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Our fellows’ clinical training occurs at the University of New Mexico Children’s Hospital which opened in 2007 and provides the most advanced pediatric medical care available in New Mexico. The Pediatric Hospitalist Group staffs the General Pediatric Unit with 35 beds, Pediatric Subspecialty Unit with 20 beds, and Carrie Tingley Rehabilitation Unit with 16 beds. In addition, there is a 20-bed PICU and a 24-bed level IV NICU, and UNMH is the state’s only Level I Trauma Center for Pediatrics. We serve a diverse population in metropolitan and rural communities of New Mexico as well as neighboring states, and UNMH is a referral center for specialized pediatric care services, pediatric surgical services, medically complex care, and pediatric rehabilitation services.

The fellowship is a two-year training program with 2 fellows per year. On the inpatient hospital medicine service, the fellow leads a multidisciplinary team in the evaluation and management of acutely ill children and has ample opportunity for a varied and rich experience in pediatric diseases and subspecialty pediatric services. Additional clinical training occurs at Presbyterian Hospital, a community hospital in Albuquerque. Our program also offers a unique rotation staffed by Pediatric Hospital Medicine faculty that focuses on the delivery of inpatient and outpatient moderate sedation and PICC line placement for pediatric patients. Fellows rotate on the inpatient hospital medicine service at UNMH eight weeks per year, and as part of the core rotations complete a PICU, Newborn Nursery, community site and Sedations rotation.

Elective clinical time is available for other rotations based on the fellow’s individual learning goals. In total, 32 weeks of individualized learning curriculum is provided during fellowship. Some of the rotations available as part of the individualized curriculum include Hospice, Procedures, Newborn Deliveries, Rehabilitation, NICU, and Medical Informatics, among many other traditional electives in subspecialty pediatrics. Fellows also have the ability to complete a Master’s Program during the 2 year program if desired.

Fellows participate in numerous conferences and ancillary clinical experiences that provide them with a wide knowledge base in Pediatric Hospital Medicine. Fellows attend “Fellows Conference,” a noon conference for fellows in PEM, NICU, CART, and PHM with an emphasis on Research and QI topics which meets once per month. Quarterly journal clubs promote evidence-based practice and critical appraisal of the literature. Additionally, fellows attend monthly didactics with PHM faculty to discuss challenging cases, pathophysiology, and additional pertinent topics such as pediatric sedation, mentorship, professionalism, giving feedback, etc. Fellows can also attend Pediatric resident school for topics of interest and are expected to present a case during M&M conference once per year. Fellows also attend Pediatric Grand Rounds every Thursday. For those fellows interested in clinical educator development, we have an Achievement in Medical Education Program (AMEP) with a wide breath of workshops available. Fellows can complete the AMEP program and obtain a certificate of completion.

For more information, please visit the AMEP website by clicking here. 

Kelsey Soppet, DO and MA in Bioethics
Hometown: McLean, VA

Medical School: Kansas City University of Medicine and Biosciences 
Residency: University of New Mexico 
Fellowship: University of New Mexico 
Likes: In my free time I love spending time with my family exploring New Mexico. You can frequently find us at a park, Explora (the children's museum), or out on nature walks in the foothills or the Bosque. I also love to read, pickleball, diy home renovations, and hike! What I love about New Mexico: I love how culturally diverse and unique New Mexico is. It has a gorgeous and varied landscape with a rich history filled with passionate people. Our patients teach me so much about their culture and I'm constantly thankful for the experience. It is truly an enchanting place! What I love about UNM Fellowship: I love the attendings! It's a strongly collaborative group full of very bright and kind teachers. I feel challenged in a supportive way, and I love that they give me the autonomy to extend myself and learn in the ways that best suit me. 

Nayana A. Thomas, MD

PGY5 - PHM Fellow

Hi, I’m Nayana Thomas. I am originally from Houston, Texas.  I went to medical school in El Paso and then completed my pediatrics residency at UNM. I enjoyed my time here so much that I stayed on as a Pediatric Hospital Medicine Fellow. During fellowship, I’ve been working on a quality improvement project focused on improving adolescent nutrition screening. I’m also passionate about medical education and love finding creative and engaging ways to help residents and students learn. Outside of medicine, I love staying active with Pilates, traveling, and spending time with family and friends. I’m also a big fan of coffee shop hunts and weekend brunch. In my downtime, I enjoy Bollywood dancing and am always exploring new music—K-pop is a favorite. I also love learning languages and am currently polishing my Spanish and Korean. Looking ahead, I’m excited to continue building a career that blends hospital medicine, education, and quality improvement to improve care for children and the training of future pediatricians.

Alfonso Belmonte, MD, FAAP

Dr. Belmonte is the son of Mexican immigrants who instilled in him the values of community, work ethic and service. He completed his undergraduate degree and medical school at the University of New of Mexico (UNM) and his Pediatrics Residency and Chief Resident year at Phoenix Children's Hospital. He has been on faculty with the Department of Pediatrics in the Division of Pediatric Hospital Medicine since 2015. He is board certified in General Pediatrics and Pediatric Hospital medicine. He has focused his career at the intersection of education and equity. Dr. Belmonte has completed professional development in education through programs like the American Academy of Pediatrics Advancing Pediatric Educator Excellence Program, UNM Medical Education Scholars Program and the Stanford Excellence in Clinical Teaching Program, in order to apply best practices in his educational roles, a step crucial in bringing equity to our medical education system. He has completed the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education Equity Matters Program in order to strengthen his skills in building inclusive spaces. Dr. Belmonte is currently the Assistant Dean of Medical Student Affairs. In this role he strives to make all students feel welcome within the School of Medicine as well as make informed career decisions. His clinical time is on the inpatient pediatric wards where he helps medical students, pediatric and family medicine residents as well as PHM fellows take care of New Mexico's hospitalized children. 

Melissa Sanchez, MD

Dr. Sanchez was born and raised in Albuquerque, NM and completed undergraduate, medical school and residency at UNM!  She was hired on as faculty in 2011.  Dr. Sanchez has served as the division chief of the Pediatric Hospitalist Medicine group since 2021.  In her free time, she enjoys spending time with her family, traveling and doing various crafts.

Yasmin Magdaleno, MD

Dr. Magdaleno is a Professor of Pediatrics at the UNM School of Medicine and a Sedationist within the Pediatric Hospitalist Medicine group. I direct the Sedation rotation for our PHM fellows, where we focus on building strong clinical skills in pediatric sedation in both the inpatient and outpatient setting while maintaining a supportive learning environment. I completed my pediatric training at UNM and have stayed on for the past 20 years in a variety of clinical and educational roles. My clinical interests center on pediatric sedation, and my academic interests include professional identity formation in learners and promoting clinician wellbeing.Outside of the hospital, I enjoy staying healthy and mobile, drinking tea, solving puzzles, and keeping up with my two teenage children. I enjoy working with residents and fellows and look forward to helping trainees grow into confident, thoughtful pediatric hospitalists.

Christal Chow, MD

Dr. Christal Chow completed her pediatric residency at the University of New Mexico and remained on faculty in the Division of Pediatric Hospital Medicine, where she is now an Associate Professor of Pediatrics. She serves as co–medical director of the General Pediatrics ECHO program, which delivers bimonthly virtual sessions to support and strengthen pediatric care for rural and community providers across the state. Her scholarly work centers on quality improvement, with a particular focus on reducing high-flow nasal cannula overuse in children hospitalized with bronchiolitis, as well as advancing point-of-care ultrasound and medical education. Outside of work, she enjoys spending time with her family and taking advantage of New Mexico’s outdoor opportunities, including running, hiking, and climbing.