During the first year of the fellowship, fellows will be responsible for treating, diagnosing and giving follow-up care to patients with a wide variety of rheumatologic ailments such as: Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis (JRA), fibromyalgia, scleroderma, systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), Kawasaki disease, and other connective tissue diseases.
Fellows will work with the attending physicians to diagnose and treat approximately 15 percent of the pediatric rheumatology outpatients each year. Fellows are also expected to be on call all weeknights and two weekends per month during their first year. This consists of participating in clinical rounds seven days a week, consulting with Physicians from other subspecialties, and discussing inpatients during a weekly staffing meeting.
A faculty Physician will staff with fellows during all patient visits and days on call.
During the research portion of the fellowship, fellows will take part in a research project and will conduct bench research for approximately two years.
The goal of creating and conducting a research project is for fellows to gain an understanding of how the care given in clinic depends on research conducted in the laboratory.
Fellows will be given the opportunity to present their research during the annual Fellowship Poster Session at the Medical College. The poster and quality of research will be judged and three fellows will be chosen to present their research at Grand Rounds.
Fellows will also be expected to participate in weekly Journal Clubs and present their data to other researchers for review.