Division of Rheumatology

Leadership

Positions:
  • Director, Rheumatology Fellowship Program
  • Assistant Professor of Medicine

For Program Information

Name: Lynette Simmons
Positions:
  • Fellowship Program Coordinator
  • Administrative Assistant, Division of Rheumatology
Contact Number(s):

Rheumatology Fellowship

The Rheumatology Fellowship at Thomas Jefferson University trains two fellows per year for two years. We also offer a third year fellowship in Systemic Lupus Erythematosus. Applicants to the program will have usually completed two to three years of an Internal Medicine residency at the time of their application. We accept applicants who are currently in the United States on an H1-B and J-1 visa.

The program has a history of providing fellows with clinical excellence in general rheumatology. We also have a focus on Systemic Sclerosis, Systemic Lupus Erythematosus, Neuro-Ophthalmology and Interstitial Lung Disease related to Connective Tissue Diseases. 

Fellowship Structure

Outpatient rheumatology clinics: Fellows have their own continuity clinic two times weekly. During this clinic, they see a large variety of rheumatologic diagnoses for which they serve as primary rheumatologists under supervision from the faculty. On a weekly basis, each fellow also participates in our two subspecialty clinics (Systemic Lupus Erythematosus and Systemic Sclerosis).

Inpatient rheumatology: Fellows see inpatient consults in 3 hospitals: Thomas Jefferson University Hospital, the Jefferson Hospital for Neuroscience and Wills Eye Hospital. In addition, during the second year of fellowship, the fellows see inpatient consults at Methodist Hospital in South Philadelphia.

Location: During the first year of fellowship ambulatory clinics and inpatient facilities are located in Center City within walking distance. During the second year of fellowship, fellows rotate through our Navy Yard outpatient facility and perform inpatient consults at Methodist hospital in South Philadelphia.

Pediatric rheumatology: Fellows spend approximately one month during their second year rotating with pediatric rheumatologists at the Alfred I DuPont Hospital for Children in Wilmington, Delaware.

Musculoskeletal Ultrasound: We have added a dedicated longitudinal musculoskeletal ultrasound course to our Friday teaching sessions.  Fellows will also have hands on ultrasound teaching as part of their outpatient clinic.  This is used to complement the physical examination and allow an objective measure of disease activity in certain patients.

Exposure to allied disciplines: Fellows have the ability and flexibility to spend time with allied departments at Thomas Jefferson University in the specialties of Musculoskeletal Radiology, Musculoskeletal Ultrasonography, Dermatology, Ophthalmology, Nephrology, Sports Medicine, Orthopedics, Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation and Laboratory Medicine.

Didactic teaching: Conferences take place on Friday mornings for 2.5 hours every week. During these sessions, medical students, residents, fellows, rheumatology faculty and external faculty participate in scholarly activities such as: case management conferences, journal clubs and didactic lectures.

Interdisciplinary Interstitial Lung Disease conferences with Pulmonary Medicine are scheduled every two weeks. Neuroinflammatory conferences are held quarterly, during which there is participation of colleagues from Neurology, Neurosurgery, Neuro-Ophthalmology, Pathology and Radiology Departments.  A combined Rheumatology/Dermatology clinic is held once every four weeks.

Additionally, first year fellows have the opportunity to attend a regional rheumatology conference that takes place typically in the first or second week of July as an introductory, but very comprehensive mini-course. This also presents an excellent opportunity to meet and network with first-year fellows from the other Programs. 

Scholarly activity: The division offers opportunities to participate in clinical, translational or basic science research, and each fellow is expected to engage in scholarly pursuit and to submit the results of their research for presentations at local, national or international meetings.

Educational Resources

As a fellow you will have access to the Scott Memorial Library and the Paul J Gutman Library. Resources like Pubmed, Dynamed, online journal, ebooks, text books and so much more will be available to you. There is also a simulation lab to practice joint aspirations and injections. 

Fellows will have the opportunity to attend the Annual meetings and State-of-the-Art symposiums from the American College of Rheumatology and you will enjoy the benefits of full ACR membership.

Depending on availability of funds, educational allowances are offered to fellows to support travel expenses for conferences and poster presentations. Posters will be printed by the Division at no cost to the fellow. 

Diversity & Inclusion

The program, in partnership with its Sponsoring Institution, must engage in practices that focus on mission-driven, ongoing, systematic recruitment and retention of a diverse and inclusive workforce of residents, fellows, faculty members, senior administrative staff members, and other relevant members of its academic community

Current Fellows

PGY - 5

Wendy Perdomo, MD
Medical School:
Universidad Iberoamericana (UNIBE) School of Medicine
Internal Medicine: Danbury HOspital in Affiliation with Yale School of Medicine, Danbury, CT

Sean Welch, MD
Medical School:
Drexel University College of Medicine
Internal Medicine: Cooper University Hospital Camden, NJ

PGY - 4

Jenna Guma, DO
Medical School: Rowan University School of Osteopathic Medicine
Internal Medicine:  Cooper University Hospital Camden, NJ

Krishna Prasad Bashyal, MD
Medical School: Institute of Medicine, Tribhuvan University
Internal Medicine: Michigan State University, McLauren Flint

Past Fellows

YEAR

NAME

CURRENT POSITION

2022 - 2024 Nikil Revuri, MD Summit Health Rheumatology
Clifton, NJ

2022 - 2024

Samuel Faught, MD Christus St. Vinvent Metabolic and Joint Health Specialists
Sante Fe, NM
2021 - 2023 Carol Nasr, MD Atlantic Medical
Morristown, NJ
2021 - 2023 Catherine Teskin, DO ChristianaCare Rheumatology
Wilmington, DE
2020-2022 Tanya Allawh, DO Main Line Rheumatology and Osteoporosis
Wynnewood, PA
2020-2022 Anupam Somashekar, MD Lehigh Valley Health Network
Allentown, PA
2019-2021 Shady Abdelbaki, MD ChristianaCare Rheumatology
Wilmington, DE
2019-2021 Yvan Maque Acosta, MD Infusion Solutions of Delaware
Dover, DE
2018-2020 Nandini Setia, MD Arthritis and Rheumatology of Georgia
Atlanta, GA
2017-2020 Cathy P. Lee Ching, MD University of Mississippi Medical Center Hospital
Jackson, MS
2016-2018 Sindu Yenigalla, MD Rheumatic Disease Associates
Philadelphia, PA