Subspecialty training in pediatric musculoskeletal imaging: an innovative approach to outreach, collaboration, and faculty development

Improved availability of new medical imaging technologies, access to advanced imaging, and increased reliance on noninvasive diagnostic imaging worldwide are driving the growing clinical need for pediatric radiology subspecialized training, including dedicated pediatric musculoskeletal (MSK) imaging. However, dedicated pediatric MSK radiology programs are uncommon, and these pediatric specialists usually undergo a combination of self-directed and on-the-job training and general/adult MSK training during residency and/or fellowship. The scarcity of specialized programs limits radiologists’ opportunities to develop advanced expertise and further generates shortages of dedicated staff, which may negatively impact the quality of care available to children with MSK conditions outside of large tertiary hospitals in high-resource settings. To address the gap in dedicated pediatric MSK radiology training beyond the USA borders and recognizing the growing interest in this specialty, we created a “Hybrid Pediatric MSK Imaging Fellowship” as an outreach and collaboration effort of the World Federation of Pediatric Imaging (WFPI) [1]. The program was specifically tailored for pediatric radiologists working in low- and middle-income countries with special interest in and clinical responsibilities related to pediatric MSK. …