UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital Oakland

The UCSF Benioff Children's Hospital Oakland 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: Our program is known for fostering a collaborative and supportive learning environment. Almost all rotations are at BCH Oakland which allows for faculty and residents to know each other well and supports a strong sense of community and belonging for all trainees, 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 learn to provide evidence-based bare while recognizing barriers to health access. From the start of residency, they are trained in skills of cultural humility and patient-centered advocacy, partnering with families and communities to support equity and inclusion in healthcare delivery.
Collaboration: The program is committed to preparing residents to care for a broad and varied patient population with a focus on effective communication and inclusive, community-based engagement. Residents have the opportunity to work closely with the community to provide trauma-informed care and collaborate with a multidisciplinary team to deliver comprehensive, patient-centered healthcare.The program values the perspectives and experiences each resident brings, recognizing how this strengthens clinical training and patient care.

Career Preparation: Graduates are well-prepared for varied 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 faculty and alumni to mentor and facilitate professional growth.
Collaborative Opportunities: Our program excels in fostering strengths in interdisciplinary and inter-professional teamwork, emphasizing collaborative approaches across diverse healthcare disciplines. BCH Oakland serves as a pivotal pediatric training ground for many learners, hosting over 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 respect and support.
Training residents to become compassionate and effective patient care providers for children and families while building skills in patient advocacy and partnerships to improve access to care.
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 support the health of children and families across different healthcare systems.
Preparing residents to navigate healthcare systems and optimize care for medically and economically disadvantaged populations.
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 Oakland Pediatric Residency Program remains at the forefront of advancing pediatric medicine, equipping future leaders to address the evolving healthcare needs of our communities.