Allergy and Immunology Fellowship Program

The Allergy and Immunology Fellowship offered by the Division of Rheumatology, Allergy and Immunology at the University of California, San Diego School of Medicine is a multifaceted program designed to train outstanding clinicians and academically-oriented clinical and basic investigators. The fellowship program offers comprehensive training in adult and pediatric allergy, with exposure to the allied disciplines of rheumatology, otolaryngology, pulmonary medicine and dermatology, as well as numerous diverse research opportunities with faculty mentors. 

The Program is a minimum of two years in duration, with 12 months of clinical activities and 12 months of scholarly and research activities. A third-year is available and recommended for physicians desiring an enhanced research experience and/or planning an academic career. The time dedicated to clinical and research are consistent with the requirements for training in Allergy and Immunology as set forth by the ACGME and the American Board of Allergy and Immunology.

CLINICAL EXPERIENCE

Fellows are exposed to a highly diverse patient population in a variety of clinical practice settings. Clinical experiences occur at the UCSD Medical Centers in Hillcrest and La Jolla, Veterans Affairs San Diego Medical Center, Rady Children's Hospital, Kaiser Permanente Allergy Department, and Asthma and Allergy Medical Group. Ambulatory rotations are also available at several UC San Diego Subspecialty Clinics (Dermatology, Otolaryngology, Pulmonary) and Scripps Clinic in San Diego. Clinical time is evenly divided between adult and pediatric allergy care providing well-balanced, outstanding training in A/I subspecialty practice.  Longitudinal outpatient experience is gained through continuity clinics in both adult and pediatric allergy and immunology clinics. As a large referral center with well-recognized subspecialty expertise, fellows gain experience working with the faculty in evaluating patients from around the region, country, and world for both common and rare medical disorders.  In addition to ample outpatient training in general allergy and asthma, fellows attend subspecialized outpatient clinics in the following areas. 

Fellows gain experience in the inpatient management of A/I conditions through the Inpatient Consult services at UCSD, VA, and Rady Children's medical centers.  Fellows work with attending faculty to provide subspecialty recommendations to the primary hospital teams regarding the diagnosis and management of drug allergy, immunodeficiency, and other severe allergic or eosinophilic condition. 

RESEARCH EXPERIENCE

We provide many opportunities for basic, translational, and clinical  research training in asthma, angioedema, upper airway inflammation including aspirin exacerbated respiratory disease, autoinflammatory syndromes, eosinophilic gastrointestinal diseases, human genetics and other immunologic areas. Fellows are encouraged to discuss their research interests with a number of potential faculty research mentors before selecting an area for focused investigation and scholarly work.  During the training program, fellows are encouraged to present at local, regional, and national scientific meetings as well as work with their mentor(s) towards publication of scholarly work. 

Didactic training in the conduct of clinical research and clinical trials is available through the NIH-funded Clinical Research Enhancement through Supplemental Training (CREST) program, and fellows may elect to pursue individual courses or a Masters in Clinical Research.  The NIH-funded T32 training grant in Allergy & Immunology may provide additional research funding for fellows wishing to transition to faculty positions as physician-investigators following completion of fellowship training.

EDUCATIONAL CURRICULUM AND CONFERENCES

A robust educational curriculum includes weekly conferences including a joint Allergy & Immunology Core Conference with Scripps Clinic, Immunology School, and Rady Children's Hospital Journal Club.  In addition, specialized research and clinical teaching conferences are scheduled monthly to quarterly.  Fellows are encouraged to attend at least one national annual conference in A/I annually (AAAAI, ACAAI, etc.)

APPLICATIONS

To apply for an Allergy and Immunology fellowship, you must apply through ERAS, the Electronic Residency Application Service, a service that transmits residency applications, 3 letters of recommendation, Dean's Letters/MSPE, transcripts, and other supporting credentials from applicants and medical schools to Fellowship, Osteopathic Internship and Residency programs using the Internet.

All applicants will be considered, and those interested in an academic career are particularly encouraged to apply.

The program offers one medicine track and one pediatric track that each accept one fellow annually. Both tracks are designed to provide a balanced curriculum across medicine and pediatrics, but also focused training and mentorship within these disciplines for the respective trainees. All applicants must have successfully completed training in Internal Medicine or Pediatrics (or combined Med-Peds) at the time of entering the program. An exception to this policy is available for those candidates participating in the ABIM or ABPeds research pathways. A combined three-year program in Allergy and Immunology and Rheumatology is also available.

The Program is supported through funding from the VA Health System, Rady Children's Hospital, and Kaiser Permanente.

UC San Diego GME General Recruitment from UCSD Visual Media Group on Vimeo.

 

​CURRENT FELLOWS

 


Xinyu (Steve) Wang
Medical School:USC
Residency: USC


Ha Yeon (Hannah) Shin
Medical School: USF Health Morsani College of Medicine
Residency: University of South Florida



Toan Do
Medical​ School: Penn State University
Residency: Oregon Health & Science University




RECENT PAST FELLOWS

  • Michelle Dilley - Kaiser Permanente, Fontana, CA
  • Nicholas Scanlon - Assistant Professor, UCSD, San Diego, CA​
  • Wonhee Woo - Kaiser Permanente, San Jose, CA
  • Jessica Galant-Swafford - Assistant Professor, National Jewish Health, Denver, CO
  • Lillian Grobman - Physician, UCSD Pediatrics
  • Sun-Mi Choi - Immunogenetics, UCLA
  • Meng Chen – Assistant Professor, Stanford Health, Mountain View, CA
  • Jacqueline Eastman Yam –  Spectrum Health, Grand Rapids, MI
  • Alexander Kim - Associate Professor, UCSD, San Diego, CA
  • Ashmi Doshi – Clinical Practice, Kaiser Permanente, Los Angeles, CA
  • Hannah Walford – Stanford Health Care/Menlo Medical Clinic, Menlo Park , CA
  • Kevin Tse – Clinical Practice, Kaiser Permanente, San Diego, CA
  • Lori Broderick – Assistant Professor, UCSD, San Diego, CA
  • Louanne Tourangeau – Stanford Health Care/Menlo Medical Clinic, Menlo Park, CA
  • Kenneth Quinto – Senior Medical Advisor, FDA, Washington DC
  • Chhavi Gandhi – Western Springs Asthma & Allergy, Western Springs, IL
  • Taylor Doherty – Associate Professor, UCSD, San Diego, CA
  • Michelle Hernandez - Associate Professor, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC

FACULTY

  

How to contact us

  ALEX KIM, MD
Fellowship Program Director

AMANDA WILLIAMSON
Program Coordinator 
Email:aswilliamson@health.ucsd.edu
Phone: 858-246-0938

University of California, San Diego
9500 Gilman Drive
La Jolla, CA 92093-0656