Rheumatology Fellowship Overview
About Our Rheumatology Fellowship
The Rheumatology Division of the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC) offers an ACGME-accredited Rheumatology Fellowship. Our goal is to train outstanding clinicians who may also choose an academic career in research or medical education. To this end our program offers a two-year robust training program with rotations in the inpatient and ambulatory settings while also providing opportunities for research and educational training. An optional third training year is offered to those interested in additional research experience.
Ambulatory Practice
Throughout the duration of fellowship, trainees participate in the twice weekly 1/2-day continuity outpatient rheumatology clinic at the division's primary practice site at 110 Francis Street. The fellows assume full responsibility as health care providers for their patients. As our faculty has diverse clinical expertise in various disease states such as autoinflammatory diseases, scleroderma and rheumatic diseases in young adults, fellows also rotate with individual faculty. This third 1/2-day clinic is offered in the second year of training.
First-year fellows rotate through the division's Musculoskeletal Medicine Unit (MSMU) at BIDMC's Shapiro Center and Boston Children's Hospital. The MSMU site provides a unique exposure to soft tissue rheumatic disorders as well as non-operative orthopedic trauma and sports medicine. This is complemented by comprehensive ultrasound training in the second year, which includes a dedicated diagnostic and procedural ultrasound clinic, hands-on workshop and preparation for USSonar certification.
Inpatient Consult Service
Our active inpatient consult service is primarily the responsibility of first-year fellows (20-22 weeks each), with the second-year fellows covering 4-6 weeks each. Formal teaching rounds are conducted regularly with attending physicians from within the division. In addition, fellows are responsible for daily work rounds on all patients on the service.
Conferences
From the first day of fellowship, our division actively fosters medical knowledge with introductory lectures in rheumatology that are given three times a week through the summer. During the academic year, teaching conferences include the weekly Clinical Conference, Grand Rounds, Journal Club and research meetings. Twice a month, the fellows participate in small group didactics that include board review, seminal article review and immunology 101. The Division of Rheumatology holds monthly interdisciplinary case-based didactic rounds with the radiology and pathology departments. BIDMC participates with all other Boston-based training programs in the interhospital rheumatology grand rounds, where fellows present and discuss interesting cases.
Research
Scholarly activity is an integral part of the BIDMC rheumatology fellowship. The fellows are encouraged and supported in choosing a research project that matches their interests. This may include basic and translational research, quality improvement and clinical research.
Throughout the training program, fellows have access to the powerful educational resources of Harvard Catalyst, which offers several online and in-person courses, as well as training programs ranging from short duration programs providing an overview of clinical and translational research to multi-year, advanced programs for senior fellows and faculty. The fellows can also participate in the Summer Program in Clinical Effectiveness, an intensive summer course offered by the Harvard School of Public Health. Rheumatology fellows who are interested in clinical education can receive formal training, which is offered by the Department of Medicine Clinician-Educator Track and the Rabkin Fellowship. Our alumni and current fellows have greatly benefited from participating in these educational activities through the years.
Applications for Fellowship
We offer two fellowship positions each year. We accept applications through the Specialty Matching Program (NRMP). Interested in learning more about our fellowship program? Take our Rheumatology Video Tour below.
Rheumatology Program Video Tour
BIDMC Rheumatology's staff and fellows give an overview of the fellowship program in this video tour.
Watch Video