Clinical training for the fellows occurs in the following venues:

Out-patient clinic: Trainees will gain experience in the evaluation, differential diagnosis, and management of children and adolescents with the full spectrum of rheumatic conditions. During the first year, fellows will develop their own patient panel while caring for patients in Fellows’ Clinic, general rheumatology clinic, and Lupus clinic (3 half-days per week). They will learn how to field phone calls regarding these patients, determine urgency by phone, perform appropriate physical examination, order and interpret studies, and initiate and manage treatments. In the second and third years of fellowship, fellows continue to care for their own patients during weekly Fellows’ Clinic.

In-patient service: Trainees will learn how to manage acutely ill patients with rheumatic conditions, including those with life-threatening complications.

Procedures: Trainees will become competent in aspiration and intra-articular steroid injection of the elbow, wrist, finger, knee and ankle.

Rehabilitation:Trainees will gain an understanding of the principles and techniques of rehabilitation.

Continuity: During their research years, fellows will continue to follow their cohort of patients in Fellows’ Clinic, developing competency in the management of chronic conditions.

The following are required rotations during the clinical year:

Various research tracks are available to pediatric rheumatology fellows, including basic science, clinical science and health services research. The fellow is expected to participate in a scholarly project during the last two years of the fellowship program, which may consist of a research project or medical education project. The program ensures a meaningful, supervised research experience based on early establishment of a mentor appropriate to the fellow's interests. Fellows are encouraged to write a grant, in order to provide meaningful experience in grant-writing. Trainees are encouraged to receive advanced training, either through formal curriculum or mentoring as appropriate. They are expected to prepare and submit a work product, usually a manuscript for publication, as per the requirements of the ABP.

UCSF boasts numerous institutes and academic programs which enrich training and provide extra resources to pediatric rheumatology fellows.

• Department of Pediatrics fellow’s College
• Traning in Clinical Research
• Institute for Health Policy Studies
• UCSF Immunology Graduate Program
• UCSF Program in Biological Sciences
• UCSF Academy of Medical Educators

The pediatric rheumatology fellowship program and the faculty are committed to the career development and mentoring of fellows. In addition to providing support as needed, the program director meets formally with all fellows twice annually throughout training to review performance and set educational, research and individual professional goals.

All fellows will establish a Scholarship Oversight Committee (SOC) through the Department of Pediatrics. This committee is comprised of individuals both within and outside of pediatric rheumatology, who will oversee the fellow’s scholarly activity and provide final sign-off for the American Board of Pediatrics. In addition, UCSF provides a uniquely rich mentorship environment, with many opportunities for clinical, academic, research and career mentoring beyond our division.

The UCSF Pediatric Fellows’ College provides a unique three year program tailored specifically to the professional development needs of fellows in the Department of Pediatrics. This program offers career development seminars and mentoring programs for all fellows.

Fellow Schedules

The following teaching conferences provide didactic instruction during the clinical year. The core curriculum is provided through a weekly shared seminar series with the Adult Rheumatology Fellows and a weekly dedicated Pediatric Rheumatology conference series.

The goals of the UCSF Pediatric Rheumatology Fellowship Program are 1) to train top notch, competent, compassionate clinicians prepared to succeed in an academic environment, and 2) to prepare trainees to engage in meaningful research and advance the field of pediatric rheumatology.

Objectives:

• Provide patient care that is compassionate, appropriate and effective for the promotion of health, prevention of illness, and treatment of rheumatic diseases.
• Demonstrate knowledge of established and evolving biomedical, clinical, and social sciences as they apply to the rheumatic diseases, and to apply their knowledge to patient care and the education of others.
• Demonstrate interpersonal and communications skills that enable them to establish and maintain professional relationships with patients, families and other members of health care teams.
• Demonstrate behaviors that reflect a commitment to continuous professional development, ethical practice, and understanding and sensitivity to diversity, and a responsible attitude toward their patients, their profession and society.
• Use scientific evidence and methods to investigate, evaluate, and improve patient care practices. It is anticipated that fellows already have an understanding of these practices through their completion of a pediatric residency.
• Demonstrate both an understanding of the contexts and systems in which health care is provided and the ability to apply this knowledge to improve and optimize health care.

The UCSF Pediatric Rheumatology Fellowship adheres to all the policies and procedures mandated by the University of California, the Graduate Medical Education Committee and the Accreditation Council of Graduate Medical Education (ACGME). Policies can be obtained at the GME web-site at http://medschool.ucsf.edu/gme/

Please note that UCSF fellows receive free health insurance and a housing stipend, as well as a meal allowance in the first year, to help offset Bay Area housing costs.

Sara Haro, MD [email protected]
Sara Haro, MD received a BS in neurobiology at the University of Texas. She then received her medical degree (MD) from the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center in 2014. Sara then completed her pediatrics residency at University of California, San Francisco in 2017 and is currently the 3rd year fellow in pediatric rheumatology at UCSF. Her primary research interests include the use of musculoskeletal ultrasound in Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis and transitions of care in childhood systemic lupus erythematosus.

Julia Shalen, MD [email protected]
Julia Shalen, MD studied Psychology and History at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She earned her medical degree at the University of California, San Francisco School of Medicine where she subsequently completed her residency in Pediatrics. Dr. Shalen is currently in her 2nd year of fellowship training in Pediatric Rheumatology at UCSF and is completing course work through the Advance Health Professions Education Pathway in the School of Medicine at UCSF. Her primary research interests are in medical education and improving access and quality of care for pediatric patients with rheumatologic disease.

William (Danny) Soulsby, MD [email protected]
Danny Soulsby, MD received a BSHS in Physiology from the University of Arizona in 2012 followed by his medical degree (MD) from Saint Louis University in 2016. He then went on to complete his residency in pediatrics at the University of California, San Francisco in 2019. He is currently a first year fellow in pediatric rheumatology at UCSF. His research interests are focused on the relationship between socioeconomic status and disease outcomes in rheumatic diseases in children.

The Rheumatology Fellowship Training Program accepts one new trainee each year. Applicants must have an MD degree from an accredited institution and must be board eligible or board certified by the American Board of Pediatrics. The Rheumatology Fellowship Training Program accepts applications from U.S. citizens or permanent residents through the Electronic Residency Application Service (ERAS). We begin reviewing completed applications in August. Selected applicants are invited to interview, when they will meet with our faculty and fellows and tour the facilities. Interviews are offered in September and October.

To apply, submit the following through ERAS:

• MyERAS application
• CV
• Three letters of recommendation (including one from residency program director)
• Personal statement
• Medical school performance evaluation (MSPE)
• Photograph
• USMLE transcript (transmitted by the NBME)
• ECFMG status report (for international medical graduates only)

We participate in the National Resident Matching Program's (NRMP) Fall Pediatric Subspecialties match http://www.nrmp.org/. We regret that we are not able to consider H1B and J1 visa applicants.

Erica Lawson, MD
Director, Pediatric Rheumatology Fellowship
Phone: 415-502-4940
Email: [email protected]
 

Catherine Le
Fellowship Coordinator
Phone: 415-502-3243
Email: [email protected]