Pediatric Residency Program

The Leadership, Engagement, Advocacy, and Diversity in Education and Residency (LEADER) Program - won the Academic Pediatric Association (APA) Teaching Program Award in 2023. Learn more about our recognition HERE.

LEADER is a resident-run, faculty supported program. At CHAM, we are dedicated to fostering a genuine spirit of diversity, equity, inclusion, and advocacy for both our patients and colleagues. LEADER comprises four subcommittees: Recruitment, Community Engagement, Education, and Mentorship/Retention. Each subcommittee has a distinct focus, yet collaborates harmoniously towards the ultimate goal of becoming a national model for fostering academic excellence and cultural humility, while cultivating a pediatric workforce that truly reflects the diverse population we have the privilege to serve.

With this in mind, the goals of the LEADER at CHAM are to:

1. Attract and maintain widespread and uncompromised diversity of gender, age, origin, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, socioeconomic status, religion, beliefs, appearance, abilities and contributions among our physicians
2. Provide resources to educate pediatric residents about diversity and inclusion
3. Support the personal and professional development of our pediatric trainees
4. Foster a welcoming, nurturing and inclusive environment for all

Upcoming LEADER Events:

• • Virtual Open House – August 22, 2024, at 8PM EST
  • Registration Link
  • Question Submission Form
  • Zoom Meeting Link

LEADER Education

• • Faculty Chair: Dr. Rachel Berman
  • Resident Co-Chairs: Dr. Eric Oh & Dr. Adithya Sivakumar
  • Pediatric Advocacy, Race, and Diversity Education (PARADE) Curriculum: 
  • Lecture series on topics including implicit bias, microaggressions, violence, immigration, education, housing insecurity, and food insecurity.
  • Culturally Humble Curriculum (CHC): 
  • Facilitating panels & offering workshops on how to connect with and offer culturally appropriate care to minority and/or marginalized populations we serve in the Bronx. Examples of recent curriculum include: the trans & non-binary community; technology-dependent & complex care community; and families with limited language proficiency.

LEADER Community Engagement

• • Faculty Chair: Dr. Hemen Muleta
  • Resident Chair: Dr. EB Messineo
  • LEADER Welcome Event & Hispanic Heritage month Celebration
    • This event typically occurs in mid-September and serves as an official welcome to all new members of LEADER and the CHAM community as a whole. It serves as an opportunity to connect with the organization through food, music and dancing.
  • LEADER in Medicine Series
  • This series occurs during Hispanic Heritage month, Native American Heritage month, Black History month, Women’s History month and PRIDE month. During these months, a key contribution to medicine from these highlighted communities is featured in the CHAM Weekly Chronicles announcement.
  • Martin Luther King Jr. Day of Service: 
  • The Community Engagement committee coordinates among the CHAM community to secure volunteers to participate in this Bronx community service event as a group.

LEADER Mentorship/Retention

• • Faculty Chair: Dr. Sylvia Lim
  • Resident Co-Chairs: Dr. Ako Adams Ako & Dr. Collen Beckford
  • RISE (Resources to Illuminate, Support, and Elevate) Discussions
    • These small group discussions are intended to provide a space where residents, fellows, and faculty who identify as URiM can share their experiences and be a source of support for each other. Topics that are freely explored in these sessions include: microaggressions, burnout, imposter syndrome.
  • Speed Mentoring
    • These events connect residents to various faculty members at CHAM and allows for an exchange of questions regarding professional and personal goals. These brief conversations serve as an invaluable opportunity to meet faculty and foster a mentor/mentee relationship which are vital to career advancement.

LEADER Recruitment

• • Faculty Chairs: Dr. Arushi Dhar & Dr. Neal Hoffman
  • Resident Co-Chairs: Dr. Kaylre Greaves & Dr. Jash Patel
  • Mission: Our subcommittee focuses on external recruitment of students who identify as underrepresented in medicine (URiM) with the hopes of partnering with local Einstein chapters of SNMA and LMSA to increase visibility of URiM students on a local and regional scale.
  • Recruitment Events
  • Intro to LEADER Virtual Open House
  • Other Events:
  • Meet and Greet Ice Cream Social

LEADER Program Leadership

Karen Acquah

PGY-3 Resident Co-Chair, LEADER

Camilo Pardo

PGY-3 Resident Co-Chair, LEADER

Brenda I. Anosike, MD, MPH

Director, Pediatric Residency Program
Faculty Co-Chair, LEADER

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Ivy Tam, MD, FAAP

Faculty Co-Chair, LEADER

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Why LEADER?

Testimonials from current and past residents and faculty

“As a medical trainee and as a person with chronic pain, I spend a lot of time thinking about disability in my personal and professional lives. Medicine has often failed people with disabilities, and I believe that diversifying our workforce is a critical step in achieving health equity for this community. I hope to continue mentoring and supporting fellow learners with disabilities as we navigate our careers in medicine.” –Kathryn Coté, PGY2

“I believe it's incredibly important to have diversity in medicine for residents and patient care because it allows an opportunity for people to learn about different approaches to medicine. This makes medicine better because medical care and quality of life improves exponentially.” -Niharika Vedherey, PGY2

“Health inequities are ever present and visible in the Bronx, especially within the halls of Montefiore. These inequities disproportionately affect disadvantaged communities of color. To effectively combat this, it is necessary to recruit a diverse workforce that can work with these populations through multiple perspectives and cultural viewpoints.”- Adithya Sivakumar, PGY-2

“I was drawn to LEADER because it emphasizes the tenet of social justice that lies at the core of any primary care subspecialty. We truly cannot provide comprehensive care to our patients without addressing the social and structural barriers that many of our patients face when it comes to healthcare. I am so glad that we have a program in place here that not only allows us to recognize these barriers, but also have discussions to actively break them down.” –Jash Patel, PGY-2

“I participate in the LEADER initiative because as an openly gay person, I know how important it is to have a safe training environment in which one is not afraid to be yourself.” – Neal Hoffman, MD, Associate Professor of Pediatrics, Division of Adolescent Medicine

“LEADER encompasses ideals and values that are important to me. Being a part of this group with so many other individuals who aim to promote education and diversity in many different aspects only helps to make us better healthcare providers.” - Shenel Heisler, Chief Resident, 2022-23

“LEADER was a wonderful way for Pediatrics to more fully embody our long-standing values of commitment to social justice, to embrace & honor diversity among both families and health professionals & to prepare trainees to effectively serve all who present for their care.” - Deborah Campbell, MD, Professor of Pediatrics, Chief, Division of Neonatology, Founding member of LEADER

LEADER has a monthly meeting on every 2nd Tuesday at 7pm. Everyone at CHAM is welcome to join.

Contact Information

Please email montepedleader@gmail.com if you have any questions about the LEADER Committee and its initiatives.