Overiew:
The goal of the Rheumatology fellowship is to develop well trained clinical experts in the field of rheumatology who also possess the scientific background to interpret new findings and to actively participate in research.

Clinical Training, Experience and Support:
The subspecialty fellowship program in Rheumatology will provide training and supervised experience at a sufficient level to acquire competency as a specialist in rheumatic diseases. The training program is 2 years in duration of which 18 months are devoted to clinical training. The clinical experience in rheumatology will include opportunities to observe and manage inpatients and outpatients with a wide variety of rheumatologic disorders. Fellows will have the opportunity to assess and provide ongoing care for acutely and chronically ill patients in order to learn the natural history of rheumatologic disease, as well as the effectiveness of therapeutic programs. The trainee will have opportunities to assume responsibility under appropriate supervision for the care of patients in continuity clinics and provide consultation for a range of diseases in a variety of clinical settings. The fellow will acquire skills required to work effectively as a member of a multidisciplinary team. Rotations at the children's hospital and in orthopedics ensure the fellow gains competency in pediatric rheumatology and selected orthopedic disorders. The fellowship provides trainees with exposure to quality improvement processes and enables each fellow to become familiar with billing and coding issues.

Research Training, Experience and Support:
A 6-month research block in basic or clinical research allows the fellow to develop an understanding of scientific principles and their application to research projects.

Educational Programs/Conference Seminars:

1. Clinical Presentation Conference
   This one hour conference will be held on the 2nd, 4th and 5th Tuesday of each month. The first year fellow will present an interesting case seen in the outpatient clinics or inpatient consult service and then lead a focused discussion about the case based on a literature review covering, but not limited to clinical presentation, pathogenesis, histology and treatments.
2. Clinical Patient Conference
   This one hour conference will be held on the 1st and 3rd Fridays of each month. Attendings and fellows will bring interesting cases seen in the outpatient clinics and inpatient service for group discussion and review.
3. Radiology Conference
   This one hour conference will be held on the 1st Tuesday of each month. Attendings and fellows will bring interesting cases which will be used for group discussion and radiographic findings covered with a Radiologist.
4. Journal Club
   This one hour conference will be held on the 3rd Tuesday of each month. Fellows and attendings assigned each month will select and present peer-reviewed articles relating to rheumatological and immunological topics for group discussion.
5. Research Conference
   This one hour conference will be held on the last Friday of each month. Fellows and attendings will present data from ongoing research projects with a literature review. Outside speakers may also be invited to discuss research projects pertinent to the field of rheumatology and immunology.
6. Grand Rounds
   This one hour conference is held weekly on Tuesdays by the Department of Medicine and fellows are encouraged to attend. Schedule of conferences are available from the Department of Medicine.
7. Clinical Pathological Conference (CPC)
   This one hour conference is held weekly on Thursdays by the Department of Medicine and fellows are encouraged to attend. Schedule of conferences are available from the Department of Medicine.
8. Basic Science Meetings
   This conference is held every three months of the year in association with the other Rheumatology and Immunology Training Programs in the city. Fellows will be given lectures by speakers regarding basic science topics pertaining to Rheumatology and Immunology.
9. American College of Rheumatology (ACR)
   This conference occurs twice a year. The first is the ACR Symposium that occurs in the spring of each year. The second is the National ACR Convention that occurs in the fall each year. The fellows are expected to submit abstracts for acceptance and presentation at these meetings.

Application Process:
The Loyola fellowship program is an active particpant in the NRMP and receives applications through the rules and regulations of ERAS.

Previous Fellows:

• Rita Dianati
  2005-2007
• Shaiba Ansari-Ali
  2004-2007
• Natalie Balog
  2003-2005
• Rodney Tehrani
  2002-2004

Organization of Rotations

First Year

1. Ambulatory Experience 4-5 clinic/week at Loyola and Edward Hines, Jr. VA Hospital throughout the year
2. Consultation Service Edward Hines, Jr. VA Hospital 6 months Loyola 6 months

Second Year

1. Ambulatory Experience 1-2 clinics/week at Loyola and Edward Hines, Jr. VA Hospital throughout the year
2. Research 6 months
3. Pediatric rotation at Children's Memorial Hospital 2 months
4. Orthopedic rotation 2 months
5. Electives 2 months