The fellowship program in rheumatology at the University of Pennsylvania is designed to train academic rheumatologists through an intensive experience in clinical rheumatology followed by experience in laboratory or clinical research. During the first year, fellows have clinical responsibilities for inpatients and outpatients at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania and the Philadelphia Veteran's Affairs Medical Center. Each fellow has outpatient clinics in each location. A total of eight months is spent on the inpatient consultation service at these two hospitals in one month blocks. Every third month is spent exclusively in the outpatient setting with additional clinical experience in the Division of Geriatric Medicine, Department of Orthopedic Surgery, Department of Rehabilitation Medicine, and in the Division of Rheumatology at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. Teaching conferences include weekly patient management conferences, journal clubs in rheumatology and in immunology, exploring the current literature, and monthly combined conferences with Orthopedics, Radiology and Allergy and Immunology.
During the first year, fellows are encouraged to identify the field of research, topic and mentor with whom they would like to work. The research experience formally begins in the second year. Areas of active research within the Division of Rheumatology are outlined in the table below and more detailed information is available under each faculty member. Fellows can also work with research investigators throughout the University of Pennsylvania Health System, including the Graduate Immunology Group and the Wistar Institute, in addition to the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia. Fellows continue to see patients in their continuity clinic throughout the second year of fellowship.
Two years of fellowship training is required for American Board of Internal Medicine certification in Rheumatology. However, fellows are encouraged to pursue research beyond the second year funded by our National Institutes of Health Training Grant.
Fellowship training in rheumatology may be combined with pursuit of a Master's degree in Biostatistics and Epidemiology, as well as joint fellowship training in Geriatrics, Allergy and Immunology and Pediatrics.
We have joined our Fellowship Programs in Rheumatology this year in accepting application through the Electronic Residency Applications Service (ERAS). You may be familiar with ERAS since it is the same service used by programs in internal medicine and other fields to select residents through a uniform application procedure and match. To submit your application through ERAS, use the following web address:
https://www.erasfellowshipdocuments.org
An application can be accessed online: application
Further information regarding our program
and an application may be obtained by contacting:
Sharon L. Kolasinski, MD
Director, Fellowship Program
Division of Rheumatology
504 Maloney
3600 Spruce Street
Philadelphia PA 19104-4283
Attention: Jeane Young
Or by email: sharonk @ mail.med.upenn.edu
Or, call Jeane Young at 215-662-2792.
Three letters of recommendation are required before applications will be considered complete. Competitive applicants will be scheduled for an interview.
Faculty of the Division of Rheumatology of the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania and of the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia are listed below:
Full TimeGary Koretzky, MD, PhD, Division Chief
Swati S. Bharadwaj, MD
Belinda K. Birnbaum, MD
Lan X. Chen, MD, PhD
Philip L. Cohen, MD
Jonathan S. Dunham, MD
Robert A. Eisenberg, MD
Marianthi Kiriakidou, MD
Sharon L. Kolasinski, MD, Chief of Clinical Services (HUP & Radnor)
Terri M. Laufer, MD
Sally Pullman-Mooar, MD
H. Ralph Schumacher, Jr., MD
Preethi Thomas, MD
Frederick B. Vivino, MD
Joan M. Von Feldt, MDAssociate Faculty
David A. Allan, MD, PhD
David J. Chang, MD
Geo S. Derimanov, MD
George Ehrlich, MD
Elizabeth C. Hsia, MD
Benjamin L. Hsu, MD, PhD
William B. Kelley, MD
Monica E. Luchi, MD
Frederick T. Murphy, DO
Mahboob U. Rahman, MD, PhD
William V. Williams, MD
Philip L. Cohen, MD, Chief, Athritis Section, VA Medical Center
H. Ralph Schumacher, Jr., MD
Sally Pullman-Mooar, MD
Lan X. Chen, MD, PhD
Terri M. Laufer, MD
Frederick B. Vivino, MD, Director Arthritis Center
David Allan, MD, PhD
Swati S. Bharadwaj, MD
Monica E. Luchi, MD
Terri H. Finkel, MD, PhD, Chief, Division of Rheumatology
Jon M. Burham, MD
Randy Q. Cron, MD, PhD
David D. Sherry, MD
| Swati S. Bharadwaj, MD | General rheumatology [all common and uncommon rheumatic and autoimmune disorders] Vasculitis |
| Belinda K. Birnbaum, MD | Rheumatoid arthritis, seronegative arthritis, lupus and myositis |
| Roberto Caricchio, MD | SLE autoantigens and apoptosis |
| Lan X. Chen, MD, PhD | Sleep disturbance in rheumatologic condition, Acupuncture for rheumatologic condition, Gout and inflammatory arthritis |
| Philip L. Cohen, MD | Systemic autoimmunity, programmed cell death |
| Randy Q. Cron, MD, PhD | Cytokine and HIV transcription in primary CD4 T cells, CD154 and lupus, TMJ arthritis |
| Jonathan S. Dunham, MD | |
| Robert A. Eisenberg, MD | Murine lupus, B cells in SLE, mechanisms of autoimmunity |
| Elizabeth C. Hsia, MD | Rheumatoid arthritis, cardiovascular disease in rheumatoid arthritis, clnical trials, epidemiology and pharmacoepidemiology related to rheumatologic diseases |
| Marianthi Kiriakidou, MD | micro RNAs in T lymphocytes |
| Sharon L. Kolasinski, MD | Treatment options for osteoarthritis, including complementary and alternative therapies |
| Gary Koretzky, MD, PhD | Lymphocyte signalling |
| Terri H. Finkel, MD, PhD | Lymphocyte signalling and apoptosis, HIV immunology |
| Terri M. Laufer, MD | Thymic development and peripheral activation of autoreactive T cells |
| Sally Pullman-Mooar, MD | Osteoporosis in men, Chronic pain management in musculoskeletal diseases, Osteoarthritis, Rheumatoid arthritis |
| Mahboob Rahman, MD | Rheumatoid arthritis, Spondylarthropathy, Vasculitis, Auto-immune inner ear disease |
| Preethi Thomas, MD | Autoimmune eye diseases, polymyositis, dermatomyositis and rheumatoid arthritis |
| H. Ralph Schumacher, MD | Crystal induced arthritis, Pathogenesis and treatment of synovitis; osteoarthritis; synovial fluid; ankylosing, spondylarthropathy |
| David D. Sherry, MD | Pain syndromes, juvenile arthritis and spondyloarthropathies |
| Frederick B. Vivino, MD | Sjogren's syndrome: novel therapeutics, neurocognitive dysfunction, caries prevention |
| Joan M. Von Feldt, MD | Premature atherosclerotic disease in systemic lupus erythematosus. Decision management for therapeutics in rheumatoid arthritis, the role of pharmacogenetics |