Rheumatology Fellowship Program
Why Our Rheumatology Fellowship Program Program Goals
Program Locations
Program Clinics
Program Features
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Department of Medicine

Rheumatology Fellowship Program

Our two-year program, with an option for extending to three, educates our fellows in providing comprehensive, multidisciplinary and state-of-the-art rheumatologic care, with an emphasis placed on being patient-centered. 

Konstantinos Loupasakis, MD, Director, Rheumatology Fellowship Program

Konstantinos Loupasakis, MD, Director, Rheumatology Fellowship Program

Why our program could be right for you

The Montefiore Einstein Rheumatology Fellowship Program combines a didactic curriculum and unparalleled clinical exposure to a diverse patient population with a spectrum of rheumatic diseases, allowing our trainees to sharpen their skills and become well-rounded rheumatologists. By participating in continuity clinics, our fellows come to understand the long-term manifestations and complications of the rheumatic diseases while developing lasting clinical partnerships with their patients.

A goal-oriented fellowship

Over the course of their training, fellows learn how to:

  • Demonstrate and apply advanced knowledge of clinical manifestations, presentations, pathophysiology and management of rheumatologic diseases, as well as of systemic diseases with rheumatologic manifestations
  • Develop and demonstrate the clinical skills of data collection, including history taking, physical examination (including the performance of an in-depth musculoskeletal exam) and demonstrating appropriate request for and interpretation of laboratory testing and analysis of imaging studies
  • Perform and/or interpret diagnostic tests and therapeutic procedures while ensuring patient safety and comfort, including arthrocentesis, common in the practice of rheumatology
  • Display excellent clinical assessment and judgment in determining the use, efficacy and side effects of immunosuppressive and immunomodulating therapies
  • Exemplify values consistent with patient-centered care while addressing the social determinants of health in order to provide optimal care for all patient populations
  • Advocate for the needs of patients affected by the rheumatic diseases on a local, regional and national level

Moses Campus

A 726-bed tertiary care hospital, our Moses Campus offers state-of-the-art care, ranging from comprehensive cancer care to advanced transplant services. Moses is also home to our lupus and general rheumatology clinics, where fellows provide ongoing patient care at their weekly continuity clinics. Through the breadth of specialties and services provided at Moses, our fellows gain incredible exposure to the most complicated rheumatology cases. All rheumatology admissions and consultations are seen and followed by two Rheumatology Fellows and one faculty member assigned to the Moses Campus for two weeks at a time. 

If you train at Einstein, you can go anywhere from here. The diversity of patients and pathology is unparalleled. We take care of one another at Montefiore Einstein Rheumatology, and we really like each other!

Dima Nimri, MD

Past Rheumatology Fellow

Jacobi Medical Center

A Montefiore Einstein teaching affiliate, Jacobi Medical Center (JMC) is home to a Level 4 trauma center, a burn center, an active emergency room and 457 acute care beds. First-year Fellows will see a wide breadth of rheumatology at this site at a weekly general rheumatology clinic as part of their continuity experience in outpatient care.

Shereen Mahmood, MD

I chose this program for the strong clinical education and diverse urban environment.

Shereen Mahmood, MD

Past Rheumatology Fellow

Jack D. Weiler Hospital, Einstein Campus

Located on the campus of Albert Einstein College of Medicine, the Jack D. Weiler Hospital is a 403-bed tertiary care facility that serves 75,000 patients per year. 

Weiler Lobby

Program clinics

A number of specialized clinics offer our trainees the opportunity for hands-on, in-depth learning. 
 

Ultrasound Clinic

Our Ultrasound Clinics, which take place at our Hutchinson Campus, are dedicated to assessing and treating arthritic conditions via ultrasound. These teaching clinics are attended by one rheumatologist and one to two second-year fellows, who treat patients referred for injections and evaluations.

Lupus Clinic

Located at Moses Campus, our Lupus Clinics see a range of patients, including those with new diagnoses, suspected diagnoses, prior diagnoses and/or recent hospitalizations for flares of systemic lupus erythematosus, discoid lupus, mixed connective tissue disease and antiphospholipid syndrome. Several attendings, fellows and rotating residents and medical students attend these clinics. Our Lupus Clinics are teaching practices, with fellows serving as primary caregivers, and count as continuity clinics. This fellows-driven continuity clinic is part of the Montefiore Einstein Institute for Lupus Care and Research (ILCR)

General Rheumatology Clinic

General Rheumatology (Arthritis) Clinics take place at Moses Campus and Jacobi Medical Center. The majority of our patients are seen at these clinics, and are suspected or known to have rheumatic diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis, vasculitis, systemic sclerosis, inflammatory myositis, spondyloarthropathies, gout and osteoarthritis. All new non-lupus patients who are seen in the hospital by the teaching service and who have the need for outpatient follow-up are also seen in these clinics. Patients are referred to these clinics by both internal and community primary care practices, subspecialists and the emergency room. Clinics are attended by several attendings and first- and second-year fellows, as well as by rotating residents and medical students. Fellows serve as the primary caregivers in these teaching clinics, which are part of a fellow’s continuity clinic structure.

