New 15-Month Pathway Offers Flexibility for Pediatric Radiology Training and Certification
By Stephen F. Simoneaux, MD, ABR Governor, and Brent Wagner, MD, MBA, ABR Executive Director
2025;18(2):4
Based on input and support from the Society for Pediatric Radiology (SPR) , the ABR has created a pathway that allows diagnostic radiology (DR) residents to be eligible for subspecialty certification in pediatric radiology.
The goal was to offer a flexible alternative to the existing options of the traditional fellowship and clinical practice pathways, with the expectation that trainees might elect to concentrate a portion of their DR residency on imaging of children and young adults. Under the 15-month pathway, residents would, with the approval of their DR program director and institution, apply to the ABR at least six months before residency graduation with an individualized program plan for rotations that satisfy the requirements outlined on the ABR website, including 12 core pediatric rotations and up to three electives (“pediatric radiology-related rotations”).
Among other requirements, the training during the residency must:
- Meet ACGME program requirements for clinical experiences in pediatric radiology across modalities including radiography, fluoroscopy, ultrasound, CT, MRI, nuclear medicine and molecular imaging (NMMI), as well as interventional procedures.
- Include experience across pediatric subspecialty areas including pediatric neuroradiology, pediatric body imaging, fetal imaging, pediatric cardiovascular imaging, pediatric musculoskeletal imaging, and pediatric NMMI.
- Include experience representing age-related (fetal/neonate/infant/child/adolescent) normal anatomy, growth and development, and the spectrum of disorders.
- Be overseen by a preceptor who is an ABR pediatric subspecialty certified radiologist at the time of application and throughout the duration of the pathway. If a training program loses its pediatric subspecialty certified radiologists, the program cannot continue.
Residents who successfully complete the program during residency could then elect to pursue a fellowship in another subspecialty (e.g., neuroradiology, abdominal imaging, etc.). Alternatively, they could build on their experience via a traditional pediatric radiology fellowship after residency, but that additional training would not be required to establish eligibility for the subspecialty exam.
