Annual Meeting programming this year offers fellows in training access to cutting-edge clinical and basic science covering the breadth of rheumatology, as well as the opportunity to network among their peers and leading clinicians and scientists in the field.
“The Annual Meeting is not only the best place to get updates on recent developments in rheumatologic research and clinical care, but it gives fellows in training an opportunity to learn directly from the experts in various fields, as well as an opportunity to get connected with other trainees and network with possible employers,” said Sunghye Kim, MD, Rheumatology Fellow at Wake Forest School of Medicine in Winston-Salem, NC, and Fellows Representative to the Annual Meeting Planning Committee.
Among the many sessions aimed at fellows-in-training, Dr. Kim recommends the Fellows-in-Training (FIT) Educational Session (2:30 pm Friday, October 19), which will expose fellows to resources for preparing for the boards and will provide avenues to explore career opportunities after fellowship via more than 30 round table discussions.
Also on Friday, October 19, Dr. Kim recommends the Fellows’ Symposium: Personalized Medicine (4:45 pm), which will offer an exciting and unique educational opportunity for fellows in training and physicians to discover what happens behind the scenes in the pharmaceutical realm.
With sessions on Sunday, October 21 (11:00 am), Monday, October 22 (7:30 am), and Tuesday, October 23 (7:30 am), Dr. Kim said this year’s Immunology Boot Camp is designed to provide a basic framework for understanding how the innate and adaptive immune systems respond and interact, with the result of rheumatic disease, and how to manipulate these systems for treatment.
Dr. Kim recommends Leadership Skills for the 21st Century Rheumatologist: Extend Your Sphere of Influence (12:30 pm Tuesday, October 23 ), which will provide training in critical leadership skills for academic physicians.
That’s just a few of the many sessions designed to help fellows in training enhance their professional development and provide optimal patient care. With so much to choose from, Dr. Kim advises fellows to study the meeting program and prepare.
“There are so many excellent lectures, you have to plan in advance to be sure you get to the ones that are most interesting to you,” Dr. Kim said. “If you don’t plan ahead, you might miss the lectures or sessions that would be most beneficial to you.”