Pediatric Rheumatology Fellowship Clinical & Research Training
The U-M Medical School Department of Pediatrics' Pediatric Rheumatology Fellowship provides trainees with extensive training in patient care. The program offers mentorship to each fellow to guide their research experience as well.
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Clinical Training
- We serve as a consult-only service at Mott Children’s Hospital
- The most senior fellow is responsible for the fellows’ on-call schedule, with support provided by the program director.
- First-year fellows will be on call for 2 weeks each month for a total of 24 weeks.
- Senior fellows will be on call for a total of 4-8 weeks per year. This can be tailored to each individual’s career plan.
- Fellows will follow their own panel of patients in the fellows' continuity clinic (1/2 day each week). This will be staffed by 1-2 rotating attendings to ensure exposure to all of the Pediatric Rheumatology Core Faculty over time.
- Each first-year fellow is expected to attend 1-2 attending clinics each week to gain further outpatient exposure and for longitudinal exposure to 1-2 clinical mentors.
- Throughout training, fellows will perform joint taps on their own continuity patients, with direct supervision by the attending staffing on that particular date. These may occur in clinic without sedation, or in the procedure room with sedation.
- First year fellows will be expected to participate in all joint taps that occur in the procedure room with sedation, as is possible within the limitations of other clinical and research/scholarly activity responsibilities.
- Senior fellows who desire additional experience may participate in joint taps for patients with a different primary pediatric rheumatologist as desired and possible within the limitations of other clinical and research/scholarly activity responsibilities.
- First-year fellows will participate in the monthly Interdisciplinary Systemic Inflammation Clinic (ISIC) and the monthly Juvenile Myositis Clinic. First year fellows are also expected to participate in the Immuno-Hematology clinic throughout their first year.
- Senior fellows will attend the Interdisciplinary Systemic Inflammation Clinic (ISIC) and the Juvenile Myositis Clinic as is possible to maintain continuity of care within the limitations of other clinical and research/scholarly activity responsibilities. Participation in the Immuno-Hematology clinic is optional.
- Senior fellows will attend additional clinics of their choice to supplement their continuity clinic and work towards their career goals.
- Pediatric Rheumatology Sign Out Meeting (weekly consult sign out meeting and patient care conference)
- Pediatric Rheumatology Fellowship Core Conference Series with integrated Journal Club (weekly)
- Adult Rheumatology Fellowship Core Conference Series (weekly)
- Adult Rheumatology Grand Rounds (weekly)
- Adult Rheumatology Journal Club (monthly)
- Department of Pediatrics Grand Rounds (weekly)
- Department of Pediatrics Fellow Core Conference Series (quarterly)
Research Opportunities
A mentored research project is the core of each fellow’s research training. This project may be original basic science research, original translational research, original clinical research, original health services research, educational scholarship, or another project if approved by the fellow’s scholarship oversight committee. The fellow’s project will be complemented by participation in lab meetings, conferences in clinical and basic science departments, and other opportunities throughout the University of Michigan that are chosen based on research interests and the skills necessary to complete the fellow’s project.
Each year, sessions in the Pediatric Rheumatology Fellowship Core Conference Series, the Pediatric Rheumatology Journal Club, and the Department of Pediatrics Fellow Core Conference Series are devoted to research-relevant topics such as statistics and study design, manuscript and grant writing, mentoring, and job interviewing.
Fellows are expected to present their research at relevant local and national scientific meetings. Examples include:
- American College of Rheumatology (ACR) Annual Meeting
- Childhood Arthritis and Rheumatology Research Alliance (CARRA)
- Pediatric Rheumatology Symposium (PRSym)
- Pediatric Academic Societies (PAS) Annual Meeting
- University of Michigan Annual Pediatric Research Symposium
Fellows may choose to take advantage of the robust research program in adult rheumatology.
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