Pediatric Residency

We welcome your interest in the pediatric residency training program at MaineHealth Barbara Bush Children's Hospital. As the only tertiary care facility for children in Maine, our residency program offers comprehensive training designed to provide an excellent foundation in general pediatrics. We are enthusiastic about preparing our graduates to practice general pediatrics or to enter the fellowship of their choice. Our patient population includes children throughout the state of Maine and parts of New Hampshire from diverse ethnic groups and multiple socioeconomic backgrounds.

We strongly believe in preventive care and the importance of child advocacy. Our faculty has a strong commitment to excellence in patient care and teaching. Residents in our program receive outstanding education in primary care and both inpatient and outpatient training balanced with critical care and sub-specialty experiences. Whether it is in our hospital or ambulatory units, our simulation center, or in one of our community or rural affiliated practices, you will experience pediatrics side by side with our attending faculty, and have ample opportunity to take ownership of the healthcare of your patients. In addition, the X +Y scheduling system fosters the ability to be wholly present whether on an inpatient or ambulatory experience.

Extensive contact with faculty is the norm here as we do not have fellows in our program. This gives our residents autonomy and the opportunity for direct teaching and focused mentorship from our faculty. Take some time to explore the curriculum section of our website which describes the variety of opportunities available for rotations. Note that a significant portion of your training is designed to allow you to develop unique rotation experiences that best meet your future needs. Explore the many unique rotation offerings that have been developed over the years by past residents and faculty including our ACQUIRE rotation designed to introduce concepts of research, QI and advocacy and chronic care management, designed to provide a deeper dive into children with special health care needs.

Resident and medical student education is also a priority. We are the primary teaching site for our third year medical students from the Maine Track of the Tufts University School of Medicine, third year students from Tufts not in the Maine Track program, as well as students from the University of New England College of Osteopathic Medicine. We host students from institutions throughout the country join us for fourth year acting internship and elective experiences.

Finally, we live in a wonderfully diverse community, both socio-economically and culturally. We care for patients who’ve relocated to Maine from all over the world and pride ourselves on providing equitable care to all Mainers, as we welcome them into our medical homes. We are committed to supporting a safe and inclusive culture, aligned with MaineHealth diversity, equity and inclusion policies where each person has recognized value, and foster a collaborative, respectful and equitable environment where our learners, faculty and teams can thrive in an ever-changing global community. We are committed to diversifying our workforce to match the patients we care for every day. Learn more about D/E/I within our Pediatric program.

Please explore the rest of our residency website, and check-out the MHMMC Pediatric Residency Instagram. Or, learn more about MHMMC in general and all available residency programs.

We look forward to introducing you to our faculty and residents and to sharing our dedication to the welfare of children and to the education of pediatricians in training!

Laura Schroeder, MD (she/her)

Director, Pediatric Residency Program
Attending Physician, Pediatric Critical Care Medicine
Assistant Professor of Pediatrics, Tufts University School of Medicine

Pam Dietz, MD (she/her)

Associate Program Director, Ambulatory Clinics and Resident Wellness, Pediatric Residency Program
Assistant Clinical Professor, Tufts University School of Medicine

Amy Buczkowski, MD (she/her)

Associate Program Director - Scholarly Activity, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, Advocacy, Pediatric Residency Program
Attending Physician, Pediatric Hospital Medicine
Assistant Clinical Professor, Tufts University School of Medicine

Thank you for your interest in the MHMMC Pediatric Residency program! The MaineHealth Barbara Bush Children’s Hospital has been a fantastic place to train over the past three years, and I am thrilled to join the leadership team as Pediatric Chief Resident this year.

If you are looking for a supportive residency program that will challenge and inspire you, and prepare you for your next chapter, trust me when I say that you will find it here!

As the sole tertiary care hospital for children in Maine, our residents are at the forefront of pediatric medicine, caring for some of the most critically ill and medically complex children in the region. As senior residents, you will hold the "admitting pager," serving as the primary point of contact for pediatric consultations across the state. Whether you are providing guidance to fellow doctors, coordinating patient transfers, or participating in ambulance transports alongside a multidisciplinary team, you will gain invaluable hands-on experience and clinical reasoning skills that will serve you well in your future career. 

You will also have the opportunity to immerse yourself in diverse ambulatory settings, from community practices in greater Portland to rural sites throughout Maine. Here, you will witness firsthand the vital role of primary care pediatricians in their communities, schools, and hospitals, gaining a deep understanding of the healthcare landscape in our state.

At MHMMC, you are more than just a resident – you are a trusted primary care physician for your own panel of pediatric patients. Whether you are caring for newborns in the nursery or providing ongoing support to families from diverse backgrounds in our resident clinic, you will learn to deliver culturally competent care that addresses not only medical needs but also social determinants of health and resiliency-building.

Our culture is one of collaboration and respect, creating a supportive learning environment from the wards to the classroom. From day one, you'll be treated as an integral part of the healthcare team, with faculty who value your autonomy. You will readily find guidance and mentorship among our general pediatric and subspecialty faculty who are genuinely invested in your education and well-being.

Beyond the hospital walls, our residents are actively involved in the community, and advocating for children's rights at the state capitol. We also enjoy taking advantage of all that Maine has to offer – from learning to surf along the breathtaking Maine coastline, to sharing a meal and laughs at our annual lobster bake. But perhaps the most special aspect of our program is the sense of camaraderie and friendship that quickly develops among residents, who become not just colleagues but family.

It is truly a privilege to serve as the pediatric chief resident this year. Thank you for taking the time to learn about our program, and please do not hesitate to contact me with any questions. Wishing you the best of luck - I hope to get to know you as you embark on the application process!

