Many of us know thataccess to careisn’t always a guarantee. All too often, seeing a rheumatologist includes traveling out of state because of the severe rheumatologist shortage. Last year we committed to closing this gap by offering Fellowship grants to universities in underserved areas. After careful consideration, we recently selected five schools to receivefellowship grantsto help doctors advance in this specialty field. The institutions were offered $150,000 to launch new slots for established fellowship programs.

We are thrilled to be able to offer these awards because of the impact the newly funded positions will have on their communities. Executive Director Kelsey Woods told us this of the grant given to a school in her area, “The University of Washington has long been a partner of the Arthritis Foundation in the fight to both control and cure this debilitating disease. We are so proud to continue to fund a rheumatology fellowship right here in Seattle at the UW. Healthcare access is and must continue to be a top priority in the region, and this investment is confirmation that we will continue to fight for that.”

Three adult and two pediatric rheumatology fellowships have been offered and accepted by the follow programs:

Continue readingClosing the Gap on the Nation’s Rheumatologist Shortage→