Educating the next generation of pediatricians in urban health care: the Anne E. Dyson Community Pediatrics Training Initiative.

To improve the health of children who are exposed to urban health risks, there has been a national recognition of the need for better models of training pediatricians. In 2000, in response to this need, the Dyson Foundation launched a new residents-training model that focuses on community health and advocacy, The Anne E. Dyson Community Pediatrics Training Initiative (the Initiative). The Initiative is made up of 12 programs at ten sites, which are working in their communities to improve the health of the children. At its core are five objectives: to equip residents with tools and knowledge to provide community-based health care, to make use of community resources so that residents learn to practice as medical home providers, to engage residents in the communities in which they work, to develop meaningful partnerships between departments of pediatrics and their communities, and to enhance pediatrics training through interdisciplinary collaborations among schools and departments. Curricular approaches at the participating sites differ slightly, but all have explicitly incorporated teaching community pediatrics into their standard rotations and continuity clinics. The authors showcase the programs of the Initiative and explore how the programs have sought buy-in from their parent institutions, faculty, residents, and communities.