Pediatric Rheumatology Fellowship Academic Tracks and Advanced Studies

Andrea Ramirez, M.D., M.Ed. (Program Director) assists fellows with an interest in an educational scholar track. This track is the most utilized track and aligns with a strengths of our department. Fellows complete an educational project. Fellows are encouraged to complete IHI QI coursework or the BCM Educational Scholars Fellowship Program. This track includes a project focused on curriculum development, effective teaching methods, development of meaningful evaluation methods, portfolio development, evaluation methods, and development of evidence-based medicine modules. Previous graduates have completed educational coursework during their training and obtained M.Ed. degrees during their fellowship.

Andrea Ramirez, M.D., M.Ed. (Program Director) and Eyal Muscal, M.D., MS (Division Chief) designate appropriate clinical research mentors that have a successful track record in nurturing mentees. Current mentored work includes projects in SLE, ANCA associated vasculitis, JIA, Kawasaki disease, and pharmacology to name a few. Fellows are involved in clinical research through participation in either ongoing clinical trials or observational studies.  Fellows become trainee members of the Childhood Arthritis and Rheumatology Research Alliance and are exposed to national collaborative research projects. Our fellows assist in the IRB submission and recruitment process for CARRA sponsored or institutional research studies. Clinical research qualification is obtained by all our research fellows through Baylor College of Medicine Collaborative Institutional Training Initiative and/or Good Clinical Practice certificates.

Tiphanie Vogel M.D., Ph.D. and Eyal Muscal, M.D., MS (Division Chief) assist fellows with an interest in bench research. They oversee hypothesis formulation, experimental design, and coordinate fellow interviews with basic and translational research mentors.

Baylor College of Medicine is one of 12 centers in the United States in the Undiagnosed Disease Network funded by the NIH. Baylor is one of three Model Organisms Screening Centers that help understand how genetic changes contribute to disease. Dr. Vogel is the Rheumatology liaison for the UDN and is involved in diagnosing novel diseases involving inflammation.

Academic coursework available is drawn from the following programs:

• MS level courses, Clinical Research Program (UTHSC – McGovern Medical School)
• Clinical Scientist Training Program (BCM Clinical Scientist Training Program)
• MPH level courses (UTHSC - School of Public Health)
• Biostatistics, bio-informatics, health services research and epidemiology (UTHSC - School of Biomedical Informatics)