BWH Rheumatology Fellowship

Overview

Welcome to the Rheumatology Fellowship Program at Brigham and Women’s Hospital!

The BWH Rheumatology Fellowship Training Program dates back nearly 60 years, when it was based at the Robert Breck Brigham Hospital. It has deep roots in providing exceptional cutting- edge patient care while significantly advancing our understanding of the basic and clinical science that drive inflammation, immunity and autoimmunity. Our fellowship offers multiple opportunities for fellows to engage in advanced clinical care streams or focusing on clinical or basic sciences research.

One of the greatest attributes of the program is our collegiality. The Fellowship Training Program is something we all cherish deeply and is a cornerstone of our entire enterprise. We work together as a team learning from one another. We support our fellows during their training years and beyond.

Briefly, our training program is anchored in our outpatient clinics and inpatient consult service. Fellows acquire a deeper understanding of rheumatology through their exposure to patients who they manage with faculty supervision in the outpatient clinics and while serving as a lead clinician on the inpatient consult service.

The program provides ample opportunities for fellows interested in gaining research expertise in the basic or clinical sciences. We are fortunate to have one of the largest research faculty rosters nationally, allowing fellows to identify effective mentors.

This is an exciting time as we anticipate merging with the Division of Rheumatology at Mass General Hospital. We anticipate integration starting in 2028. Applicants who are applying in the July 2026 Match cycle will not be impacted by the merger in any substantial way.

Beginning with the July 2027 Match, applicants will be applying to a single combined program which will be known as MGB Rheumatology. This new Program will incorporate the MGH and BWH Fellowships that will phase out beginning July 2028. Fellows beyond Year I in training in July 2028 will continue their training under the supervision of the Program they initially selected, either MGH or BWH.

The BWH Rheumatology Fellowship is an ACGME-certified two-year program training academic rheumatologists as clinicians, clinician-educators, or clinician-scientists at Harvard Medical School.

Requirements

MDs who have completed three years of post-graduate training in internal medicine (or two years under the ACGME research residency, aka “short-trackers”).

• Board eligible in Internal Medicine
• USMLE Steps I, II, and III passed

Curriculum

Two years of fellowship (one clinical, one research focused) are required for ABIM Rheumatology Board certification. Our NIH T-32 sponsored training Program requires three years of training with two years primarily devoted to research.

Research opportunities include the study of basic sciences of immunology, immunity and autoimmunity. Fellows selected for this training have generally completed MD, PhD training, although a PhD is not required.

Fellows interested in “dry bench” research can focus on in depth studies of the clinical sciences pertaining to rheumatology, including epidemiology, public health, pharmaco-epidemiology and medical education. In select situations, there may be opportunities to pursue advanced training towards an MS degree (HMS) or MPH (HSPH) degree.

A summer introductory rheumatology program runs during the first four weeks, introducing fellows to the musculoskeletal examination, principles of immunology, and an overview of rheumatologic disease.

Throughout the academic year, a robust 24-month conference schedule complements clinical and research training. This includes weekly Rheumatology Grand Rounds, Patient Care Rounds, Consult Service Rounds and Fellows Rounds. In addition, there are conferences focusing on specific diseases such as lupus and vasculitis, radiology conferences and the basic science oriented Joint Biology Consortium conferences, which allow for fellows and attendings to present recent research findings

Clinical Experience

Year-I fellows devote most of their time to clinical care as they acquire the requisite skills of a rheumatologist. These include 2-3 weekly continuity clinics based at BWH and at peripheral suburban sites. Fellows gain a deeper understanding of rheumatology practice through the continuity of their case of patients which runs over the entire course of their fellowship training. Fellows are assigned preceptors for all clinics.

Year- I fellows are assigned approximately 24 weeks to the Inpatient Consult Service where they learn to manage critically ill patients with rheumatologic and autoimmune disorders.

Year II Fellows devote about half their time to clinical pursuits including continuity and subspecialty clinics and the other half to research. We encourage fellows to seek out mentors who can help them achieve success in their research efforts.

Year III- IV Fellows (those in the Research Track) maintain some clinical activity but devote the bulk of their time to research.

Research Experience

Training in the basic sciences of immunology and autoimmunity, translational research, clinician-educator pathways, bioinformatics and outcomes research are all available, grounded in an understanding of basic pathophysiology of rheumatic diseases.

How to Apply

Applications are processed through the Electronic Residency Application Service (ERAS). For administrative questions, contact Fellowship Coordinator Lauren Baino: lbaino@partners.org.

Division Chair: Ellen Gravallese MD

Program Director: Simon Helfgott MD

Associate Program Director: Jeffrey Sparks MD, MS