Rheumatology Fellowship
Education and research | Fellowship training | Contact information
Application | Faculty
Education and research
More than 80 postdoctoral fellows have been trained in the Division of Rheumatology, Allergy and Immunology, many of who are in full-time academic positions. Thirty percent of Rheumatology graduates, since 1951, have begun their careers in tenure track teaching positions. Seven have become rheumatology division or section chiefs. The particular strengths of this training program for M.D. trainees are the balances between clinical exposure, clinical research, and basic research, and the faculty to fellow ratio of 4:1. Separate tracks are offered for clinicians, clinical investigators and laboratory investigators.
Fellowship training
Two or three fellows are trained in rheumatology at any one time. Most years, one new fellow is accepted for two years of training.
Curriculum
The program is nationally recognized for its ongoing, fellow-directed curriculum revision process. The curriculum is a conference-intensive one and includes a publication requirement to graduate. All graduates of the past five years have taken and passed the American Board of Internal Medicine Rheumatology Board Examination. The rheumatology program is accredited without a progress report due, through 2010.
Conferences
The didactic program for rheumatology fellows includes weekly board-review sessions led by the program director and two weekly conferences conducted by the fellows. In addition to boards review, these conferences include “Zebra” case conference, clinical journal club, basic science journal club, division grand rounds, and either radiology or pathology conference.
Research training
Thirty percent of a clinical fellow’s time is devoted to an introduction to clinical research and to ancillary clinical areas; such as orthopaedics, neurology and pathology. National Institutes of Health-funded research includes programs in mast cell biology and immunogenetics of rheumatic diseases. Current clinical trials interests include bone density and biologic agents for rheumatoid arthritis and lupus. Other ongoing projects are aimed at increasing minority participation in clinical trials, health literacy and at national rheumatology work force planning.
Clinical training
The preponderance of clinical practice is in the outpatient setting, with approximately 9,000 visits each year. Active in-hospital consultative practices are provided at both the Virginia Commonwealth University Medical Center and McGuire Veterans Affairs Medical Center, at a rate of one new consult per day at each site. Mode number of in-patient consultations is five weekly in each hospital; clinics, three half days; didactic sessions, eight hours per week.
Fellowship contact information
Program director
W. Neal Roberts Jr., M.D.
P.O. Box 980263
Richmond, Virginia 23298-0263
Phone: (804) 828-9685
E-mail: wnrobert@vcu.edu
Coordinator
Mary (Jamie) Robinette
1112 East Clay Street, McGuire Hall, Room 4-110
P.O. Box 980263
Richmond, Virginia 23298-0263
Phone: (804) 828-1941, (804)828-9686
Fax: (804) 828-0283
E-mail: mjrobinette@vcu.edu
Application
All applicants use Electronic Residency Application Service ERAS to apply to the program.
The division has seven geographic full-time, three emeritus or part time faculty, and six community-based faculty certified in the subspecialty of rheumatology. Three are certified in allergy and immunology. The faculty include one current American College of Rheumatology board member, one past president and ACR Master, and an ACR Clinical Scholar Educator.
Four faculty members are among about 80 physicians nationwide who are certified in clinical and laboratory immunology, a designation for internists and pediatricians qualified to direct clinical immunology laboratories. The division is therefore virtually unique in its ability to conduct training in clinical and laboratory immunology.
