Fellowship Program

Mission Statement

The UCSF Rheumatology Fellowship Program is committed to advancing health worldwide by training outstanding rheumatologists who are equipped to lead in academic and clinical rheumatology. Our comprehensive fellowship program develops skilled practitioners, pioneering researchers, and dedicated educators. These professionals are prepared to enhance patient outcomes through innovative care and research, addressing rheumatologic diseases at local, national, and international levels. Upholding UCSF’s tradition of excellence in education, patient care, research, and public service, we strive to transform scientific discoveries into enhanced health outcomes for all, particularly the world’s most vulnerable populations.

The ACGME-accredited program is approved for four positions annually and generally accepts three to four first-year fellows per year; 100% of these are graduates of ACGME-accredited internal medicine training programs.

Lianne Gensler, MD is the Program Director who coordinates training activities with Sarah Goglin, MD (Associate Program Director and Associate Chief for Rheumatology education), the three Site Directors and Clinical Chiefs: Krishna Chaganti, MD, MS [VA] , Sarah French, MD [UCSF Health] , Mimi Margaretten, MD, MAS [ZSFG] and Andrew Gross, MD [UCSF Health Clinical Chief]. In addition, Jennifer Mandal, MD is the Director of Educational Assessment.

The program has two tracks: a two-year clinical track and a three-year research track. The first year is identical for all fellows, regardless of track. This includes consult time at each hospital, continuity clinics at each site, research/elective time, and core didactics every week in addition to a teaching conference before every clinic.

In the second year, the research track fellows spend the majority of their time performing research with a half day of continuity clinic per week. The clinical track fellows maintain two continuity clinics plus one elective clinic a week. Elective clinics include Lupus, Rheumatoid Arthritis, Spondyloarthritis, Scleroderma, Musculoskeletal ultrasound, Vasculitis, Pediatric Rheumatology, Derm-rheum clinic and Sports Medicine). Clinical track fellows are expected to work on their teaching skills and also spend time performing scholarly work.

The program emphasizes strong research training during fellowship, and fellows participate in supervised research during the majority of their second year, as well as during a third, non-ACGME year of training. The program is widely viewed as one of the top rheumatology training programs in the country and has been very successful in attracting outstanding trainees from UCSF and other leading medicine programs in the U.S. During the past five years, 100% of trainees have passed their American Board of Internal Medicine specialty exam. In the last two years, three UCSF fellows have been selected for one of ten national ACR Distinguished Fellow Awards.

Research​​

Diversity

Family Friendly

Living in San Francisco

Curriculum Overview

The Rheumatology Fellowship has a structured curriculum throughout our training program, from the first two weeks of fellowship (“Rheum to Start”), to the Core Curriculum didactic series, to site-specific and multispecialty conferences. While we know that a lot of workplace learning occurs during clinical experiences, we are dedicated to providing a space and time for education on core and advanced topics in rheumatology. These include didactics and workshops on common rheumatology topics as well as other important topics in immunology, medical education, research, career development, well-being, and diversity, equity, and inclusion.

Rheumatology Orientation “Rheum to Start”

First-year fellows start fellowship with an immersive two-week block that consists of core didactics, site-based orientations, shadowing current rheumatology fellows, and community-building events. The core didactics include common rheumatology topics as well as sessions on how to be an effective consultant. The topics covered in “Rheum to Start” can be seen below.

Core Curriculum Series

Fellows have a weekly Core Curriculum didactic series on Tuesday mornings throughout the year. The topics include core rheumatology topics as well as sessions on well-being, teaching, and diversity, equity, and inclusion. The Core Curriculum topics can be seen below.

Rheumatology Division Conferences

The Rheumatology Divisions have weekly joint conferences on Tuesday mornings. These include case, journal club, and quality improvement presentations by fellows, as well as research and other talks from faculty (within and outside of the UCSF Rheumatology Division, including invited speakers from other institutions).

Site-Specific Conferences

Our continuity clinic sites at UCSF Health, ZSFG, and the VA have weekly case conferences where fellows present cases in a “morning report” style with assistance from a faculty facilitator. Faculty and senior fellows also provide focused teaching on a variety of core rheumatology topics, such as medications and musculoskeletal radiology.

