The Pediatric Rheumatology Fellowship is three years of training designed specifically to prepare qualified pediatricians for an academic and clinical career in rheumatology. The program provides subspecialty fellows with the background and experience to care for children with a spectrum of rheumatic diseases. This expertise is gained through a balanced, progressive training program that includes clinical, teaching, consultative, research and technical experiences. The program strives to be an educational innovator in the community and utilizes an "open classroom" model and features of an "inquiry-based curriculum" to empower fellows to become lifelong adult learners.
Fellowship Year 1
Nine months of clinical service consists of both inpatient and outpatient experiences. Fellows alternate inpatient hospital service one week at a time. On alternate weeks the fellow sees new and return patients in the outpatient setting for 5 half day clinics a week (this includes a continuity clinic). Three months consist of research time during which they have two clinics per week.
Fellowship Years 2 and 3
There is an emphasis on research with two months of combined inpatient and outpatient clinical service for 2nd-year fellows, and an inpatient clinical month for 3rd-year fellows. During years 2 and 3 fellows have their own panel of patients that are followed twice a month in a fellow lead clinic. Additionally they complete a minimum of two clinics a week to ensure a robust clinical experience. All clinics are supervised by attending faculty.
Sponsoring Institution - Baylor College of Medicine
- Baylor College of Medicine is one of the premier medical schools with robust training in all specialties.
Primary Training Site - Texas Children's Hospital
Texas Children’s Hospital is an internationally recognized full-care pediatric hospital located in the heart of the Texas Medical Center in Houston, TX. Texas Children’s Hospital is the largest children’s hospital in North America. For 13 straight years, Texas Children’s Hospital has also been recognized as one of the best by U.S. News & World Report. This year, Texas Children’s Hospital is ranked #3 overall and in the top five in eight specialties – including #1 in pediatric cardiology and heart surgery.
Program Evaluation and Improvement
Curriculum improvements are made based on fellow input at monthly meetings with the program director and at the annual program retreat/program evaluation committee meeting.
Clinics
- Autoimmune Encephalitis Clinic - Texas Children's is one of the largest contributors of systemic vasculitis and inflammatory brain disorders patients in international registries.
- Lupus & Vasculitis Clinic - Lupus care includes a multidisciplinary clinic shared with nephrology, and a monthly QI driven session that brings together rheumatology, nephrology, gynecology, and ancillary services.
- Fellows see patients at both community-based clinics and the tertiary medical center.
- Fellows maintain continuity clinic panels of patients followed throughout fellowship.
