Maria Ramundo, MD
Akron Children’s pediatric residency program is celebrating 75 years of residency education accreditation.
“One of the strengths of our program is that we match residents with the same community-based, ambulatory pediatrician for three years, pairing them with a preceptor close to where they live,” said Maria Ramundo, MD, a graduate of the program who has served as its director since 2009.
Residents and their continuity clinic preceptors work together weekly, developing close relationships that enhance the residency experience, as they learn ambulatory pediatrics. Residents also work in multidisciplinary, hospital-based teams on quality improvement projects throughout their residency.
Another strength of our program is the community medicine rotation that introduces interns to resources for children and families, while helping them understand how social determinants of health affect the healthy growth and development of children. These experiences include participation in the LEAD Clinic for children at risk for lead exposure, the CARE Center for children suspected of being abused and a rural clinic devoted to treating the Amish. Interns also visit a migrant clinic and institutions that help refugees relocate to our community.
As our residency program has grown, we currently offer training to 24 Akron Children’s residents each year, along with residents from 29 other institutions.
“It is notable that since 2018, we’ve had a first-time pass rate on the board exam that exceeds the national average,” said John Pope, MD, director of medical education. “For 2020 and 2021, our first-time pass rate was 100%.”
