UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital Oakland

The UCSF Benioff Children's Hospital Pediatric Residency Program is one of the leading pediatric training programs in the United States. Since the program's inception in 1926, there have been well over 1,500 graduates, many of whom are recognized as leaders in their field.

Program Highlights:

Resident Community: The program includes 86 residents and 4 chief residents and is known for fostering a collaborative and supportive learning environment. Almost all rotations are at BCH Oakland which allows for faculty and residents across all areas to know each other well and promotes a sense of belonging with plentiful opportunities for mentorship and graduated autonomy.
Expertise in Pediatrics and Education: Our program provides a rich learning environment led by faculty and staff members who are dedicated to education. More than 160 hospital-based pediatric specialists and a team of over 300 pediatricians provide comprehensive care and mentorship.
Health Equity and Cultural Humility: Our residents not only learn how to think about health equity, structural drivers of health, and evidence-based care, but are given many opportunities to build their skills in addressing these topics with cultural humility in a clinical setting. Developing the skills to do this important work begins as early as Intern Orientation. In an anti-racist framework, trainees are provided with the skills to advocate and partner with patients, families and communities, and promote social justice in their daily work as pediatricians.
Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, Belonging, Justice, and Community Engagement: Serving a culturally diverse patient population, the program emphasizes cultural humility and addresses health equity and social justice issues. Our residents have the opportunity to work in partnership with our community to deliver trauma-informed care to a diverse patient population. Recruiting residents that are a reflection of the diverse community we serve is a top priority for our program. We hope to support an all-encompassing definition of diversity, with a particular focus on underrepresented groups (BIPOC, Immigrants< LGTBQ+, individuals with disabilities, and those with transformative lived experiences). Residents experience first-hand the benefit of working collaboratively with a multidisciplinary team to provide a holistic, strength-based approach to healthcare.
Career Preparation: Graduates are well-prepared for diverse career paths, with approximately 40-50% entering primary care, 30-40% pursuing pediatric subspecialties, and 20-30% choosing hospitalist medicine, public health, or international health. Our program has a robust network of dedicated alumni to mentor and facilitate professional growth.
Collaborative Opportunities: Our program excels in fostering strengths in interdisciplinary teamwork, emphasizing collaborative approaches across diverse healthcare disciplines. UCSF Benioff Children's Hospital Oakland serves as a pivotal pediatric training ground for many learners, hosting nearly 1,000 residents, students, fellows annually from nearby university and local training programs across a wide variety of clinical areas. BCH Oakland provides 4-week electives and longer rotations for over 140 medical students from accredited medical schools throughout the nation and serves as a core pediatric rotation site for UCSF School of Medicine.

Program Goals and Objectives:

Cultivating an inclusive environment of respect and support.
Training residents to become compassionate and effective patient care providers for children and families while recognizing their role as advocates to advance health equity.
Ensuring that residents build a solid foundation of medical knowledge and the ability to effectively apply knowledge of the biological, psychosocial, and epidemiological aspects of pediatric illness.
Promoting residents’ critical thinking abilities, including appraisal and assimilation of scientific literature, self-evaluation, and life-long learning.
Developing residents’ skills in cultural humility, communication with patients, their families, and other health care providers.
Imparting to residents the highest sense of professionalism, responsibility, and ethical principles.
Equipping and inspiring residents to be advocates for the health of children and families within our society.
Preparing residents to navigate diverse healthcare systems and optimize care in resource-limited environments.
Providing comprehensive training for careers in primary care, pediatric subspecialties, research, advocacy, public, or global health.

Through these initiatives and partnerships, the UCSF Benioff Children's Hospital Pediatric Residency Program remains at the forefront of advancing pediatric medicine, equipping future leaders to address the evolving healthcare needs of diverse communities