Get Involved

Rheumatologic skin disease is common, debilitating, and frustrating for patients and their healthcare providers. Although many physicians readily recognize systemic autoimmune diseases, rheumatologic skin disease often goes unrecognized, is misdiagnosed, is not aggressively treated, or is resistant to therapy. Many physicians do not feel comfortable with the toxicity of treatment necessary to adequately control patients’ diseases. Training physicians skilled in the diagnosis and management of these diseases is critical to patient care and advancing the field.

Mentorship Opportunities

Many of our physicians serve as mentors to trainees and young graduates seeking to develop expertise in rheumatologic skin disease. We provide a list of members to contact for those interested in rheumatologic skin disease career development.

RDS Mentors

  • Carolyn Bangert, MD, Associated Dermatologists, PC
  • Benjamin Chong, MD, University of Texas Southwestern
  • Lori Chung, MD, Stanford University
  • Jennie Clarke, MD, Penn State Hershey Medical Center
  • Kari Connolly, MD, University of California, San Francisco
  • Melissa Costner, MD, North Dallas Dermatology Associates
  • Jan Dutz, MD, University of British Columbia, Vancouver
  • Alisa Femia, MD, New York University
  • Nicole Fett, MD, University of Oregon Health Sciences Center
  • Dave Fiorentino, MD, Stanford University
  • Ronnie Klein, MD, Yale School of Medicine
  • Mark Jackson, MD, University of Louisville
  • Joseph Merola, MD, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Harvard University
  • Misha Rosenbach, MD, University of Pennsylvania
  • Richard Sontheimer, MD, University of Utah
  • Victoria Werth, MD, University of Pennsylvania

Residency Training Programs

COMBINED INTERNAL MEDICINE/DERMATOLOGY RESIDENCY TRAINING PROGRAMS:
Medical students interested in rheumatologic skin disease may be interested in becoming proficient in internal medicine as well as dermatology. Combined Internal Medicine/Dermatology residency training programs offer the opportunity to be trained and board certified in both fields.

  • McGaw Medical Center of Northwestern University
  • LSU Health Sciences Center
  • Brigham and Women’s Hospital
  • University of Minnesota
  • University of Pennsylvania
  • University of Wisconsin – Madison
  • Washington Hospital Center

For more information, visit:
http://www.abim.org/certification/policies/combined-training/internal-medicine-dermatology.aspx

Fellowship Training Programs

  • The Ohio State University Department of Dermatology is proud to announce a new non-ACGME accredited Complex Medical Dermatology Fellowship. This one-year fellowship will provide exceptional training in the diagnosis and management of complex dermatologic diseases under the supervision of multiple, experienced dermatologists. For more details and information, please reference the attached flyer.
  • Rheumatology-Dermatology Fellowship, Boston University/Boston Medical Center, Department of Dermatology. Boston Medical Center is the largest safety net hospital in New England and a large emphasis will be placed on the intersection of health and healthcare disparities in this complex patient population. Criteria: board-eligible in Dermatology or Internal Medicine. Contact: Dr. Christina Lam at cslam@bu.edu.
  • The Cleveland Clinic Department of Dermatology is seeking applicants for a non-ACGME-accredited Complex Medical Dermatology fellowship. This full-time, 12-month position will offer a comprehensive and strongly mentored clinical experience in complex medical dermatology, including outpatient care, inpatient care, and dermatopathology. There will also be regular clinical collaboration with our team of expert faculty physicians across several medical disciplines. The fellowship will offer exceptional opportunities for conducting clinical and/or translational research, clinical trials, and teaching experiences. Attendance and presentation at scientific conferences will be encouraged.
    Interested applicants should email the following to fellowship director, Anthony Fernandez, MD, PhD (fernana6@ccf.org)
    Complex Med Derm Fellowship Information
  • Dermatology-Rheumatology Fellowship, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School. Criteria: board-eligible in Dermatology, Rheumatology, or must have completed at least a PGY-1 year in Medicine at the time of initiating the fellowship. Contact: Ruth Ann Vleugels, M.D. (rvleugels@partners.org), Director, Dermatology-Rheumatology Fellowship Program.
  • Clinical and Translational Research Fellowship, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center Dept of Dermatology, Dallas, Texas. Criteria: medical student (MS III or greater at inception of position) or MD for the opportunity to perform clinical and translational research at the Department of Dermatology at University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas. Contact:Jo Urquhart, jo.urquhart@utsouthwestern.edu.
  • Clinical and/or Clinical/Translational Research Fellowship, University of Pennsylvania Dept of Dermatology, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Criteria: board-eligible in Dermatology. Contact: Victoria Werth (werth@mail.med.upenn.edu).
  • Complex Medical Dermatology Fellowship, University of California San Francisco. Contact: Lindy Fox, M.D (foxily@derm.ucsf.edu).
  • Fellowship in Connective Tissue Diseases, Mass General Hospital Department of Dermatology.  Criteria: board-certified or board-eligible dermatologists. Contact: Flavia Fedeles (ffedeles@mgh.harvard.edu) or Janice Tiao (jtiao@mgh.harvard.edu).

Funding Opportunities

Those interested in obtaining funding for further training in rheumatologic skin diseases may benefit from funding from two other dermatology organizations: