Learning Without Limits: Andrea Braccia’s International Training Experience
Interview conducted and recorded by Jodi Lamborn
Dr. Andrea Braccia of Università Degli Studi Di Napoli Federico II, Napoli (Naples), Italy, hit pause on his studies and career at home to participate in a four-and-a-half-month long observership at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia in the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) and the Division of Cardiac Anesthesiology in 2025-2026. Amid residency and the pursuit of a master’s degree in healthcare management, Andrea wanted to experience a clinical environment that was different from the one he’d encountered so many times before in Napoli. “[I wanted to] understand how one of the world’s leading pediatric hospitals is organized and delivers patient care.” Andrea had considered pediatrics as he navigated through residency in Anesthesiology, Intensive Care, and Pain Medicine, and so, he wanted to come to CHOP to explore this interest and learn from an international reference center in pediatric care.
Intensive Care and Cardiac Anesthesia are of particular interest to Andrea, so he pursued dual observerships with both clinical programs while at CHOP. He came with the goal of improving his knowledge of perioperative and intensive care management from clinical reasoning to therapeutic decision-making of pediatric patients with complex cardiac conditions. Outside of his clinical interests, daily workflows, multidisciplinary approaches, team communication and collaboration were also objectives he identified prior to his arrival so he could adapt these elements to his own professional setting in Italy. Clinical observerships at CHOP offer global colleagues the opportunity to not only to observe advanced aspects of clinical care, but also the dynamic interplay of various teams across CHOP and how multidisciplinary collaboration benefits patient care.
On a daily basis, Andrea joined rounds and clinical discussion about patients admitted to the PICU and Cardiac Intensive Care Unit (CICU). He followed anesthetic management in pediatric cardiac anesthesia and the perioperative approach. He attended conferences and other educational activities across various departments, which allowed him to meet his focus on continuing medical education and multidisciplinary approaches. “I particularly appreciated the high level of collaboration among professionals, the attention to case discussions, and the culture of continuous education.”
As a global colleague and observer at CHOP, Andrea felt welcomed by all CHOP faculty and staff he encountered, which allowed him to feel more comfortable and enjoy the experience more on both a professional and personal level. Upon his return to Italy and his position as resident physician, he hopes to continue his training with a better perspective and greater motivation, sharing aspects of what he gained at CHOP with his colleagues. “For me, this was one of the most meaningful experiences of my training. I would encourage colleagues in healthcare to step outside their usual environment to discover new models of care and new ways of working as a team while also growing both clinical skills and personal perspective.”
