Graduate Medical Education Rheumatology | Fellowship Program

Rheumatology Fellowship Training Program structure

Graduates of this ACGME-certified Fellowship Training Program will be eligible for certification by the American Academy of Pediatrics Subspecialty in Rheumatology.

First year of clinical training in ambulatory and inpatient rheumatology

Clinical experience

Most years, we have two fellows who alternate between ambulatory and inpatient services. On the ambulatory service, fellows see new and follow-up patients in clinic and also help triage referrals from outside pediatricians. On the inpatient service, fellows work closely with Boston Children’s Hospital residents in caring for patients admitted to the rheumatology service and for patients on other services with consultative care. Fellows are exposed to a wide range of common and rare rheumatologic disorders. We admit patients from around the globe and coordinate care with a number of other subspecialty services in the Hospital. The Rheumatology Service admits about 150 patients per year and consults on 300-500. First year fellows also work closely with the Allergy/Immunology fellows for weekend and night cross-coverage.

Fellows are trained in landmark-based joint aspiration and injection and also undergo dedicated musculoskeletal ultrasound training. In addition, they participate in ongoing clinical research and quality improvement studies, often leading to publication or meeting presentations.

Fellows interact with a large and highly expert faculty (more than 15 attending physicians) with a diverse range of clinical and research interests. All are experienced mentors and very willing to help trainees with research projects and provide career advice.

Didactics

There is a strong formal program of didactic teaching. During orientation, new fellows have the opportunity to participate in a dedicated seminar series in rheumatology and immunology alongside other Harvard Medical School trainees. During the year, fellows attend weekly hour-long interactive lectures in “Immunology School,” learning basic concepts of immunology and their clinical application, using an immunology textbook and a case-studies collection as learning guides. Fellows also attend interactive weekly Rheumatology board prep teaching sessions led by our faculty staff.  Rheumatology Grand Rounds, which hosts both local and outside speakers, occurs weekly. The first several Grand Rounds each year are dedicated to foundational topics that will be useful to first- as well as upper-year fellows.

Presentations 

First-year fellows present challenging patients in a weekly conference attended by all faculty. Fellows are expected to present at Rheumatology Grand Rounds at least 2-3 times per year; these presentations typically entail journal clubs, M&Ms, or research/QI discussions.  

Second- and third-year fellows: Mentored research in a basic science laboratory or clinical research program

Our goal is to give trainees an intensive laboratory or clinical research experience and to instill the intellectual and technical skills necessary for an independent career as a clinician investigator. First-year fellows meet with faculty and attend research conferences in preparation for selection of a research project and mentor.

Fellows are eligible for a multitude of formal degreed and non-degreed educational programs offered by Harvard Medical School.

Once in the lab or clinical research group, fellows will be closely supervised in weekly small group lab meetings. Eligible fellows are assigned to our NIH T32 training grant. Trainees will be exposed to Experimental/study design, techniques and data presentation, as well as grant-writing skills. Lab fellows acquire specific skills in cellular, biochemical and molecular genetic techniques.

Trainees meet in an annual retreat with faculty to review research progress and plans and to get feedback and advice. Fellows in this program have an unmatched opportunity for interaction with many top tier immunology labs and clinical immunology groups in the immediate neighborhood.

Clinical experience during the second and third years is maintained with 1-2 continuity clinics per week, along with some inpatient service time. Upper year fellows participate in the teaching of residents through formal didactic sessions.  Third-year fellows also do 1-2 weeks of "pre-tending" service to help prepare them for autonomous practice. 

Rheumatology Fellowship Training Program application process

The Rheumatology Fellowship Program is using ERAS for applications. Please go to the ERAS site at www.aamc.org/eras for details and application. Even though we will be using ERAS, please separately email your CV to Mindy Lo, MD, PhD.

Foreign citizens must comply with the United States Immigration Laws and foreign medical graduates should contact the Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates for details concerning their requirements at: 3624 Market Street, Philadelphia, PA 19104, Phone: 215-386-5900.