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
Further information regarding our program may be obtained by contacting:
Jeane Young
Fellowship Program Coordinator
Division of Rheumatology
Penn Tower, Suite 800
34th and Civic Center Blvd.
Philadelphia, PA 19104
Or, contact Jeane Young, Phone: 215-662-2792.
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 TimeBelinda K. Birnbaum, MD
Chirs Derk, MD
Jonathan S. Dunham, MD
Robert A. Eisenberg, MD
Marianthi Kiriakidou, MD
Gary Koretzky, MD, PhD
Terri M. Laufer, MD
Sally Pullman-Mooar, MD
Stefan Schulz, MD
H. Ralph Schumacher, Jr., MD
Anupama Shahane, MD, MPH
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
Bruce Freundlich, MD
Elizabeth C. Hsia, MD
Benjamin L. Hsu, MD, PhD
Sharon L. Kolasinski, MD
Monica E. Luchi, MD
Frederick T. Murphy, DO
Mahboob U. Rahman, MD, PhD
William V. Williams, MD
H. Ralph Schumacher, Jr., MD
Sally Pullman-Mooar, MD
Terri M. Laufer, MD
Frederick B. Vivino, MD, Director Arthritis Center
David Allan, MD, PhD
Susan Hoch, 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
| Belinda K. Birnbaum, MD | Rheumatoid arthritis, seronegative arthritis, lupus and myositis |
| Randy Q. Cron, MD, PhD | Cytokine and HIV transcription in primary CD4 T cells, CD154 and lupus, TMJ arthritis |
| Chris Derk, MD | Scleroderma: models of pathogenesis, clinical outcomes, and novel therapies; Systemic Lupus Erythematosus: clinical outcomes. |
| 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 |