Shaping the future of child health: Dr. Elham Beshir and SickKids Paediatric Medicine Fellowship

For Dr. Elham Beshir, SickKids’ Paediatric Medicine Fellowship isn’t just training — it’s a launchpad for clinical excellence, academic leadership and meaningful impact in the future of child health.

With her sights set on becoming a paediatric hospitalist, she applied for the 2026–2027 fellowship and is now one of six fellows building their skills, confidence and scholarly voice at the world’s best children’s hospital.

Since 1992, the Paediatric Medicine Fellowship has been supporting academic paediatricians like Elham. The program offers a blend of clinical service, teaching experience and a dedicated scholarship component enabling protected time to pursue and produce scholarly work in one of three areas: research, education, or quality improvement. Elham chose education, specifically educational research exploring the integration of AI in medical education.

“To be offered protected time for research, clinical service and teaching at the same time is one of the perks of the program,” Elham says.

For a couple weeks at a time, she’s on clinical service on SickKids’ paediatric units reviewing charts, collaborating with interdisciplinary teams and providing care to patients.

Then, she shifts into her scholarship block, where she can be found behind her computer — at the office or her favourite café — diving into her research.

Throughout the program, she has the opportunity to teach both medical students and residents and benefits from ongoing mentorship under experienced SickKids paediatricians. There's also built‑in flexibility for fellows to take on other educational pursuits, so Elham is also completing her Master’s of Education at the Ontario Institute for Studies in Education (OISE).

Happy Resident/Fellowship Appreciation Week to Elham and colleagues!

A fellowship built for future leaders

Elham’s story is just one example of how the SickKids Paediatric Medicine Fellowship supports learners. The program is intentionally designed to help fellows pursue academic excellence while honing their inpatient care skills. Each year, fellows enter a dynamic environment enriched by:

• Customized curricula and focused teaching
• Dedicated faculty supervisors and structured mentorship committees
• Access to world‑class clinical and research expertise through the University of Toronto
• A collaborative learning culture shaped by leaders in paediatric care

This structure allows fellows to explore multiple academic pathways — from research to education to leadership and quality improvement—while ensuring they receive clinical exposure at the world’s top paediatric hospital. The result is a learning experience that fosters both broad perspective and specialized skill development.

Learn more about education and training in paediatric medicine at SickKids.

Learn more about Paediatric Medicine at SickKids.