Fellowship

Mission

The UW Rheumatology Fellowship Program is committed to:

Training

As a global leader in biomedical discovery, translational research, and clinical care, the University of Washington offers exceptional training opportunities for rheumatology fellows. During the first year of training, fellows work closely with expert clinicians at three mission-driven Seattle hospitals, developing comprehensive clinical skills through diverse inpatient and outpatient experiences. First-year fellows spend nine months on inpatient consult services while maintaining three half-day continuity clinics each week. Progress is supported through rotation-specific learning objectives and review by the Clinical Competency Committee.

Early in fellowship, fellows meet with the First-Year Mentorship Committee to explore career goals and identify research mentors, scholarly projects, and specialized clinical training opportunities aligned with their interests.

Throughout the first year, fellows are also assigned three dedicated month-long research blocks without primary inpatient responsibilities. These blocks provide protected time for quality improvement initiatives, scholarly activity, career planning, and elective outpatient experiences.

During the second year, fellows tailor their training to support their individual career paths. 2nd-year fellows may be scheduled between 1-3 continuity clinics per week commensurate with training pathway. Physician-scientist fellows benefit from mentorship by internationally recognized investigators at the University of Washington and affiliated research institutes. Clinically focused fellows may pursue advanced clinical training (e.g. musculoskeletal ultrasound), clinical specialization (e.g. interstitial lung disease), and medical education. This individualized approach allows fellows to develop the expertise and skills necessary for successful careers in academic medicine, clinical practice, research, and medical education.

Mentorship

Research training is supported by a diverse network of world-class research mentors within the Division of Rheumatology and through collaborations across the UW academic community. Fellows have access to outstanding research opportunities through partnerships with the Departments of Immunology and Genome Sciences, the Division of Nephrology and the Kidney Research Institute, the School of Public Health, and other research centers and institutes. For fellows pursuing careers as physician-scientists, the Division's NIH-funded T32 training program provides additional mentorship, protected research time, and career development support in basic, translational, clinical, and epidemiologic research.

Clinical Training Sites

Clinical training occurs at three outstanding teaching hospitals: University of Washington Medical Center-Montlake, Harborview Medical Center, and the VA Puget Sound Health Care System. Together, these three mission-driven hospitals provide fellows with broad exposure to the full spectrum of rheumatic diseases while caring for patients from diverse cultural, socioeconomic, and geographic backgrounds. Through these varied clinical settings, fellows develop expertise in the diagnosis and management of common and complex rheumatologic conditions, gaining experience in both inpatient consultation and longitudinal outpatient care.

Research

The University of Washington Division of Rheumatology is home to a vibrant community of physician-scientists and investigators engaged in innovative basic, translational, clinical, and population-based research. Research activities span several locations including the University of Washington South Lake Union Campus, Seattle Children's Research Institute, the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center, and the Benaroya Research Institute. Fellows pursuing clinical, epidemiologic, health services, or outcomes research frequently collaborate with mentors at the VA Puget Sound Health Care System, Harborview Medical Center, and UW Medical Center. Many fellows pursuing clinical or epidemiologic research complete advanced degree programs, such as a master's in clinical research or related graduate training through the University of Washington School of Public Health. Tuition and career development support for advanced degree training may be available through the Division's NIH-funded T32 training grant.

Major areas of investigation within the Division include: 

• Immunopathogenesis of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), rheumatoid arthritis (RA), and idiopathic inflammatory myopathies (IIMs)
• Type 1 interferons in autoimmune rheumatic diseases (ARDs)
• Non-coding RNA and mRNA splice variants in ARDs
• Regulatory T cells in SLE and RA
• Epigenetic modification and childhood-onset rheumatic diseases
• Neutrophils and mitochondria in SLE, RA, and juvenile dermatomyositis
• Cancer treatment and outcomes in patients with ARDs
• Pharmacoepidemiology
• Clinical outcomes and population health research in rheumatoid arthritis, osteoporosis, aging, and chronic rheumatic diseases

nationally recognized training program

The University of Washington Rheumatology Fellowship Program is nationally recognized for its longstanding commitment to excellence in clinical care, research, and education. As one of the country's longest-running NIH-funded rheumatology training programs, UW offers fellows unparalleled opportunities to learn from leading clinicians, educators, and investigators while developing the skills needed for successful careers in academic medicine and beyond.

The program has maintained continuous ACGME accreditation for more than three decades and currently holds full accreditation with no citations. We typically recruit four fellows annually: three in our Academic Track and one in our Clinical Track, allowing fellows to pursue individualized training pathways aligned with their career goals.

Find out more about applying to our Fellowship Program.