Dolly Children’s Pediatric Residency Program Approved For 2027

Dolly Parton Children’s Hospital and the University of Tennessee Health Science Center College of Medicine - Knoxville (UTHSC COM-Knoxville) are delighted to have received approval from the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) to launch a pediatric residency program beginning July 2027.

"This program will allow us to support the growing need of future pediatricians and pediatric specialists in our region," said Dr. Suzanne Rybczynski, Chief Medical Officer at Dolly Parton Children's Hospital and Chair of the Department of Pediatrics at UTHSC College of Medicine - Knoxville. "We look forward to investing in the next generation to help transform pediatric healthcare education for decades to come."

This is the first pediatric graduate medical education (GME) program between the two organizations and re-establishes formal pediatric training in the greater Knoxville region for the first time in nearly 25 years. The new pediatric residency program will be a rigorous 36-month training program for physicians seeking to become licensed and board-certified pediatricians. Once established, this pediatric residency program is expected to grow to 24 total residents annually.

“This is an incredibly exciting partnership for the College of Medicine Knoxville’s Graduate School of Medicine. It provides an opportunity to train and develop new generations of pediatricians, many of whom will remain in East Tennessee to serve our pediatric patients and their families in our community,” said Dr. Jonathan S. Wall, Interim Dean of the UTHSC COM-Knoxville.