Overview
Program Overview
As part of Cleveland Clinic’s Medical Specialty Institute, the Rheumatology Fellowship Program is fully accredited by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME). Our mission is to provide exceptional training in rheumatology while upholding Cleveland Clinic’s “Patients First” philosophy and leveraging our rich foundation in clinical experience and research. You will be mentored by dedicated and accomplished educators and experts in the field who are deeply committed to your professional growth and to preparing you for independent practice in either academic or community settings.
It is a privilege for our faculty, clinical staff, and entire rheumatology team to collaborate with our fellows. Our comprehensive curriculum is designed to reflect the depth and breadth of rheumatology, allowing for individualized learning paths that align with your interests. We are committed to delivering state-of-the-art care and therapies while fostering an environment that encourages inquiry, innovation, and continual improvement in patient outcomes. Through immersive clinical experiences and exposure to leading-edge research, you will be challenged to explore novel approaches and contribute meaningfully to the field.
We are excited to support you on this journey and are confident that you will graduate as a capable, compassionate, and confident rheumatologist—ready to lead in both clinical practice and academic medicine.
Train to lead in Rheumatology
Cleveland Clinic's Rheumatology Fellowship Program is designed to provide you with excellent training in the clinical practice of all rheumatology related disorders. Our program is intended to provide fellows with a comprehensive clinical and research education, preparing them for the breadth and intricacy of clinical practice in this amazing specialty. Driven by a shared passion for rheumatology, our faculty creates a dynamic and intellectually stimulating environment where learning thrives. Fellows benefit from caring for a diverse patient population—both locally and globally—enriching their experience and broadening their clinical acumen.
Message from the Program Director and Associate Program Director
Dear Prospective Rheumatology Fellowship Applicant,
Welcome, and thank you for your interest in the Rheumatology Fellowship Program at Cleveland Clinic.
As part of Cleveland Clinic’s Medical Specialties Institute, our fellowship program is proud to be fully accredited by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME). Our mission is to provide world-class training in rheumatology while embracing Cleveland Clinic’s foundational “Patients First” philosophy. Through rigorous clinical training, meaningful research exposure, and individualized mentorship, we are committed to preparing future rheumatologists for leadership in both academic and community-based practice.
We are proud to train at one of the most respected academic medical centers in the world. Our program offers an unparalleled depth and breadth of clinical experience, encompassing the full spectrum of rheumatic diseases. Fellows care for a richly diverse patient population in both inpatient and ambulatory settings and have the opportunity to work closely with nationally and internationally recognized leaders in rheumatology.
Our comprehensive curriculum is designed not only to provide fellows with a solid foundation in rheumatology but also to support and cultivate individual interests and career goals. Through structured subspecialty rotations, scholarly activities, and involvement in interdisciplinary care, our fellows become compassionate, capable, and confident clinicians who are ready to contribute meaningfully to the field.
As a program, we value inquiry, innovation, and collaboration. We foster a supportive and intellectually vibrant learning environment where teaching, mentorship, and professional development thrive. Our fellows are also integral members of our department, contributing to education, quality improvement, and patient care initiatives.
It is a privilege for our faculty, staff, and entire team to collaborate with and learn from our fellows. We are continually inspired by their dedication, curiosity, and passion for the specialty. As a graduate of our program, you will be exceptionally well-prepared to provide ethical, evidence-based, and patient-centered care—and to serve as a leader in rheumatology wherever your path takes you.
We invite you to explore our program and learn more about the Cleveland Clinic, our faculty, our current and past fellows, and the exceptional opportunities that await you here. We look forward to meeting you during the upcoming interview season and are excited to support you on your professional journey.
Best wishes!
Soumya Chatterjee, MD, MS, FRCP(UK), FACP, FACR
Program Director
Adam Brown, MD
Associate Program Director
How to Apply
Application and contact information
For any questions regarding Rheumatology Fellowship program, please contact our program coordinator Colleen Vahcic (vahcicc@ccf.org).
The Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) developed ERAS (The Electronic Residency Application Service), to transmit fellowship applications, letters of recommendation, transcripts, and other supporting credentials from applicants and ERAS Fellowships Document Office (EFDO) to fellowship program directors using the Internet in support of the National Resident Match Program (NRMP). We only accept applications that have been submitted through ERAS. Please do not send any application material via fax, mail or email, as it will not be included in your application.
Please note, you must apply through ERAS and register for participation in the match through the NRMP.
Applicants selected for an interview will be notified via email. All interviews will be scheduled on following dates: September 4, September 18, October 9 and October 16 2025
A completed applications must include the following:
- Application
- Picture (not required, but appreciated)
- CV
- Personal statement
- Three (3) Letters of Recommendation, including one from your program director
- Dean's Letter – MSPE
- Medical School Transcript
- USMLE Transcript for MD or COMLEX for DO
- ECFMG Report (if applicable)
Foreign medical graduates will need to have completed a two-year US-based residency program in Internal Medicine prior to joining the fellowship program. Fellowship period begins July 1, 2026.
