lead agency for Safe Kids Greater Grand Rapids and Safe Kids Lakeshore Coalitions
• Only Children’s Miracle Network hospital in the western and northern areas of the state
• We have a Child Protection Team composed of 40 members from multiple disciplines which provides services for physically and sexually abused and neglected children on an inpatient and outpatient basis. This team has helped over 600 children annually since 1993.

With this size and patient population, HDVCH ranks in the top half of children's hospitals in terms of both inpatient admissions and outpatient care. However, being staffed by community-based pediatricians and clinically-based specialists, Helen DeVos Children's Hospital never loses its community-based atmosphere.

Please take a VirtualTour of our Children's Hospital

Please check out the links to your left to learn more about the program, including the residents, the faculty, the curriculum and didactics, and elective opportunities.

Letter from Program Director

Congratulations on finding the best Pediatric residency program in the Midwest! Does that surprise you? Read on to learn why I believe this is true.

We serve large numbers of children, both in primary and subspecialty care. Your inpatient experience and your active continuity clinic will give you the opportunity to manage a great variety of sick and healthy children from birth to young adulthood. This translates into a rich and diverse educational experience for you through the entire spectrum of pediatric pathology.

We are, above all else, committed to preserving the educational integrity of your residency experience. We guarantee you protected block didactic time, caps on busy inpatient services, regularly scheduled teaching rounds, and pediatric hospitalists who are in the hospital twenty-four hours a day to help, supervise, and teach. Our entire teaching faculty provides superior, evidence-based, compassionate, comprehensive care to every child seen at DeVos Children's Hospital, and we are committed to teaching you the same.

Our program provides you with some exciting opportunities to make a difference locally and regionally. For example, through your Advocacy rotation you will learn about the problems facing children in Grand Rapids and beyond, and will design and implement a small clinical project that will benefit a local child or family. In addition, you will hone your educator skills by supervising third and fourth year Michigan State University medical students during their Pediatric clerkship and senior electives at DeVos Children's Hospital. We'll enrich your skills through a "Residents as Educators" curriculum. You will be invited to participate fully on a variety of hospital committees. This provides you the opportunity to make a difference here and learn skills that you can take to other hospital systems in the future.

We are privileged to provide you the benefits of both a community and academic residency program in one location. Our community origin provides close relationships and involvement with local pediatricians in an energetic, fun, and respectful atmosphere. Our affiliation with Michigan State University preserves high academic standards and exceptional researchers and resources within our hospital. This is a unique balance in which residents are the clear winners.

Our program just received a full 5- year reaccreditation from the ACGME in July, the best rating a Pediatrics Residency can receive!

So, why haven't you heard of us before? When you visit us, you will undoubtedly join the countless people who tell us that we are a "hidden treasure" and "a well kept secret"! Don't be confused by the "community" label. We are a very academic, university affiliated residency program that exists in a supportive community that just happens to be the second largest city in the state of Michigan! Come take a look at what we have to offer. You'll be glad you did. We are eager to meet you, and look forward to our visit together!

Sincerely,

Jeri Kessenich, M.D., FAAP Program Director Pediatric Residency jeri.kessenich@devoschildrens.org

Welcome from the Chief Residents

We are excited that you have decided to learn more about our program.  We hope that you will consider coming to visit this hidden gem in the Midwest!  This website contains a closer look into our program and our residents.

We are the Chief Pediatric Residents for the 2009-2010 Academic Year.  We will formally introduce ourselves:

I was born and raised in Virginia Beach, Virginia.  I spent my pre-residency years obtaining my bachelors of science in chemistry at the University of Virginia and my medical school training at Eastern Virginia Medical School.  I decided to leave the beautiful state of Virginia to expand my horizons here in Michigan and what a great time it has been!  I’ve been able to continue my love of outdoor sports and even found a favorite jogging trail, as there are many from which to choose.  In the last year I picked up ballroom dancing and have recently invested in starting my own jewelry business.  I also love to save time for hanging out with friends.  We have great restaurants and fun places for day trips! Michigan has brought more to my life than could be imagined! Upon leaving chief residency in June I plan to continue my training with a pediatric critical care fellowship.

