Dr. Ingrid Walker-Descartes is an Associate Professor of Pediatrics at SUNY Downstate School of Medicine and serves as Vice Chair of Education, Pediatric Residency Program Director, Fellowship Director for Child Abuse Pediatrics, and Director of Child Maltreatment Services at Maimonides Children's Hospital of Brooklyn.

She earned her medical degree from the University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry, completed her pediatric residency at New York Methodist Hospital, an affiliate of Weill Cornell School of Medicine, and went on to complete a Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA)-funded fellowship in General Academic Pediatrics with a clinical focus in Child Abuse Pediatrics at the Mount Sinai School of Medicine, where she also earned a Master of Public Health. She later completed an MBA in Healthcare Administration from St. Joseph's University, New York.  She is board-certified in both Child Abuse Pediatrics and General Pediatrics and has dedicated her career to advancing graduate medical education while improving the care of vulnerable children.

For more than 15 years as a residency program director, Dr. Walker-Descartes has been a national leader in competency-based medical education, faculty development, professional identity formation, clinical reasoning, assessment, simulation, and bias mitigation in medical education. She serves on the Executive Committee of the Association of Pediatric Program Directors (APPD) and as faculty for the nationally recognized APPD LEAD program, where she mentors current and aspiring educational leaders across the country.

An accomplished educator and scholar, Dr. Walker-Descartes has authored numerous peer-reviewed publications, book chapters, and educational resources focused on medical education, professionalism, child maltreatment, and health equity. Her work has been presented nationally and internationally and has shaped educational practices in pediatrics and beyond.

In recognition of her extraordinary contributions to pediatric graduate medical education, Dr. Walker-Descartes was awarded the 2026 Walter W. Tunnessen, Jr., MD Award for the Advancement of Pediatric Resident Education, one of the highest honors bestowed by the Association of Pediatric Program Directors. Please join me in welcoming Dr. Ingrid Walker-Descartes.