Department of Medicine - Division of Rheumatology & Clinical Immunology
Professor and Head
Marc C. Hochberg, MD, MPH
Undergraduate Courses
First Year
Members of the rheumatology division participate in teaching the immunology section of the microbiology course, the immunopathology section of the pathology course and clinical correlation in the biochemistry course.
Second Year
Members of the rheumatology division participate in teaching the section on Arthritis and Connective Tissue Diseases in the Pharmacology & Therapeutics course using both lecture and small group format.
Third Year
During their rotation on medicine at the University of Maryland Medical System or the Baltimore VA Medical Center, junior medical students interact with rheumatology faculty and fellows on the rheumatology consult service and receive lectures on diagnosis and management of arthritic and connective tissue diseases. Weekly rheumatology grand rounds and journal club are open to students.
Fourth-Year Students and House Officers
The rheumatology division offers a clinical elective for senior medical students and medical house officers designed to present the spectrum of arthritic and rheumatic disease and approaches to diagnosis and management. Integration of clinical features with the mechanisms of disease processes is accomplished through informal tutorial sessions as well as didactic lectures. The rationale for the various management programs including drug therapies, physical medicine and orthopaedic surgery is emphasized. Experience is gained in performance of diagnostic procedures (e.g., arthrocentesis) and in interpretation of relevant laboratory data. Out-patient services are offered at several locations, including clinic at University Health Center, the VA Medical Center, and the Arthritis, Bone and Joint Institute at the James L. Kernan Hospital. Faculty and students also see patients on an in-patient basis on the various consult services.
Postgraduate Fellowships
The division of rheumatology and clinical immunology offers a two-year clinical fellowship that emphasizes training in both the clinical and research aspects of rheumatology. Three years of prior training in internal medicine are required.