Nemours Children’s Hospital held a special ceremony to officially welcome the second group of recruited physicians in training for its three-year residency program. At a special ceremony June 15 that honored social distancing practices, long white coats were given to each member of the class of 12, recruited by Nemours from around the country.

“This class has a strong dedication to serving their communities and underserved populations to eradicate long-seen healthcare disparities. Many of them have been teachers, tutors, and educators,” said Dr. Amber Hoffman, program director. “Additionally, they have demonstrated a thirst for accelerating knowledge for pediatric research.”

These physician interns represent the diverse population that Nemours serves, said Dr. Heather Fagan, interim chief of pediatrics and an award-winning medical educator who developed the graduate medical education infrastructure at Nemours Children's Hospital.

Under her leadership, the hospital was awarded institutional accreditation from the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) in 2016, and has been granted continued accreditation.

“Welcoming our second class of residents allows us to ensure that Nemours Children’s Hospital is contributing to the long-term goals of serving the children of central Florida,” said Dr. Fagan. “In order to have a pediatric academic medical center we need to have excellence in clinical care, groundbreaking research that is ongoing, and a strong medical education program to train the future generation of physicians.”