A world-renowned faculty

Konstantinos Loupasakis, MD

Konstantinos Loupasakis, MD

Director, Rheumatology Fellowship Program
Co- Director, Montefiore Einstein Institute for Lupus Care and Research (ILCR)
Associate Professor of Medicine

Bibi Ayesha, MBBS

Associate Director, Rheumatology Fellowship Program
Director, Montefiore Einstein Vasculitis Clinic
Associate Professor of Medicine

Marie Ayala

Coordinator, Rheumatology Fellowship Program

Shudan Wang, MD, MS

Co-Director, Montefiore Einstein Institute for Lupus Care and Research (ILCR)
Associate Professor of Medicine

Jeanie Lee, MD

Assistant Professor of Medicine

Melissa Band DO, RhMSUS

Director, Musculoskeletal Ultrasound Clinic
Director, Musculoskeletal Diseases Course for second-year Einstein medical students

Clement Tagoe, MD, PhD

Chief Emeritus, Professor of Medicine

Anand Kumthekar, MD

Interim Chief, Division of Rheumatology
Interim Vice Chair for Faculty Affairs
Associate Professor of Medicine

Dahlia Hassan, MD

Misbah Chaudhry, MD

Faith Ikalina, MD

Barry Fomberstein, MD

Current fellows

Natalie Atallah, MD

Second-year fellow

Murilo Bastos Silva

Second-year fellow

Charles deBoisblanc, MD

Second-year fellow

Michael Liu, MD

Second-year fellow

Maria Jaimes-Reyes, MD

First-year fellow

Vladimir Jelic, MD

First-year fellow

Shobhit Piplani, MD

First-year fellow

Sumbal Wajid, MD

First-year fellow

 

Recent graduates:

2025

  • Chen Chao, MD, MBA (Faculty at Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, TX)
  • Gopisree Peringeth, MD (Faculty at Jacobi Medical Center, NY)
  • Tariq Syed, MD (Faculty at Jacobi Medical Center, NY)
  • Swetapadma Tripathy, MD (Faculty at Northwell Health, NY)
  • Faith Ikalina, MD (Graduate of the combined Medicine- Pediatric Rheumatology fellowship track; Faculty at Montefiore Einstein, NY)

2024

  • Juliann Allen, MBBS (Faculty at Holyoke Medical Center, MA)
  • Davina Chen, DO ( Rheumatologist, NY)
  • Chinenye Osuorji, MD (Rheumatologist, NM)
  • Anitha Ramu, MBBS (Rheumatologist, CA)

2023

  • Sundus Main, MD (Faculty at Mt Sinai Hospital, NY)
  • Oscar Mena Miranda, MD (Faculty at UPMC, PA)
  • Nigam Patel, MD (Private practice, NJ)

2022

  • Bhavna Abbi, M.D. Faculty at Beth Israel Lahey Health- MA
  • Sai Koyoda, M.B.B.S Private practice- NY
  • Dima Nimri, M.D. Faculty at George Washington University Hospital- DC
  • Patrick Webster, M.D. Academic practice, Nuvance Health/Norwalk Hospital- CT

2021

  • Lilian Bizzocchi Private Practice-MO
  • Navneet Kaur Academic Practice-CA
  • Don-Andre Jackson Private Practice-CT
  • Jeanie Lee Faculty at Albert Einstein College of Medicine, NY

2020

  • Chrisanna Dobrowlski Faculty at the Ichan School of Medicine at Mount Sinai
  • Alejandra Londono Private Practice-IA Sneha Patel Private Practice – TX

2019

  • Nevena Barjaktarovic Private Practice – PA
  • Maria Gabriela Chancay Private Practice – NJ
  • Eugeniya Golub Academic Practice - NY

2018

  • Pankaj Jain Keiser Permanente – Washington, DC
  • Joey Kim Private Practice - CA
  • Shereen Mahmood Faculty at Albert Einstein College of Medicine, NY

Inpatient and outpatient rotations

Fellows assigned to inpatient rotations are responsible for the evaluation of inpatient and emergency room consultations, and the continued follow-up of these patients during their hospitalization. During rotations, fellows develop and refine clinical evaluation skills, as well as skills in providing consultation services. Inpatient rotations also allow fellows to develop a comprehensive understanding of the indications, contraindications, techniques and complications of arthrocentesis, as well as of the interpretation of results from this procedure.

