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Faculty of Health Sciences

Department of Medicine

Rheumatology – Vasculitis Fellowship

Fellowship Program at McMaster

The Vasculitis Program at McMaster is a well-established and internationally renowned program. Since its initiation in 2010, the Vasculitis Program has been amongst the top recruiters in the world for research studies. With extensive experience in all the different vasculitides, McMaster and St. Joseph’s Healthcare are amongst world leaders in the research and specialized care of patients with vasculitis, especially in Giant Cell Arteritis in which we have pioneered diagnostic imaging techniques using MRI Scalp/Temporal Artery imaging (TAMRA), and ANCA associated vasculitis in which we have lead practice defining clinical trials. Available mentors include a broad range of experienced researchers and educators such as Drs. Nader Khalidi and Stephanie Garner (rheumatology), Michael Walsh (nephrology), and Gerard Cox and Param Nair (respirology). Fellows in the Vasculitis Program will have the opportunity to participate in a wide variety of clinical and research experiences with multidisciplinary perspectives and opportunities to network within the local, national and international vasculitis community.

Welcome

The Vasculitis Fellowship at St. Joseph’s Healthcare/McMaster Hamilton is a mentored training program of one year (clinical) or two years (research/clinical fellow) for physician-investigators who have a strong interest in vasculitis and wish to pursue a period of specialized training with an emphasis on clinical and/or translational patient-oriented clinical investigation. The trainee will undertake this at St. Joseph’s Healthcare/McMaster University which has an established distinct clinical and research program in vasculitis and availability of established faculty mentors.

Certification Outcome

Successful completion of the fellowship will be recognized with a Fellowship McMaster Certification.

Entry Requirements

  1. The candidate must be an MD committed to a career in clinical investigation.
  2. The candidate must have finished a residency and (preferably) have sub-specialty training relevant to vasculitis (such as general internal medicine, rheumatology, nephrology or respirology). Candidates from various subspecialty backgrounds are encouraged to apply.
  3. The Vasculitis Fellowship training will take place after the applicant has completed a formal subspecialty fellowship.
  4. The candidate must have a training license or full license to practice in Ontario where the Fellowship will take place from the START of the Fellowship/funding period.
  5. The fellow must be a citizen of Canada or have a valid visa that is acceptable to St. Joseph’s/McMaster from the START of the Fellowship/funding period.
  6. Preference is given to candidates who propose research related to ongoing Vasculitis projects.

Application Deadline

The application deadline is November 1 each year.

Goals of Training

There are two principal goals of the Vasculitis Fellowship:

  1. For the Fellow to be involved in the care of enough patients with various forms of vasculitis to develop a breadth of experience and expertise in the diagnosis and management of patients with vasculitis.
  2. To familiarize trainees with the major unmet research needs in vasculitis, the investigative techniques used in clinical and translational research in vasculitis, and understand how to conduct high-quality clinical research in vasculitis.

Length of Training

  1. Clinical fellow for one year: includes three to four half-days/week of clinical training in vasculitis and includes some didactic curriculum to assist in carrying out research. At least one research/academic project is expected to be completed in this time frame.
  2. Research/clinical fellow for two years: includes a minimum of two half-days per week in a vasculitis clinic over two years, combined with a research project(s) under the guidance of a mentor. Didactic research training is required; preference will be given to those willing to complete a Master degree or research certification program.

Funding

  1. Application should be made for funding through the Vasculitis Clinical Research Consortium (VCRC) – Vasculitis Foundation (VF) Fellowship Program in Clinical Investigation (VCRC-VF) for 50% of funding (salary and benefits) to support either the 1 or 2-year Fellowship.
  2. Funding from other sources is encouraged (for example the Clinical Investigator Program, funding from other subspecialty organizations in Nephrology or Respirology).

Curriculum Highlights

  1. Evaluation and management of patients with suspected/confirmed vasculitis in dedicated vasculitis clinics on Tuesday mornings, Wednesday mornings, and Thursday mornings/afternoons.
  2. Evaluation and management of patients with suspected/confirmed vasculitis in combined Rheumatology/Renal clinics twice per month.
  3. Evaluation and management of patients with suspected/confirmed vasculitis in combined Rheumatology/Renal/Respirology clinics once per month.
  4. Inpatient consultations of patients with suspected/confirmed vasculitis primarily at St. Joseph’s Hospital, Hamilton General Hospital and Juravinski Hospital.
  5. Attendance and participation in meetings relevant to vasculitis (e.g., American College of Rheumatology Annual Meeting, International Vasculitis and ANCA Workshop).

Supervision & Feedback

  1. Supervision will be given mainly by the primary mentor but will also be by the attendings/mentors in Respirology/Rheumatology/Renal Vasculitis and Rheumatology/Renal Vasculitis Clinics as well as Respirology/Rheumatology Eosinophilic Vasculitis clinics
  2. Tools for evaluation will be Periodic Quarterly Evaluations using CanMeds roles as objectives and Work Based Assessment Evaluations on Medsis as well as evaluation of research abstracts, papers by mentors as well as the VCRC Steering Committee if funding is available through the VCRC VF funding agency.