Rotations

The ACGME-approved program (24 months accredited) consists of 50 percent direct patient care activities, 25 percent research activities, and 25 percent other educational activities, such as research, clinical and scholarly. The optional third-year of the program is devoted to research activities. Clinical rotations are structured into four categories to provide fellows with an effective clinical, educational, and research experience in allergy and immunology.

During the pediatric AI outpatient rotation, fellows will work with Pediatric AI faculty at Texas Children’s Hospital (link) seeing a wide variety of pediatric patients with allergic and immunologic diseases. Trainees in the pediatric track will also have a half-day per week of continuity clinic where each fellow is responsible for managing an assigned patient cohort with the facilitation and guidance of an outpatient attending physician.

During the medicine outpatient rotation, fellows will work with Internal Medicine AI faculty at three different clinical sites (training site link) seeing a wide variety of adult patients with allergic and immunologic diseases. A half-day per week is spent at the Harris-Health AI clinic providing health care to Houston’s underserved population where fellows assume primary responsibility for managing patients with the facilitation and guidance of an outpatient attending physician. For trainees in the medicine track, this clinic also serves as their continuity clinic.

The cross-training rotation provides a minimum of 5 months of academic and clinical experience with a focus on pediatric patients (0-18 years) for Medicine track fellows, and a focus on adult patients (>18 years) for pediatric track fellows. Cross-training opportunities include both outpatient and inpatient consultation experiences.

All Fellows have elective time to allow fellows to gain additional exposure and training in other subspecialties or areas where more experience is desired.

Pediatrics Track- The inpatient experience includes daily management of patients on the Allergy/Immunology service, and all consultations in the general pediatric wards, subspecialty services, emergency center and neonatal and pediatric intensive care units in conjunction with the inpatient attending physician. While on cross-training rotations, pediatric fellows will have the opportunity to participate in the consultation and management of adult patients.

Medicine Track- The inpatient experience includes consultations and management of adult patients on the general medicine wards, subspecialty services, emergency center, and intensive care units at Ben Taub Hospital and the VA. Medicine fellows will have the opportunity to participate in the consultation of pediatric inpatients.

All call is taken from home. Work hours are not to exceed 80 hours per week averaged over four weeks and fellows have at least one full day out of seven away from program duties, averaged over a month's time.

This rotation provides career-specific guidance through an enhanced educational experience in focused research and academic activities. All fellows will have at least six  months (25 percent) over two years dedicated to participation in clinical or basic science research. Fellows will have the opportunity to choose a faculty mentor and either devise or join a project that best aligns with their academic interests.  Support is provided by the faculty mentor and the program director. Each fellow is expected to present his or her work at national or regional meetings and publish the results in peer-reviewed journals.

One on-call weekend per month.