All fellows, regardless of year, maintain three half-days of outpatient rotations at ambulatory continuity clinics. Under the supervision of dedicated attending faculty members assigned to each individual clinic, this experience continues with progressive responsibility through the fellowship. Each fellow has one Lupus Clinic and two General Rheumatology “Arthritis” Clinics each week, where they are exposed to the full breadth and scope of the practice of rheumatology.

A challenging and innovative curriculum

The Montefiore Einstein Rheumatology Fellowship offers comprehensive training to thoroughly prepare our fellows for careers in clinical practice and/or investigative rheumatology. The first year of the program lays the groundwork for a firm understanding of clinical rheumatology through didactic sessions and inpatient and outpatient rotations. In the second year, our fellows devote most of their time to a mentored research project in a preferred area of interest. With department approval, an optional third year is available for fellows interested in pursuing intensive research training.

First-year curriculum

During their first year, fellows attend three to four outpatients continuity clinics per week: one session in a Lupus Clinic, and two to three in General Rheumatology Clinics at Moses Campus or Jacobi Medical Center. Fellows do monthly rotations on the inpatient consult service, with four months distributed over the Jacobi Medical Center and Weiler Hospital and six months distributed over the Moses Campus and North Central Bronx Hospital. First-year fellows attend first-year didactic sessions dedicated to fundamental knowledge of disease pathophysiology and management, including small group case-based sessions and periodic interval assessments; musculoskeletal radiology, including introduction to MSK ultrasound; fundamentals of immunology; patient-centered care, and participation in division- and department-wide journal clubs and grand rounds. 

Second-year curriculum

As part of their second-year curriculum, fellows attend three continuity clinics per week: one session in a Lupus Clinic, and two in General Rheumatology Clinics. Fellows are also given protected time for research and, if the fellow is interested and approved by the division, may begin the first year of the Clinical Research Training Program. During their second-year training, fellows also participate in a dedicated monthly Musculoskeletal Ultrasound (MSKUS) Procedure Clinic and the development of a Quality Improvement project. 

Musculoskeletal ultrasound curriculum

Our two-year Musculoskeletal Ultrasound (MSKUS) Program is led by members of our USSONAR-trained faculty, Beverly Johnson, MD, and Shereen Mahmood, MD. Ultrasound (US) training in the first year is designed to supplement clinical training as fellows learn to correlate physical exam findings with US imaging, and provides fellows with basic board review of common pathology encountered in US practice. The curriculum is intended to provide fellows with hands-on procedural experience and help them gauge their interest in developing their US skills for USSONAR certification and further practice. 

Musculoskeletal ultrasound curriculum

Divided into quarterly goals as defined by USSONAR requirements, training in the second year is designed for fellows to advance and refine their US skillset. The curriculum allows fellows to participate in USSONAR certification, prepare for future RhMSUS board certification and develop clinical research projects. Each MSKUS clinic session is divided into journal review and patient procedures. 

First-year selective

During our one-month selective program, fellows continue to participate in their continuity clinics but are provided time off from the in-patient service to explore other fields pertinent to Radiology Fellows, including orthopedics, pediatric rheumatology, physical therapy, dermatology, ophthalmology and musculoskeletal (MSK) radiology.

Clinical Research Training Program

Our Clinical Research Training Program (CRTP) allows fellows to earn a Master of Science in Clinical Research Methods. Combining didactic learning and coursework with a mentored research experience, this intensive two-year program is designed for those pursuing a career in investigator-initiated, hypothesis-driven clinical research. CRTP scholars are drawn from all Montefiore Einstein medical specialities and subspecialties, including those interested in clinical investigation across the entire translational research spectrum.

Fellowship Application Information

We’re seeking fellows who will shape the future of healthcare.

If you would like to apply to become a Rheumatology Fellow at Montefiore Einstein, here is some information to keep in mind.

  • Applications will be accepted through ERAS on a rolling basis until the 30th of September every year.
  • We recommend that your application and letters of recommendation be available for download by the program prior to the 15th of August every year.

Have questions? Get in touch.

Marie Ayala
Coordinator, Rheumatology Fellowship Program
itayala@montefiore.org

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