Julia Oppenheimer, MD (She/Her)

Pediatric Chief Resident 2024-2025

An urgency to address DEI within academic medicine has accelerated over the last several years, as repeated events of racism, sexism, bigotry, ableism and other forms of discrimination both within health care systems and within society as a whole have gained national attention.

DEI Mission Statement

As a pediatric department, we aim to promote diversity, equity, inclusion, and social justice by identifying and addressing factors or systems in place within and outside of our health care system that create and/or perpetuate health and workplace inequities. These efforts are meant to foster a diverse and inclusive workforce that feels a sense of value, safety, and belonging within the department and to improve the health and well-being of our patients.

MHMMC Pediatric DEI Committee

The Pediatric DEI Committee at MaineHealth Barbara Bush Children’s Hospital is a group of pediatric residents and faculty that works to create a more diverse and inclusive environment within our pediatric residency program, pediatrics department, and associated clinical venues with the goals of fostering improved relationships between health care professionals and with patients and families and ensuring safe and accommodating work and patient care environments.

This group appreciates that the children we serve are increasingly diverse with differences that may include race, ethnicity, preferred language, religion, disability and special health care needs, socioeconomic status, sexual orientation, gender identity and other identifiers. Celebrating the diversity of children and families and promoting nurturing, inclusive environments means actively opposing intolerance, bigotry, bias and discrimination. We are committed to using policy, advocacy and education to encourage inclusivity and cultural humility for all.

We are committed to recruiting, supporting and promoting talented, diverse individuals as residents, faculty and staff. We aim to foster a work environment that embraces interprofessional collaboration, promotes inclusiveness and treats all with dignity and respect.

Our objective is to cultivate a pediatric department that reflects the patients we care for, understands the ways in which systemic inequalities impact our patients and their families, and commits to working towards equity and justice for both its work force and patients through mentorship, community engagement, recruitment and education.

For any questions about DEI initiatives within the MHMMC Pediatrics Department, please contact the Chair of the Pediatric DEI Committee, Amy Buczkowski MD, at amy.buczkowski@mainehealth.org.

DEI Initiatives of the MHMMC Pediatrics Department

Previous DEI initiatives within the Pediatrics Department include:

• Development of an interdisciplinary Health Equity curriculum of case-based discussions to encourage learning about the impact of structural racism, inequities within our healthcare system, and how implicit bias affects patient care.
• The pediatric hospital medicine group partnered with MaineHealth Specialty Care Portland for a quality improvement initiative to improve the care of LGBTQ+ patients and families by increasing provider education about care of LGBTQ+ patients.
• Pediatric faculty and residents often participate in local activism events, including a Black Lives Matter demonstration at MHMMC and Pride events.

Other DEI Initiatives Within Our Institution

DEI initiatives are being championed at many levels within MaineHealth, including the appointment of a MaineHealth Vice President of DEI in February 2021 and development of DEI committees within Graduate Medical Education, the MaineHealth Institute for Teaching Excellence (a faculty development program) and Academic Affairs. Through these efforts, we have accomplished the following at our institution:

• Development of a 3-year MaineHealth DEI strategic plan.
• Development of a virtual curriculum available to medical staff on Health Disparities, Social Justice & Cultural Humility,
• Development of a strategic plan to recruit a more diverse and inclusive workforce within graduate medical education.
• Faculty also have access to additional webinars and resources to learn about DEI topics, such as anti-oppression approaches in medical education, racial health inequities, and micro-aggressions through our affiliation with Tufts University School of Medicine.

 

Diversity in Our Local Community

We also recognize the importance of celebrating and supporting the diversity of our local community and the surrounding areas. We serve an international population in the hospital and in our clinics. Per the United States Census Bureau, in 2019, 11% of Portland residents (and 4% of Maine's overall population) were born outside the United States, arriving from all regions of the world. Students of Portland Public Schools alone speak 65 different languages at home. We also serve patients from a variety of urban, suburban, and rural areas, as the MaineHealth Barbara Bush Children's Hospital in Portland provides definitive pediatric care for children in greater Maine and areas of New Hampshire.

Immigrant Health

• MHMMC is a federally-designated health center for new immigrant arrivals to Portland and to the United States.
• MaineHealth works closely with Catholic Charities, the federally-designated organization in Portland dedicated to resettling refugees, to provide medical care for new refugees to the area. We also serve immigrants looking to seek asylum, those approved for asylum, and those seeking green cards or other forms of residency in the US, regardless of immigration status.
• The Greater Portland Welcome Immigrant Group, Maine Access Immigrant Network, Portland Public Library, and many other organizations in Portland offer opportunities, resources, and other assistance for new arrivals in the city, as well as ways for volunteers to get involved.

LGBTQ+ Health

• There is an inclusive and supportive LGBTQ+ community at MHMMC and in the greater Portland area.
• Organizations such as Equality Maine and Maine Transgender Network support and promote the causes of the LQBTQ+ community throughout the state.
• Our Electronic Medical Record now includes a "Preferred Pronouns" heading next to each patient's name and date of birth.

Pediatric Resident Experience

• Within the patient population of our pediatric resident continuity clinic, 59% of patients speak a primary language other than English.
• Pediatric residents complete a rural primary care rotation to experience practicing medicine in remote communities and, while on the inpatient pediatric Unit, frequently field calls for advice from providers practicing hours from definitive pediatric care.
• Pediatric residents interact with many different communities during their adolescent rotation, including:
  • MaineHealth Specialty Care Portland
  • Long Creek Youth Development Center
  • Preble Street Teen Shelter