Research & Advocacy
Faculty, fellows, and residents conduct research in many areas of clinical and basic sciences. Grants from the National Institutes of Health, Centers for Disease Control, March of Dimes, Primary Children’s Medical Center Foundation, and others support these activities. The flexible continuity clinic schedule enables residents to participate in research during their second and third years of training. Each year several residents participate in research studies that lead to publications in peer reviewed journals and presentations at regional and national meetings, such as the Western Society for Pediatric Research and Pediatric Academic Societies. The department supports travel when residents present at scientific meetings.Residents can participate in a variety of advocacy activites. A monthly advocacy seminar series enables pediatric residents to interact with faculty, community pediatricians, and local advocacy programs, such as Voices for Utah Children (www.utahchildren.net). Topics of the seminar series range from legislative advocacy to learning how to advocate for individual patients. Pediatric residents may pursue an elective in advocacy or choose a longitudinal advocacy experience, using their second half day of continuity clinic to complete a mentored advocacy project. During Utah’s legislative session, residents may accompany attending and community pediatricians while they advocate for children’s issues on Utah's Capitol Hill.
Residents successfully compete for American Academy of Pediatrics Community Access to Child Health (CATCH) (www.aap.org/catch) planning grants that have supported advocacy projects in the Salt Lake Valley. In 2005 South Main Clinic, a major site for resident continuity clinics, received the Academic Pediatric Association Health Care Delivery Award.
