The Rheumatology Fellowship program at Wake Forest School of Medicine is an Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME)-accredited program. Fellows have the valuable opportunity to care for a diverse patient population and see an extensive variety of rheumatologic illnesses. As one of the major medical centers in North Carolina, we see patients from all over the region.
Our fellowship allows fellows to pursue their unique goals, whether they seek a career in clinical or academic rheumatology.
The program accepts applicants who have completed, or are about to complete, internal medicine residency training, are eligible to sit for the American Board of Internal Medicine certification exam and wish to receive further training in the subspecialty of rheumatology.
Program Goals
The mission of the Rheumatology Fellowship Training Program is to produce physicians that
- Are clinically competent in the field of rheumatology, and
- Are capable of working in a variety of settings, and
- Possess habits of life-long learning to build upon their knowledge, skills and professionalism, in support of a patient-centered approach to healthcare delivery
The philosophy of the rheumatology fellowship training program is to provide the fellow with the resources necessary to undertake a self-directed learning program that will lead to high-level competence in clinical rheumatology, and provide a foundation upon which the fellow may pursue the next level of mentored research training. The resources made available to the fellow are as follows:
- Large number of patients representing the spectrum of rheumatologic disorders
- Active clinical and research faculty in rheumatology, and at WFSM at large
- The resources inherent in a nationally recognized tertiary care medical center
- A local and regional didactic conference program, and hands-on training in procedures including ultrasonography, relevant to rheumatology
- Recommended sources for self-directed reading
- A mentoring program that provides ongoing feedback on training progress and career development.
Education Tracks
Here at Wake Forest Rheumatology, we have two tracks available:
- Two-year clinical track in rheumatology
- An additional 1-2 year research track is available upon matriculation to rheumatology fellowship resulting in a certificate or M.S. degree in Learning Health Care System that requires a separate application process.
We are so proud of what you have accomplished in your career up to this point and are excited to potentially be part of your continued medical journey. Our goal is to recruit fellows who are excellent clinicians and who have demonstrated a committed to life-long education – both of which are essential to becoming a top notch rheumatologist.
Our curriculum is designed to help each fellow learn to recognize, diagnose and treat the wide breadth of rheumatologic disease with progressive responsibility. Over the two years with us, you will have 3 continuity clinics here at WFBH and 1 clinic at the Kernersville Veteran’s Affairs. All clinics are staffed by our faculty – including alumni of the fellowship program itself. Given that WFBH is a premier academic medical center, fellows are exposed to complex and challenging cases which is nicely balanced by the more bread-and-butter cases seen at both WFBH and the VA. During your training, you will spend time on the inpatient consult service at WFBH seeing everything from scleroderma renal crisis, vasculitis and other rare conditions to the ever-common gout. Between the outpatient clinics and the inpatient consult service, our fellows graduate having seen a wide variety of conditions and being well prepared for their future practice – whether that be in private practice or in academics. We have a robust educational curriculum that complements the clinical experience. You will have instruction in musculoskeletal ultrasound, aspirations and injections and other common rheumatologic procedures as well as access to various electives and unique experiences. You will participate in a research project mentored by our faculty as well as a group quality improvement project.
In the Rheumatology section, we function like a family. We work together to take care of not only our patients, but also to take care of each other. The faculty are invested in the fellows, their education and their overall wellbeing. We listen to the fellows’ ideas and concerns and are flexible with trying out new ways to improve the educational experience. We celebrate faculty, fellow and staff’s achievements (personal and academic) as well as support each other when needed. By coming to Wake Forest, you are not just starting a new job but rather, gaining more family.
We know this past year has been exceptionally challenging but we are excited for all of you to become rheumatologist and join us in such a wonderful, dynamic and ever-expanding field. We know we cannot train all of you but the rheumatology world is small and look forward to calling of you colleagues!
Rachel M Wolfe, MD
Director, Rheumatology Fellowship Program
Assistant Professor of Medicine
2018
Dr. Trey Mullis – Private Practice in Greenville, SC
2019
Dr. Sunghye Kim – Dual appointment: Veterans Affairs and Wake Forest Baptist Health in Winston Salem, NC
Dr. Devy Setyono – Private practice in Wyomissing, PA
2020
Dr. Brian Bush – Private practice in Knoxville, TN
Dr. Sarah Min – Private practice in Cincinnati, OH
2021
Dr. Ellie Klionsky – Private practice in Charlotte, NC
Dr. Page Bomar – Private practice (Atrium) in Charlotte, NC
