Pediatric Rehabilitation Medicine Fellowship

The Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Medicine offers a two-year Pediatric Rehabilitation Medicine (PRM) Fellowship Program. This fellowship is accredited by the ACGME and after completion allows the graduate to sit for the American Board of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation (ABPM&R) Pediatric Rehabilitation Medicine subspecialty examination. This fellowship provides the trainee with a well-rounded clinical experience in both the inpatient and outpatient settings.

The goal of our ACGME-accredited program is to prepare the fellow for a career in academic pediatric rehabilitation medicine. We offer a comprehensive educational experience for fellows to fully develop their skills related to patient evaluation, management, data collection and interpretation in pediatric rehabilitation patients. We provide quality clinical training, as well as teaching and research opportunities with outstanding mentoring that will lead to development of the next generation of leaders in the field of PRM.

UTSW is a top-ranked, multifaceted academic institution nationally recognized for its excellence in educating physicians, biomedical scientists, and other health care professionals. Our fellows have the distinct advantage of learning from an elite group of leaders in their respective fields.

Children's Health℠ is one of the largest and most esteemed pediatric hospitals in the United States and is the only hospital in North Texas to be nationally ranked by US News & World Report.”

Program Director

Robert Rinaldi M.D., is division chief of pediatric rehabilitation medicine at Children's Health℠ and Program Director of the Pediatric Rehabilitation Medicine Fellowship program. After receiving his medical degree from the University of Oklahoma College of Medicine, Dr. Rinaldi completed a residency in general pediatrics at Children's Mercy Hospital in Kansas City, and a residency in physical medicine and rehabilitation at the University of Kansas School of Medicine. Dr. Rinaldi’s clinical interests include brachial plexus and peripheral nerve injury management, torticollis management, and rehabilitation in neuromuscular disorders. His research interests include rehabilitation management of brachial plexus injuries. Dr. Rinaldi has served on numerous national committees, including the Pediatric Subcommittee of the American Board of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, and the Board of Governors for the American Academy of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation. Before moving to Dallas, Dr. Rinaldi practiced at Children’s Mercy Hospital in Kansas City for 18 years, where he was named a Kansas City Super Doc from 2009-2015. He has also been honored as one of the Best Doctors in America every year since 2009.

Associate Program Director

Kelli Chaviano, D.O., is originally from Tallahassee, FL and attended college at Florida State University. She completed medical school at Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine (Georgia Campus) and her PM&R residency training at Michigan State University. She attended UT Southwestern for her pediatric rehabilitation medicine fellowship and remained on staff as an assistant professor as well as associate program director for pediatric rehabilitation medicine fellowship. Her passion is pediatric cancer rehabilitation, and she created the Integrative Cancer Rehabilitation (I CAN) Program to emphasize rehabilitation across their continuum of care. She also enjoys medical education and teaches introduction to disability for medical students at UTSW. She also started the division's first osteopathic manipulative medicine clinic. Locally, she is a RISE team volunteer to address debriefing for clinicians and staff at Children's Health. She is on the Education Committee for American Academy of Cerebral Palsy and Developmental Medicine as well as the Cancer Rehabilitation Education Sub-Committee for American Academy of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation. For fun, she enjoys video games, board games, yoga, meditation, and hiking.

A female physical therapist assists a woman on a low balance beam

Clinical Experience/Exposure

The Pediatric Rehabilitation Medicine (PRM) fellowship offers a wide variety of clinical experiences in the inpatient and outpatient settings. Clinical experiences for fellows include the following:

Outpatient	Inpatient	Procedure Clinics
Back Pain Clinic Brain Injury Clinic Brachial Plexus Injury Clinic Concussion Clinic Demyelinating Disorders Clinic General Rehabilitation Clinic Limb Deficiency Clinic Neuromuscular Disorders Clinic Osteopathic Manipulative Medicine Clinic Pain Management Clinic Pediatric Cancer Clinic Pediatric Adaptive Sports/Sports Medicine Peripheral Nerve Injury Clinic Rheumatology Clinic Seating and Mobility Clinic Sialorrhea Clinic Movement Disorders Clinic Spina Bifida Clinic Torticollis Clinic Vent Clinic	Feeding Program Ventilator-Dependent Rehabilitation Inpatient Acute Rehabilitation Inpatient Cancer Rehabilitation Cognitive Day Neuro Rehabilitation Program CIMT	Botulinum toxin Intrathecal Baclofen Pump Phenol injection

Two women wear masks while they sit on playground equipment

Didactic Curriculum

Our PRM fellowship curriculum is designed to create a solid foundation for pediatric physiatrist clinical learning and knowledge.

Our fellows attend and participate in the following didactic opportunities:

PRM Fellow Core lectures
PM&R Department Grand Rounds
CHST Grand rounds
PM&R Education Conferences
Multidisciplinary Pediatric Conferences
Pediatric Fellowship Common Curriculum
- Resilience / Wellness
- Research methods
- Mentorship
- Administration

Research

PRM Fellows are provided 4 research months over a 2-year curriculum. Fellows are given this opportunity to establish their research interests and have protected time for research throughout the fellowship. Fellows have the opportunity to develop relationships with researchers from within the division and department.

Teaching Faculty

Rajashree Srinivasan, M.D. - Associate Professor
Bob Rinaldi, M.D. - Associate Professor
Clarice Sinn, D.O. - Assistant Professor
Stephanie Tow, M.D. - Assistant Professor
Jeff Waugh, M.D. - Assistant Professor
Kelli Chaviano, D.O. - Assistant Professor
Laura Ridnour, MPAS-PA-C - Physician Assistant

Mentorship

Faculty from UT Southwestern Medical Center Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation and Children’s Medical Center provide mentorship. You are assigned a dedicated faculty adviser who can provide comprehensive educational advice and personal support. You meet with your adviser periodically throughout the program to review your progress and career goals, and ensure that your educational needs are being met.

Two women wear masks and sit on a bench in front of an iron fence

Kathleen R. Bell, M.D.
Professor/Chair
Kimberly Clark Distinguished Chair in Mobility Research
Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation
President, AAPMR

Bob Rinaldi, M.D. - Professor
Chief, Division of Pediatric Rehabilitation Medicine
Member: Pediatric Subcommittee, ABPMR
Member: Board of Governors, AAPMR

Jeff Waugh, M.D.
Assistant Professor, Department of Pediatrics
Member: International Child Neurology Association, American Neuropsychiatric Association, Movement Disorders Society, American Academy of Neurology

Rajashree Srinivasan, M.D.
Associate Professor

A women kneels to adjust a man's knee brace

Clinical Rotation Sites

Fellows train in a variety of settings.

Benefits

Benefit Programs include medical, dental, vision, supplemental life, AD&D insurance, long-term care insurance, flexible spending accounts and retirement. Details will be provided during the interview process.

An educational stipend is available for the fellow to use for approved conferences, travel, courses, books, or board exam reimbursement.

How to Apply

The Pediatric Rehabilitation fellowship at UT Southwestern Medical Center participates in the NRMP Fellowship Match. Learn more about the application process.