Finally, ViTLs is an interactive, monthly lecture series that takes a deep dive into specific topics targeted to fellows in adult rheumatology fellowship programs. Topics include sarcoidosis, psoriatic arthritis and mimicking conditions of rheumatic disease (i.e., mimics of scleroderma, vasculitis and spondyloarthritis). The 2021 and 2022 lecture series can be found online.
V-FIT is a compendium of online courses developed by rheumatology experts to address specific educational needs of fellows in training.
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The COTW also works on online education modules, which include the Rheum4Science modules overseen by working group Chair Adam Kilian, MD, assistant professor of medicine at the Saint Louis University School of Medicine. These modules are geared toward rheumatology fellows in training, medical students, residents, practicing rheumatologists and other rheumatology healthcare providers interested in strengthening their understanding of basic scientific principles and clinical research methodology relevant to the field of rheumatology.
Topics covered by these modules include an overview of innate immunity and toll-like receptors in rheumatic disease, and future modules will include fundamental principles of B cell immunobiology and T cells for the rheumatologist. The modules can be found online.
Next, Dr. Marston discussed the Rheum2Learn modules, which were developed to teach residents in internal medicine about common rheumatology problems and provide a foundation for what they will see and learn during rheumatology rotations. Under the leadership of working group chair Sonam Kiwalkar, MD, a rheumatologist with the Vancouver Clinic, Vancouver, Wash., Rheum2Learn’s 15 modules will be converted from asynchronous, text-based activities to an asynchronous, interactive program using multimedia theory and principles of reasoning. All module updates are expected to be complete by June 2025. The current modules can be found online.
Dr. Marston also described the work of the Curriculum Subcommittee, chaired by Sharon Dowell, MD, associate professor of Internal Medicine at Howard University, Washington, D.C. In 2022, the main project for this subcommittee will be to map the new Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education Rheumatology Milestones to educational curricula for rheumatology fellows in training.1 This subcommittee is also in the process of evaluating several minicurricula from the ACR, such as those for sexual health, health disparities and Healthy Outcomes in Pregnancy in SLE Through Education of Providers (HOP-STEP).
Another important subcommittee is the Adult Rheumatology In-Training Exam Taskforce, which oversees the annual test—for which 560 fellows enrolled in 2022—and provides valuable feedback to fellowship program directors about the strengths and knowledge gaps among their fellows.