I was born and raised in Chicago Illinois, but I call North Carolina home.  I relocated to North Carolina, where I lived and worked as a respiratory therapist for twelve years before going to medical school at East Carolina University. I enjoy the ocean and deep sea fishing whenever I have the opportunity. My family lives in Northwest Indiana and I enjoy spending time with them on my weekends off.  I am currently applying to Pediatric Critical Care Programs for fellowship. I have traveled to most of the Caribbean islands and am planning a trip to the Galapagos Islands soon.  I enjoy diving, sailing, cooking and reading.

             Helen DeVos Children’s Hospital is a wonderful blend of community medicine and academia.  Our attendings are very committed to teaching and are open to changes that bring a better educational experience to the residents. Our program contains a wealth of opportunity for growth professionally that may not always be present in a larger program.  We go beyond the confines of our own program and have an active resident chapter of the Michigan American Academy of Pediatrics, allowing residents to become involved at a community and state level.

              We have a newly created leadership curriculum that emphasizes effective communication and time management skills, along with programs about teaching, feedback, giving presentations, and building curriculum vitae. For those residents interested in private practice, community pediatricians will present various facets of owning your own practice.  There is also a new intern lecture series which is a combination of didactic and a hands-on curriculum.  The purpose of this series is to augment the Monday afternoon didactic lectures with case presentations and use of simulation technology.

              Resident input into our education and curriculum are highly valued.  Participation on committees that determine academic goals is highly recommended.  Currently we have a weekly 4-hour block of didactic lectures each Monday that is considered protected time such that residents are free from rotation obligations.  This includes a weekly board review and reading club that incorporates lecture topics.  Other educational initiatives include the weekly Pediatric Grand Rounds, weekly multidisciplinary case conference, and bi-monthly journal club.

              Scholarly activity has emerged as a residency requirement throughout many programs around the nation.  We help you develop and present a research project in a stepwise fashion throughout your residency.  GRMERC has its own research department that is full of resources to guide your project to completion.  Our residents have gone on to receive research grants and present at national and international conferences which have included the AAP national and state conference, the Pediatric Academic Society Meeting, and the Irish and American Paediatric Academic Society Meeting.  Many residents have published articles in top pediatric journals including Pediatrics in Review and Pediatrics.

              Outside of the hospital we strive to give back to our community through various advocacy projects.  There is a required advocacy month in which residents are assigned to a local school and teach students about topics such as healthy eating, dental care, substance abuse and other health issues.  This month also allows for visiting local outreach agencies and homes of chronically ill children.  We have an ongoing advocacy project entitled, “Bridging the Gap.”  This program provides health education to middle-school aged students and their families.  Topics have included oral health, asthma education, nutrition/obesity, and mental health.  Our newest program is our mentoring program with a local public high school where students are slated for a career in health sciences.  Residents and medical students will be paired up with 9th and 10th graders to provide exposure to the field of medicine and foster self-esteem among an at risk population.

              We hope that you will enjoy perusing the remainder of our website and will consider GRMERC/MSU as your residency home!  Grand Rapids is a great place for singles and families alike.  West Michigan is full of places for outdoor sports ranging from biking to skiing.  The lake is a short drive away for those avid fishermen and boaters.  For the cultural experience we have our own symphony, theater groups, and several museums.  Many top performers visit the area secondary to our state of the art Van Andel arena!  Last year we had The Rockettes, Kelly Clarkson, Carrie Underwood, and even American Idol Live.  We would love to answer any further questions, so feel free to contact us at Chelsea.Coston@spectrum-health.org or Beatrice.Zepeda@spectrum-health.org .

We look forward to meeting you soon!

Chelsea and Bea