Pulmonary Medicine Fellowship

Welcome to the RFUMS Pulmonary Medicine Fellowship web site. We are pleased to state that our program has undergone extensive recent improvements such that we believe it to be among the finest 2-year pulmonary medicine fellowships available. Our emphasis is on practical scholarship and engaging our trainees with a variety of patients and clinical settings such that they will be exceptionally well prepared for an excellent and rewarding career in a community-based practice setting.

As detailed below, fellows practice and learn at our three sites, each having a specific, impactful, and everlasting effect on their developing into a wise and talented pulmonologist: 

Lovell Federal Health Care Center (FHCC): at this site, fellows have an extensive outpatient experience such that they learn how to become an effective, engaged, and compassionate pulmonologist.

For the relatively modest size of the patient population, there is a disproportionately large and wide variety of diseases that fellows are exposed to. This enhances learning, as it keeps learning new, fresh, and less routine. 

For instance, in addition to common causes of pulmonary ailments as COPD, asthma, and large variety of stages of lung cancer at presentation, fellows have recently managed a large variety of less common respiratory conditions as: 

• BOOP
• Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis
• Adenocarcinoma manifested as a slow growing ground glass opacity
• Aspergillosis in an immunocompetent host
• NSIP related to MCTD
• Post-obstructive pneumonia related to an impacted mushroom
• Vocal cord dysfunction masquerading as asthma
• Asbestosis
• Hydropneumothorax 
• Heterogenous emphysema referred for endobronchial valve placement
• Hypercapnia related to COPD/OSA overlap
• Rheumatoid interstitial lung disease
• Blastomycosis
• Yellow nail syndrome
• COPD related to alpha-1 antitrypsin disease
• Sarcoidosis
• Biological injection therapy for asthma
• Lupus pneumonitis
• Respiratory bronchiolitis related interstitial lung disease
• MAC lung infection in COPD patient manifesting as a mass
• Granulomatous polyangiitis

This concentration of uncommon lung ailments in a modest sized patient population enables a “small but mighty” educational experience.  

Also at this site, fellows have an extensive pulmonary function laboratory learning experience that includes state of the art pulmonary function equipment including cardiopulmonary exercise testing. A top-of-the-line bronchoscopy simulator is present in the fellows’ modern and pleasant workspace. 

Aurora Medical Center Kenosha (AMCK): at this site, fellows have a phenomenal procedural experience that is top notch compared with any pulmonary procedure suite in US. It is anticipated that fellows will likely exceed 200 bronchoscopies during their fellowship, the majority of which will be done at AMCK. Fellows will become adept at advanced procedures including endobronchial ultrasound and learn robotic bronchoscopy. The Associate Program Director, Dr. Hasnain Bawaadam, is a renowned interventional pulmonologist and superb educator. A best in class pulmonary procedure suite was recently built at this site, which enhances this one-of-a-kind learning experience.  

Mt. Sinai Hospital Chicago: at this site, fellows learn in a busy urban setting, including the MICU and inpatient pulmonary medicine service. On the inpatient pulmonary service fellows are exposed to unique cases such as tuberculosis, lung abscesses and rare conditions as Swyer-James. While on the MICU service fellows learn advanced management of critical medical conditions as septic shock and ventilator management. This site nicely rounds out the learning environment giving fellows an excellent exposure to a large variety of lung pathological processes seen in US health system.