Pediatric Rheumatology

During the first year of the fellowship, fellows will receive an intensive and thorough clinical experience with the goal of learning to diagnose and manage the rheumatic diseases of childhood.  Fellows will attend three half-day ambulatory clinics each week, including their own continuity clinic, and will evaluate patients on the in-patient and consult service every weekday and two weekends each month.  Fellows are responsible for the evaluation, diagnosis, and management of children representing the entire spectrum of rheumatic, autoimmune, inflammatory, and musculoskeletal disease including  Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis (JIA), Systemic Lupus Erythematosus, Juvenile Dermatomyositis, Scleroderma, and Vasculitis.  Fellows work very closely with all of the faculty who provide guidance, education, support, and supervision throughout the duration of the program.First-year fellows are on call from home three weeknights each week and two weekends per month, always with a supervising faculty member.

Fellows in the second and third years attend two half-day ambulatory clinics each week, including their own continuity clinic.  In addition, there are scheduled clinical ambulatory rotations in the Nephrology Clinic, Dermatology Clinic, Ophthalmology Clinic, and Sports Medicine Clinic where fellows will evaluate patients under the supervision of faculty in those disciplines.  Two months of additional clinical elective time is available, and fellows also have the option of attending Immunodeficiency Clinic if interested.  The third-year fellow functions as a “Junior Attending” during one month on the in-patient and consult service, remaining under the supervision of faculty but provided with sufficient autonomy to learn to become comfortable as the primary responsible provider and consultant.

In the second and third years, fellows are on call from home one weeknight each week and one weekend each month, always with a supervising faculty member.

All fellows learn musculoskeletal ultrasound with scheduled hands-on educational time beginning in the first year.  Interested fellows are also encouraged to participate in the USSONAR year-long ultrasound course during their second or third year.  All fellows learn to perform ultrasound-guided joint injections under the supervision of faculty who have completed the USSONAR course.

Fellows attend a weekly rheumatology section case conference where all patients evaluated in the ambulatory clinic the previous week are reviewed and discussed by faculty, nursing, fellows, and ancillary staff.  First-year fellows are expected to present one of their cases with a literature review each month at weekly Journal Club. Quarterly conferences are held with the adult rheumatology section and also with the pediatric nephrology section where interesting patients and topics of mutual interest are discussed.

The second and third years of fellowship are primarily dedicated to the development of scholarly activity. Fellows identify their area(s) of interest, typically during their first year, and then begin planning their scholarly activity during the first year, with implementation of the plan throughout the second and third years. Four tracks are available, which include specific curricula designed to enhance the fellow’s knowledge and skills in a specific scholarly area. These tracks are Clinical/Translational, Quality Improvement, Basic Science, and Educational. All fellows are expected to complete at least one full scholarly project, which ideally will result in presentations at national conferences and eventual publication. There is the opportunity to pursue Master’s degrees for those who are interested, both here at the Medical College of Wisconsin Graduate School and potentially at other institutions. All fellows will have a primary mentor for their scholarly activity, and all will also form a Scholarship Oversight Committee, consisting of three faculty who are then responsible for guiding the fellow, providing constructive assistance for their scholarly project, and ensuring that the fellow will meet the scholarly requirements of the American Board of Pediatrics by the completion of the training program.

Throughout the three years of the training program, fellows participate in a joint fellowship curriculum within the Department of Pediatrics for all subspecialty fellows, which provides education and training in scholarship and other topics common to all subspecialty fellows.

All fellows participate in the quality improvement activities of the rheumatology section and fellows are expected to also attend at least one additional educational activity designed to improve their knowledge and experience regarding quality improvement concepts.

Fellows also attend the Children’s Research Institute weekly scientific conference and the Department of Pediatrics K-Club Research Conference.
All fellows attend the American College of Rheumatology Annual Scientific Meeting, the Pediatric Rheumatology Symposium (PRSYM), and the Childhood Arthritis and Rheumatology Research Alliance (CARRA) meeting.

Fellows are expected to teach the students and residents participating in electives with the pediatric rheumatology service. During a weekly teaching conference dedicated to the students and residents, the fellow is expected to lead discussions regarding the major rheumatic diseases of childhood. This is done under the supervision of faculty, who help guide the fellow in their teaching activities and provide constructive advice regarding their teaching activities.

Edward Oberle, MD | 2013-2015
Assistant Professor
Department of Pediatrics
Ohio State University School of Medicine; Columbus, OH

Julia Harris, MD | 2012-2014
Assistant Professor
Department of Pediatrics
University of Missouri–Kansas City School of Medicine; Kansas City, MO

Elizabeth Kessler, MD | 2011-2013
Pediatric Rheumatologist
Helen DeVos Children's Hospital
Grand Rapids, MI

Dominic Co, MD, PhD | 2010-2012
Assistant Professor
Department of Pediatrics
University of Wisconsin-Madison
Madison, WI

Eli Eisenstein, MD, PhD | 2006-2008
Pediatric Rheumatologist
Hadassah University Hospital–Mt. Scopus
Jerusalem, Israel

Sheetal Vora, MD, MS | 2005-2008
Pediatric Rheumatologist
Clinical Adjunct Assistant Professor
University of North Carolina–Chapel Hill
Levine Children’s Hospital; Charlotte, NC

Once you have decided to pursue the Pediatric Rheumatology Fellowship Program, it's time to decide where you want to live!

The Medical College is located in Milwaukee County in the city of Wauwatosa.  The closest surrounding areas include Brookfield, Elm Grove, and of course, downtown Milwaukee.

There are many apartments, condos, and homes for you to choose from, and we look forward to welcoming you to the area!

Please check out the Medical College of Wisconsin Graduate Housing for additional resources.