Division Retreat

Second- and third-year fellows present their scholarly work at a yearly division retreat in the spring.

Curriculum Schedule

Topic	Session
Diagnostics in Rheumatology
The Physical Exam in Rheumatology	Rheum to Start
Approach to Rheumatology Labs	Rheum to Start
Introduction to MSK Radiology	Rheum to Start
Introduction to MSK Ultrasound	Core Curriculum
MSK Ultrasound Workshop	Core Curriculum
Inflammatory Arthritis
Introduction to RA	Rheum to Start
Introduction to Arthritis	Rheum to Start
Gout	Rheum to Start
Axial Spondyloarthritis	Core Curriculum
Psoriatic Arthritis	Core Curriculum
CPPD	Core Curriculum
Treatment of RA	Core Curriculum
Extra-articular Manifestations of RA	Core Curriculum
ANA+ Diseases
Common Consults: Lupus	Rheum to Start
SLE	Core Curriculum
Lupus Nephritis	Core Curriculum
Raynaud's Phenomenon	Core Curriculum
Scleroderma	Core Curriculum
Vasculitides
Common Consults: Vasculitis	Rheum to Start
PMR & GCA	Core Curriculum
Diagnosis and Treatment of Vasculitides	Core Curriculum
Myositis
Common Consults: Myositis	Rheum to Start
Approach to Myopathy	Core Curriculum

 

Topic	Session
Other Rheumatic and Connective Tissue Disorders
Sarcoidosis	Core Curriculum
Autoinflammatory Disease	Core Curriculum
IgG4-related Disease	Core Curriculum
Antiphospholipid Antibody Syndrome	Core Curriculum
Osteoarthritis
Osteoarthritis	Core Curriculum
Fundamentals of Hip and Knee Arthroplasty for Rheumatologists	Core Curriculum
Nonarticular and Regional Musculoskeletal Disorders
Sports Medicine for Rheumatologists	Core Curriculum
Fibromyalgia	Core Curriculum
Metabolic Bone Disease
Osteoporosis	Core Curriculum
Reproductive Health
Reproductive Health in Rheumatology	Core Curriculum
Contraception Nuts and Bolts for Rheumatologists	Core Curriculum
Lupus and Pregnancy	Core Curriculum
Pediatric Rheumatology
JIA	Core Curriculum
Transitions in Care from Pediatric to Adult Rheumatology	Core Curriculum
Dermatology
Psoriasis	Core Curriculum
Cutaneous Manifestations of Systemic Autoimmune Disease	Core Curriculum
Pathology
Dermatopathology in Rheumatic Diseases	Core Curriculum
Renal Pathology in Rheumatic Diseases	Core Curriculum
Neuromuscular Pathology in Rheumatic Diseases	Core Curriculum

 

Topic	Session
Immunology/basic science
Introduction to Immunology	Core Curriculum
T cells	Core Curriculum
B cells	Core Curriculum
T cell Signaling	Core Curriculum
Innate Immunity	Core Curriculum
Lymphocyte Trafficking	Core Curriculum
Lupus Pathogenesis	Core Curriculum
RA Pathogenesis	Core Curriculum
Osteoimmunology	Core Curriculum
Medication Mechanisms of Action	Core Curriculum
Miscellaneous Topics
Approach to Rheumatologic Emergencies	Rheum to Start
Medication Safety	Rheum to Start
Neuroimmunology for the Rheumatologist	Core Curriculum
Immunodeficiencies	Core Curriculum
Immune Related Adverse Events for Rheumatologists	Core Curriculum
Pulmonary Hypertension in Rheumatic Disease	Core Curriculum
Interstitial Lung Disease in Rheumatic Disease	Core Curriculum
Ocular Inflammatory Disease	Core Curriculum
Integrative Medicine for Rheumatologists	Core Curriculum
Teaching/Leadership/Wellbeing/DEI
Introduction to Research Planning	Rheum to Start
How to be an Effective Consultant	Rheum to Start
Differences Matter workshop	Rheum to Start
Creating & Presenting an Effective Lecture	Core Curriculum
Addressing Microaggressions Workshop	Core Curriculum
Health Disparities in Rheumatology	Core Curriculum
Meaning in Medicine	Core Curriculum