Rheumatology Fellowship

The Virginia Mason Franciscan Health (VMFH) Rheumatology Fellowship is an ACGME-accredited 2-year fellowship designed to provide comprehensive training in inpatient and outpatient rheumatology. Upon graduation from the fellowship, trainees should be able to practice independently as a rheumatology consultative specialists and are eligible to apply for ABIM rheumatology board certification. 

• The ACGME Program ID# for the VMFH Rheumatology Fellowship is 1505414001.

Although the VMFH Rheumatology Fellowship Program is relatively new, first accredited by the ACGME in 2024, the rheumatology section at Virginia Mason Medical Center is one of the largest in Washington state. It provides comprehensive care to patients from Washington, Alaska, Idaho, and Wyoming, seeing hundreds of clinic patients per month with a robust musculoskeletal ultrasound program. 

There is also an inpatient rheumatology consultative service that covers our 336-bed hospital. We have a very active clinical and translational research program, and participate in many clinical trials via Benaroya Research Institute. 

VMFH has well established residency programs in internal medicine, general surgery, radiology and anesthesiology, and fellowship programs in cardiology and gastroenterology. We are a site for University of Washington medical students. 

At Virginia Mason Franciscan Health, fellows will have a focus on outpatient clinical rheumatology with a robust longitudinal continuity clinic experience. They will rotate through inpatient and outpatient consultative services, electives and research/academic project months. 

Eligible fellowship applicants must:

1. Have completed an internal medicine residency in an ACGME-accredited program
2. Demonstrate self-motivation and interest in continuous improvement
3. Demonstrate interest and capacity for academic, teaching or quality control pursuits
4. Possess mature interpersonal and communication skills
5. Be a U.S. citizen or have Permanent Residency (“green card”) status 

Leadership and administrative staff