The Pediatric Rheumatology fellowship program at Floating Hospital for Children in Boston is one of the few Accredited Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) accredited training programs in this specialty in the United States.
Our training program is centered on the care of children with rheumatologic conditions, or diagnostic problems. Fellows may see patients eight clinic sessions per week at Floating Hospital, and four clinics sessions per month at the satellite offices in Chelmsford. The multi-disciplinary clinics are staffed by a pediatric rheumatology nurse and a social worker. Pediatric orthopedists, physiatrists and radiologists share the clinic space and are readily available for consultations. Inpatient care and consultation services are other important aspects of the training program. We have a large population of patients with childhood rheumatic diseases who come to us from all over New England and indeed from all over the world.
This program includes one year of intensive clinical training in pediatric rheumatology followed by two or more years of research training which can be either laboratory based bench research, translational research or clinical research depending on the preferences and planned carrier path of the fellow. We accept one new fellow per year.
Fellows are expected to attend regular conferences, including weekly clinical and x-ray conference, immunology/rheumatology conference, and Journal Club. Attendance at regular pediatric conferences such as Morning Report, Grand Rounds, and Noon Conference are also encouraged. Fellows also attend regional, national, and international conferences in Pediatric and General Rheumatology.
Pediatric rheumatology provides a very rewarding and interesting career opportunity. There is a great need for well-trained pediatricians in this field in the USA.
The second and third years of fellowship focus on the research aspects of rheumatology. The research experience is supervised either combined with the Pediatric and Adult Rheumatology faculties, as some of our fellows were supported by a combined NIH training grant in the past.
Our fellows can apply to the Clinical Research Graduate Program, which is a well-established fellowship program in the Clinical Care Division of the Tufts Medical Center. Learn more about the Masters in Clinical Care Research program.
Nicole Hernandez Fellowship Program Coordinator nhernandez1@tuftsmedicalcenter.org
