Education

Asthma, Allergy & Immunology Fellowship Program: Overview

The Division of Asthma, Allergy, and Clinical Immunology offers a two-year combined Medicine and Pediatric Program, with an optional third research year available to select trainees. Trainees must complete the American Board of Internal Medicine or American Board of Pediatric requirements for specialty training in Internal Medicine or Pediatrics before they will be allowed to begin subspecialty training in Allergy. A trainee must be board-certified in Internal Medicine or Pediatrics AND complete training in Allergy before they will be eligible for certification by the American Board of Allergy and Immunology.

The University of Virginia Health System is a referral center providing primary and tertiary care for large portions of Virginia and West Virginia. All outpatient services in Allergy are provided in Charlottesville and the nearby vicinity. Outpatient facilities are located at Northridge Medical Park, the Battle Building at UVA Children’s Hospital, Zion Crossroads Specialty Care, and Culpeper Specialty Care.

The Clinical Experience

Outpatient Clinics

The general allergy clinic provides a major portion of the first-year fellow’s curriculum.  Fellows work closely with faculty members in three-month blocks focused on pediatric and adult medicine, providing a solid foundation in the specialty.  In the second year, fellows maintain a continuity clinic in general allergy and additionally rotate through sub-specialty and multi-disciplinary clinics which are a unique aspect of the training program. These include clinics focused on adult and pediatric immunodeficiency; eosinophilic esophagitis/complex food allergy; immunology/dermatology; and allergy/ENT clinics. Additional electives can be arranged on an individual basis. Both a variety of attending management styles and a mix of patient disorders are encountered. While rotating through a specific clinic, the fellow evaluates new patients, reviews the progress of established patients, and participates in multidisciplinary aspects of the disease-specific clinic by participating in post-clinic conferences and tumor boards.

Consultation Services

The consultation service provides inpatient consultations. Fellows are assigned to the Allergy/Immunology Consult Service on a rotating basis, and residents or medical students may also participate.

Electives:

Elective time can be arranged on an individual basis.  Examples of prior electives include dermatology, pediatric ENT, and pulmonary (including interpretation of PFTs).  Additional electives can be arranged with the approval of the curriculum, goals, and evaluation method by the program director.

Research & Teaching

Participation in a basic science, translational or clinical research project during the fellowship is required by the ABAI. Each fellow will pick a research mentor at the beginning of the first year. Fellows are expected to present updates on their research progress periodically.

Didactic lectures are an ongoing part of the fellowship, and a number of conferences are available to enhance this aspect of the fellowship. Conferences, including Grand Rounds, occur several times a week. Dedicated didactic time is provided on Friday mornings, and includes a review of a basic immunology textbook, practice parameters, clinical topic lectures by faculty in and outside of the division/university, and a journal club.

Fellows are encouraged to teach residents and medical students on rotations.  Over the course of the two years, the fellow prepares several journal club presentations and various posters and talks for presentation at local, regional, and national meetings.  Each fellow has the opportunity to travel to one national meeting in the first year and two national meetings in the second year.

Thank you for your interest in the Allergy and Immunology training program at the University of Virginia. We participate in ERAS and NRMP.

How to Apply

Application is a three-step process and is conducted through ERAS.

1. 1. We require 3 letters of recommendation and a personal statement submitted through ERAS. Documents will be accepted from ERAS only.
   2. Submit your ERAS application to the specific institution of your choice (i.e., the University of Virginia).
   3. Selected applicants will be invited to interview by email. Interviews will be conducted from September through October.

All applicants should be board certified or eligible in Internal Medicine or Pediatrics and have successfully taken and passed USMLE Steps 1, 2, and 3. We are board-certified by the American Board of Allergy and Immunology, and we follow the Accreditation Council of Graduate Medical Education’s six competencies (Patient Care, Medical Knowledge, Practice-based Learning and Improvement, Interpersonal and Communication Skills, Professionalism, and Systems-based Practice) in all areas of our teaching.

For more information, feel free to contact our fellowship coordinator.

Monte Parsons
(434) 243-6495
MP8S@hscmail.mcc.virginia.edu

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