Rheumatology Division

The UCLA San Fernando Valley Rheumatology Training Program is a dynamic clinical and research program with a 30-year history of training outstanding board-certified rheumatologists.  Previously a Combined Program with the Sepulveda VA Medical Center, the Program is now based at the LA County Olive View-UCLA Medical Center in the San Fernando Valley since 2004.  This program has 2 full-time faculty, 3 part-time faculty, fourteen volunteer attending rheumatologists (twelve in private practice and two in industry), and two fellowship positions. 

The strengths of the UCLA San Fernando Valley Rheumatology Program are: 1. The diversity of training obtained from exposure to varied patient populations encountered through elective rotations at the Greater Los Angeles VA Healthcare System, Rancho Los Amigos National Rehabilitation Center, Children’s Hospital of Los Angeles, and UCLA Medical Center in addition to the county population at Olive View-UCLA Medical Center; 2. A strong didactic teaching program that includes clinical and basic science seminars, clinical and basic science journal clubs, x-ray conferences, pathology conferences, and emphasis on bedside teaching; 3. The opportunity to participate in basic and clinical research.  The emphasis of the Program is to train rheumatologists the skills to be capable of self-maintaining their own high level of clinical competence throughout their lives.

Olive View-UCLA Medical Center provides diverse educational experiences by incorporating elective rotations at the Greater Los Angeles VA Healthcare System, Rancho Los Amigos National Rehabilitation Center, Children’s Hospital of Los Angeles, and the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA.  Olive View-UCLA Medical Center offers patients encompassing the full spectrum of connective tissue diseases, from patients with infectious arthritis, rheumatoid arthritis, sero-negative spondyloarthritides, systemic lupus erythematosus and systemic vasculitis to patients with osteoarthritis, fibromyalgia, gout, pseudogout, and localized musculoskeletal pain conditions.  This diversity of clinical populations encountered at Olive View-UCLA Medical Center and the outside clinical rotations cover the full spectrum of rheumatologic and related diseases.  The program includes ambulatory arthritis clinics with a total of approximately 5,000 patient visits yearly.  The inpatient and outpatient services at Olive View-UCLA Medical Center are outstanding resources for clinical training and clinical research.  The in-patient and out-patient settings are used to teach residents and fellows to evaluate, diagnose and treat the full spectrum of connective tissue diseases.  Clinical rotations will include training in medical orthopedics, physical medicine and rehabilitation, and pediatric rheumatology.

Trainees will develop clinical expertise in performing rheumatological procedures, including aspirating and injecting joints, and soft tissue injections.  All training is closely supervised by dedicated faculty and attending physicians in a congenial environment.  Clinical research experience at Olive View-UCLA Medical Center can involve health services and outcomes studies, arthritis empowerment programs, and clinical trials.  Research laboratories are closely located at the Greater Los Angeles VA Healthcare System in Sepulveda and may provide residents and fellows the opportunity to participate in bench research in the molecular biology of autoimmune diseases.

UCLA-San Fernando Valley Program (Rheumatology Fellowship) Information:

Applications will only be received via the Electronic Resident Application System (ERAS).  If you have any questions, please contact:

Andrew Wong, MD
Program Director
(818) 364-3205

FREIDA On-line

ERAS - Fellowships (Program ACGME Number:  1500521092)

Rheumatology Curriculum:

10 min Rheum talks

MKSAP 12 Rheumatology Board Review Cases