3-Month Research Elective for MD-PhD Students
Rotation Coordinator:
Robert Colbert, MD, PhD
Rotation Description
This elective rotation, offered through the Office of the Clinical Director, National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases (NIAMS), provides both clinical and research experience in rheumatology and/or dermatology with exposure to translational research in NIAMS laboratories. Qualified students will have the opportunity to evaluate adult and pediatric patients with a variety of known and unknown rheumatic and/or dermatologic diseases that cross the spectrum from autoinflammatory to autoimmune. Focus areas include periodic fevers, spondyloarthritis, systemic lupus erythematosus, vasculitis, eczematous dermatitis, immune-mediated adverse drug reactions and graft-versus-host disease. The clinical experience will include participation in attending rounds, patient conferences, didactic sessions, grand rounds, and a translational medicine journal club. Individual longitudinal laboratory experiences can be arranged with Senior Investigators in the NIAMS Intramural Research Program, and with staff scientists in the NIAMS Translational Immunology and Biodata Mining and Discovery Sections.
Rotation Objective:
One of the primary objectives of this elective is to provide students the opportunity to gain experience in the application of genetic and genomic approaches to discovery medicine, with exposure to bioinformatics, imaging, immunophenotyping and functional studies that support efforts to understand rheumatic and/or dermatologic disease etiology and pathogenesis.
Selection of Applicants:
Applicants must apply at least five (5) months prior to their anticipated start date. Students will be selected to begin their rotation January-September. Students are not allowed to begin their rotation October-December.