Rheumatology Fellowship
Program Overview
The Pediatric Rheumatology Fellowship Training Program at Nemours Children’s Hospital, Delaware, in affiliation with Sidney Kimmel Medical College at Thomas Jefferson University (TJU), trains residents in all aspects of diagnosing and treating children with JIA, SLE and other rheumatic conditions.
Our 3-year program, accredited by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME), includes robust research-related and clinical experiences and is available to physicians who have completed a 3-year pediatric residency.
- Curriculum
- Research & Training
- Salary & Benefits
- Location & Living
- Faculty & Participants
Our Fellowship Program
You’ll be guided by our faculty of physicians specializing in pediatric rheumatology, as well as our multidisciplinary clinical care team.
Training Overview
Your 1st year focuses on clinical training, with a series of didactic lectures and numerous opportunities to see patients, under supervision, in our outpatient clinic, emergency department, and inpatient and intensive care units. You’ll have exposure to pediatric patients with a wide range of rheumatic conditions, including JIA, SLE, Lyme disease, and many others.
There are three active attending physicians, one professor emeritus, one clinical nurse and two administrative assistants. With mentoring assistance from our professor emeritus, you'll work primarily with our pediatric rheumatologists and other members of our multidisciplinary team — including specialists in infectious diseases, orthopedics, nephrology, hematology/oncology, and other fields. You'll also receive a thorough grounding in research processes, which you'll apply in years 2 and 3.
Research Opportunities
Your 2nd and 3rd years will be primarily research-oriented, with 80% protected research time and 20% clinical time (consisting of care for new patients, as well as those you saw during your first year). Using knowledge you gained during your first year, you’ll have encouragement and support to develop your own studies in basic science or clinical research, along with the use of our on-site laboratories, equipment and resources.
We also have agreements with the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and our affiliate, Thomas Jefferson University, to provide research opportunities to our trainees for the second and third years. Several members of our division have active NIH and privately funded research programs, including studies in Blau Syndrome and Biomakers in Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis.
Salary & Benefits
Salary
- PGY 1: $71,923
- PGY 2: $74,799
- PGY 3: $77,792
- PGY 4: $80,904
- PGY 5: $84,139
- PGY 6: $87,505
- PGY 7: $91,005
- PGY 8: $94,646
Benefits
Our comprehensive benefits program allows you to choose a combination of benefits to best meet your — and your family's - needs:
- Health Advocacy and Navigation Services
- Medical
- Additional features in our medical plans include:
- Coverage for assisted fertility (two cycles)
- Maternity and child-rearing support
- Expert second opinion program
- Surgical centers of excellence
- Virtual excercise therapy for back and joint pain
- Type 2 diabetes management program
- Nemours-funded Health Reimbursement Accounts for eligible associates
- Additional features in our medical plans include:
- Prescription
- Vision
- Dental
- Voluntary Accident Insurance
- Voluntary Critical Illness
- Voluntary Hospital Indemnity Insurance
- Retirement Benefits
- 403(b) Plan
- Nemours Matching Contribution
- Flexible Spending Accounts (FSAs)
- Basic & Supplemental Life and Accidental Death & Dismemberment (AD&D) Insurance
- Supplemental Life Insurance
- Paid Parental Leave
- Short-Term Disability (STD)
- Long-Term Disability (LTD)
- Voluntary Long-Term Care (LTC)
- Identity Theft Protection
- MetLife® Legal Plan
- Paid Time Off (PTO)
- Residents and fellows receive a 160-hour block of PTO during each academic year, July 1-June 30. There is no PTO carryover.
- Paid Holidays — Full-time and part-time associates receive six holidays per year. There is no waiting period for eligibility.
- Volunteer Time Off — Full-time associates who have completed the 90-day evaluation period receive eight hours of paid Volunteer Time Off (VTO) each year to use for community service activities (four hours for part-time associates).
- Tuition Reimbursement
- Work Life Benefits
- Employee Assistance Program (EAP)
- Financial Education
- Adoption Assistance
- Mortgage Loan Assistance Program
Wellness Benefits Include
- Free fitness center membership at Nemours Children’s Hospital, Delaware, Nemours Children’s Hospital, Florida, and the Home Office
- Access to group fitness classes and personal training (at select locations), at an additional cost
- Reduced cost fitness center membership to more than 18,000 gyms nationwide through Active&Fit Direct program
- Gym/fitness app reimbursement for benefits-eligible associates
- Free health coaching for benefits-eligible associates, spouses, and dependents over age 18
- Wellness challenges
- Reduced cost membership to WeightWatchers for benefits-eligible associates, spouses, and dependents over 18
- Resources for meditation and stress management
- Rewards for participating in healthy activities
About Our Hospital in Delaware
The Nemours Children’s Hospital, Delaware is a multispecialty, tertiary care teaching institution located on a 300-acre estate in the scenic Brandywine Valley in Wilmington, Del.
Among the hospital’s amenities for all staff are:
- Free parking
- Park-like setting
- Gym/fitness center
- On-site child care center for children of staff
Living in Delaware Valley
Because of our location in the tri-state area of Delaware, New Jersey and Pennsylvania, we offer unique living/working opportunities. For example, you can choose to live in the downtown Philadelphia area and easily commute to our park-like hospital campus in Wilmington.
Train With Recognized Leaders
If you’re looking for a rewarding program built on academic excellence and family-centered care, Nemours Children's offers outstanding medical, surgical, pharmacy, nursing, therapy and psychology programs. Train with faculty who are respected leaders in their fields, a patient care model that stands apart and access to groundbreaking research.
Apply Today
Application Requirements
Acreditation ID: 3314121023
Accepting Applications: July 2 through September 1, 2025
Training Begins: July 1, 2026
1. Submit application electronically using ERAS
2. Curriculum vitae
3. Personal statement
4. Medical school transcript
5. USMLE scores (all 3 levels)
6. Three references
Interviews:
We begin offering interviews to fellowship candidates in July of the year before the start of the fellowship. The actual interview process will take place between August 1 and October 1 of the preceding year.
Questions About Applying?
April Aguilera
Fellowship Coordinator
(302) 577-0319
april.aguilera@nemours.org
AnneMarie Brescia, MD
Program Director
(302) 651-5970
annemarie.brescia@nemours.org