Rheumatology Fellowship
Curriculum

Training/Curriculum

Didactic Curriculum

Our robust curriculum includes education in the following 4 main areas:

  • Clinical
  • Education
  • Research
  • Administrative

There are:

  • 4 hours of didactic teaching that occur weekly
  • 18 Core Pediatric Rheumatology topics that are presented by the faculty to the fellows in July and August

The division conferences begin in September, including but not limited to:

  • Journal Club
  • Combined Conference
  • Research in Progress
  • Cassidy Book Club
  • Quarterly MRI and Pathology conference and division QI meetings.

Procedural Skills

Procedural requirements for the fellows are primarily:

  • Arthrocentesis and or intra-articular steroid injection – with and without ultrasound guidance
  • Tendon sheath injections – majority with ultrasound guidance
  • Ultrasound examinations
  • Fellows perform:
    • ~ 115 arthrocentesis with or without intra-articular corticosteroid injection per year
    • ~1/8th are performed with ultrasound guidance
    • ~10 Tendon sheath injections of glucocorticoids with ultrasound guidance per year

Our program combines a one year clinical experience followed by at least two years of advanced research training.  

First Year / Clinical

The clinical training is markedly enhanced by the diversity of the patient population served and the expertise of the 10 clinical faculty. In addition, clinical care is supported by an in-clinic multidisciplinary team including a social worker, 6 outstanding nurses, 4 medical assistants, physical therapy and occupational therapy. 

Second and Third Years / Research

Fellows will have the opportunity to be intricately involved in research project design, writing of IRB, data analysis and publication as well as grant writing. Research projects can be in one of the following areas:

  • Basic
  • Clinical
  • Translational
  • Medical Education
  • Quality Improvement

Throughout the research years, the fellow will have a ½ day of continuity clinic to maintain clinical skills.

Opportunities exist for obtaining Master’s Degree during the second and third year.

  • Masters of Clinical & Translational Research
  • Masters of Medical Education
  • Masters of Public Health
  • Masters of Health Administration
  • Masters in Drug Development

Funding for the Masters is not guaranteed, but every effort is made to support them. 

 
Education Curriculum

Fellows are responsible for providing education in multiple forums. Teaching activities by the fellows are observed and monitored by the faculty, who provide education through constructive critique and evaluation.

Fellows assume increasing responsibility for teaching medical students, residents, other fellows and ancillary personnel during daily multidisciplinary bedside rounds and outpatient clinical settings. Fellows provide musculoskeletal exam teaching to medical students and residents four times per year. In addition, fellows teach modules on JIA, JDM, Kawasaki Disease and Henoch-Schönlein Purpura.

Two main conferences in Rheumatology involve teaching by the fellows:

  • Combined conference – involves presentation of Pediatric Rheumatology case in which members of other divisions involved in the case are present for the discussion. The fellow is responsible for comprehensive review and critical synthesis of the literature.
  • Journal Club – Journal articles are comprehensively reviewed, formally presented and evaluated for research quality.

Fellows attend an annual Teaching Workshop at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center.

 
Administrative Curriculum

Beginning in the first year of fellowship, it is expected that the fellow rotating on the inpatient service will assume a position of leadership including but not limited to directing multidisciplinary bedside rounds.

The fellows are integrated into various initiatives in the division focused on patient care, patient safety, research, improving the health and outcomes of children with rheumatic diseases and community engagement. These include but are not limited to:

  • Fellow orchestrated quality improvement (QI) project regarding safe administration of biologic infusions
  • Divisional QI efforts focused on improved disease control in JIA and SLE, vaccination of immunocompromised patients, and improved access to care
  • Participation in Pediatric Rheumatology Care and Outcomes Improvement Network
  • Weekly sign-out meeting focused on safe hand off of the inpatients
 

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