Overview
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 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 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 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.