GOALS/MISSION

The purpose of our rheumatology training program is to 1) train fellows to be accomplished practitioners and consultants in the rheumatic diseases, and 2) encourage the professional and scholarly attitudes and approaches of a competent subspecialist that are needed to maintain an understanding of current concepts in rheumatology as advances occur. 3) Life-long learner.

Clinical training: Our fellows are guided in the clinical science of rheumatology at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital, the teaching hospital of Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School (Rutgers RWJMS), New Brunswick, New Jersey. Clinical training spans two years, during which time fellows participate in the diagnosis and management of patients with a wide variety of rheumatic diseases and other diseases with rheumatologic manifestations. Fellows become part of a team of residents and students headed by full-time faculty who supervise the practical aspects of patient care and provide didactic teaching in the scientific disciplines that underlie the clinical practice of rheumatology.

EDUCATION

The fellowship program curriculum provides the opportunity for trainees to achieve cognitive knowledge and procedural skills, develop interpersonal skills, professionalism, cultivate humanistic attitudes, ethical behaviors and gain supervised practical experience as a consultant in treating a wide range of clinical problems- acute and chronic- in varied patient populations (different ethnicities, age groups, socioeconomic and cultural backgrounds).

The Scleroderma Program at Rutgers offer unique experiences for our trainees to learn state-of-the-art management and provide excellent research opportunities focused on these diseases.

Fellows have ready access to specialty-specific and other appropriate reference material in print or electronic format through the Rutgers University Libraries. Electronic medical literature databases with search capabilities are be available from any location.

RESEARCH

An active research component will be included within the fellowship training program. A meaningfully research experience must be provided with appropriate protected time for each fellow. The fellow will select a mentor and develop a specific research project. During the second year of training there will be time reserved for research with the expectation that an abstract will be submitted to the next American College of Rheumatology national meeting and a publication will result. The research should develop a research question, study design, lead to the collection and evaluation of data and the report of the conclusion.

RECENT CHANGES

2 new faculty will join the Rheumatology Division in fall 2020 to strengthen the academic and clinical success of the division, and give the fellowship training an excellent educational and learning experience. The trainees are expected to work with RWJ faculty who perform ultrasound using state-of-the art equipment in the outpatient clinics