Massachusetts General Hospital Allergy and Immunology Fellowship

Overview

Welcome to the Massachusetts General Hospital Allergy/Immunology Fellowship Training Program. Our mission is to train future leaders who will inspire and push the leading edge of medicine in patient care, teaching and research. The program provides outstanding clinical training, a strong collaborative research environment, supportive mentoring, and a broad range of educational opportunities through outstanding clinicians and nationally/internationally recognized leaders in clinical, translational, and basic science research.

Two fellows are recruited each year from trainees who have completed residencies in internal medicine, pediatrics, or medicine/pediatrics. The two year program is devoted to fulfilling the requirements for certification by the American Board of Allergy and Immunology. Many fellows will spend an additional year on their research, developing expertise and experience in their area of study. The fellowship is accredited by the ABAI, a conjoint group including input from the American Board of Pediatrics and the American Board of Internal Medicine.

Requirements

• ERAS application
• CV and personal statement
• USMLE transcripts
• Three letters of recommendation
• Photo
• Valid ECFMG certificate (foreign medical graduates only)

Curriculum

The first year of fellowship is dedicated to building clinical skills, both inpatient and outpatient, in all aspects of allergy and immunology. The second year of fellowship provides protected research time to develop skills and expertise in a chosen area with close mentorship. An additional year of research training is available for those fellows planning a career as a physician-scientist.

During the first year, fellows have weekly continuity clinics in adult and pediatric allergy/immunology clinics as well as rotations in clinics in other specialties, including the Clinical Immunology Lab, Drug Allergy testing, Dermatology, Pediatric Dermatology, Contact Dermatitis, ENT, Infant food challenges, Immune deficiency, Eosinophilic Esophagitis, and Genetics. Fellows see a diverse spectrum of disease through inpatient adult and pediatric consultations with a strong focus on drug allergy and immunology cases.

The second year of fellowship provides protected research time to develop skills and expertise in a chosen area with close mentorship. In addition to the junior and senior mentors involved directly in the project with the fellow, a research advisory committee meets with the fellow 2-3 times a year to help mentor and guide the fellow and allows for additional feedback outside of the fellows’ direct advisors. Fellows will continue to see patients for 1-2 half days per week and help to supervise food challenges, venom desensitization and aspirin desensitization on those days.

Research Experience

Offering a diverse, integrative and interactive training experience, exceptional investigators at Massachusetts General Hospital serve as research supervisors and mentors of our trainees. Under the guidance of the mentor, the fellow learns to formulate hypotheses and design experiments to test these hypotheses, to perform laboratory techniques, to analyze data and to write manuscripts and grants. A diverse group of faculty with a wide range of research interests are available.

A fertile environment for physician-scientists and PhD scientists with an interest in allergic diseases exists in the Center for Immunology and Inflammatory Disease (CIID) at the Mass General-East Charlestown Navy Yard Research Facility. Faculty and fellow collaboration is at the heart of the research training program.

The Division of Allergy and Clinical Immunology's Clinical Epidemiology Program focuses on training fellows in the principles of clinical research in allergic and immunological diseases. Located within the Mass General Department of Medicine's Mongan Institute, faculty members train fellows in research related to allergic and immunologic diseases using clinical research methods that include advanced informatics, clinical epidemiology, primary data collection and simulation science. In addition, there is clinical and translational research ongoing across the spectrum of allergic disease including the Drug Allergy and Desensitization Program, the Immune Deficiency Disorders Program, and the Food Allergy Center.

Fellows interested in furthering their clinical and translational research skills may apply for admission to the Summer Program in Clinical Effectiveness at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, which is designed for individuals who want to develop their quantitative and analytic skills for clinical research.

How to Apply

Applications are processed through the Electronic Residency Application Service (ERAS) Fellowship Applicant site.

For curriculum questions: Rebecca Saff, MD, PhD, Fellowship Director.

For administrative questions: Lauren Baino, Fellowship Coordinator.

Fellowships and Faculty Contacts

Program Leadership:

• Rebecca Saff, MD, PhD – Fellowship Program Director

Allergy Faculty:

• John Accarino, MD
• Aleena Banerji, MD
• Sara Barmettler, MD
• Kimberly Blumenthal, MD, MSc
• Carlos Camargo, MD, DrPH
• Michelle Conroy, MD
• Paul Hesterberg, MD
• Morris Ling, MD
• Maxim Lutskiy, MD, PhD
• Mandakolathur Murali, MD
• Sarita Patil, MD
• Michael Pistiner, MD, MSC
• David Pyle, MD, PhD
• Rebecca Saff, MD, PhD
• Mara Shapero, MD
• Wayne Shreffler, MD, PhD
• Caroline Sokol, MD, PhD
• Jamie Waldron, MD
• Michael Wilson, MD, PhD
• Anna Wolfson, MD