Rheumatology Fellowship
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Rheumatology Fellowship

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The Section of Rheumatology fellowship program is a 2-year, three fellow ACGME accredited program that currently admits one or two fellows per year. The program provides Fellows with the skills necessary to diagnose and manage adult and pediatric rheumatologic problems by utilizing diagnostic tests, including radiologic techniques, as well as networking with associated disciplines such as physical medicine, rehabilitation, orthopaedics, dermatology, and ophthalmology. The program also provides opportunities for research. A strong presence of basic science in both connective tissue biology and immunology exists within the section, as reflected by extramural funding of four separate section members by the National Institute of Health (NIH) and Veteran’s Administration.

The basic 2-year fellowship requires all fellows to engage in clinical, healthcare outcomes or basic science research. The fellow chooses an area of interest and works with a mentor in order to complete a project within two years. An additional third year can be arranged through the "Autoimmunity and Connective Tissue Biology" training grant, CECS (Center for Evaluative and Clinical Sciences) for a M.P.H., or the Leadership Preventative Medicine Residency.

This fellowship addresses a critical problem in modern health care delivery by offering a program that provides excellent clinical training combined with thorough exposure to the basic science disciplines upon which understanding of the pathophysiology of rheumatic disease is based. The breadth of this training is reflected in the ability to train individuals in careers in both academic and non-academic (industrial, clinical practice) sectors.

Fellows participate at the Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center's two campuses, Mary Hitchcock Memorial Hospital and Hitchcock Clinic, Lebanon, NH, and the White River Junction, VT V.A. Medical Center. Program participants have rotations in Orthopedics, Pain Clinic, Rehab. Medicine, Dermatology, Radiology and Uveitis Clinics.

A strong emphasis is placed on Pediatrics throughout the course of our fellowship, in distinction to others where the experience is a month at a time or even less. The clinical experience exposes postgraduate fellows to a broad panel of patients with a rich diversity of diagnoses and demographics. DHMC is a tertiary medical center that principally serves the population of New Hampshire, Vermont, southern Maine, and northern Massachusetts.