The goal of this two-year training program is for fellows to acquire the knowledge and skills necessary for providing ethical, humanistic, cost-effective care for patients with rheumatological disorders in both the inpatient and ambulatory settings.
The Rheumatology Fellowship Training Program accepts three fellows per year and sponsors both J-1 and H-1B visas.
Visa status does not influence the candidate selection process.
Program Structure
Our fellowship program at a glance
Program structure
The fellowship is a two-year program designed to offer an immersive and structured learning experience. Each academic year consists of 13 modules, with each module spanning four weeks. Fellows in both the first and second years follow a balanced and consistent schedule, ensuring equitable distribution of learning and project involvement throughout the program. While the overall structure remains consistent, there may be minor differences in content and focus areas between the two years to reflect progressive learning and development. All rotations take place at Cleveland Clinic Main Campus.
- Hospital/In-patient service: Total of 8-10 weeks per year organized into two-week blocks. During these rotations, fellows are exclusively dedicated to the inpatient service, with no outpatient clinics or additional assignments. All inpatient care is provided solely at Cleveland Clinic Main Campus site and no coverage provided for other Cleveland Clinic hospitals. The average patient census is approximately 15 patients with averaging 4 new patients per day. This rotation is recognized as one of the most intensive but highly valued rotation of the fellowship. Fellows consistently highlight the rich clinical exposure and exceptional learning opportunities as key strengths of this experience.
- Ambulatory Continuity Clinic: During the ambulatory continuity clinic, fellows perform complete initial evaluations and follow up evaluations, and function as the patient’s primary rheumatologist for longitudinal care under the supervision of a faculty member at all times. These patients will be followed by the fellow throughout the duration of their fellowship which gives them the opportunity to manage various disease processes from onset of symptoms to maintenance and remission. Each fellow sees two new patients and two follow-up patients per half-day clinic session. Depending on their rotation, fellows attend four to five half-day clinic sessions per week, with no clinic responsibilities during inpatient service and one to two half-day sessions per week during subspecialty rotations).
- Arthritis clinic: 4 weeks per year
- Systemic Lupus Erythematosus and Systemic Sclerosis rotation – 4 weeks per year
- Vasculitis rotation - 4 weeks per year
- Bone Metabolism Disorders – 2 weeks per year
- Pediatric Rheumatology – 2 weeks per year
- Rheumatology & Infectious Disease rotation – 2 weeks per year
- Neuromuscular Medicine, Vascular Medicine, Spine Center, Podiatry rotations: Each rotation 1 week per year
Where we train
We train at our Main Campus location only with rare exceptions of sub-specialty rotations at satellite clinics of Cleveland Clinic near Main Campus.
Educational Activities
There are several regularly scheduled educational activities in the department for fellows:
- Introductory lecture series
- Friday morning case presentations, presented by the fellow on consult rotation
- Academic half-days every Thursday mornings
- Internal medicine grand rounds
- Rheumatology grand rounds
- Journal Club
- Monthly MSK radiology conference
- Glomerulonephritis conference
- Rheumatology – Kidney medicine conference
- Rheumatology – Neurology conference
- Rheumatology - Infectious disease conference
- Rheumatology – Vascular medicine conference
- Medical specialty institute quality grand rounds
- Monthly immunology conference
Besides the regularly scheduled educational activities, there are several educational activity opportunities scheduled within Cleveland Clinic.
Besides ACR and other national conferences in Rheumatology, fellows are allowed and encouraged to attend other specialty conferences organized within the Cleveland Clinic. Within the past year, fellows attended several conferences at the Clevxeland Clinic such as Nephrology Updates, Calcium Day, Updates in Primary Immunodeficiency, Dermatology Therapy Update.
Academic half-day
Every Thursday morning, fellows have protected time with Program Director Dr. Soumya Chatterjee and Associate Program Director Dr. Adam Brown. Every week, fellows and Drs. Chatterjee and Brown have in depth discussions on each rheumatologic disease including key trials, and case based discussions.
It is not uncommon to have visiting professors from other hospitals or different specialties to join fellows during these sessions and spend additional time just with the fellows.
MSK ultrasound
Our fellowship includes a comprehensive, year-long musculoskeletal (MSK) ultrasound curriculum, designed to equip fellows with both foundational and advanced imaging skills. The curriculum is led by a team of MSK ultrasound-trained rheumatologists, ensuring high-quality, hands-on instruction. Fellows are actively encouraged and supported in their pursuit of MSK ultrasound proficiency. Two members of the 2025 fellowship class have completed USSONAR training and certified.
Teaching opportunities
Our fellows are frequently involved in teaching residents, medical students, observers, and rotators. In addition to teaching rotators on the hospital service, there is also opportunities to give lectures to internal medicine residents, if interested. Fellows can also give lectures to advance practice providers within the rheumatology department.
Fellows who are interested in cultivating a career as a clinical educator can enroll in the Teaching for Essentials program. This program assists providers who are interested in a career focused on medical education to develop excellence in teaching in keeping with one of the core values of the Cleveland Clinic which is the further education of those who serve.
Salary & Benefits
As a trainee, you are compensated at the graduate level required to enter our program in which you are starting, regardless of the past training experience you may have acquired. Our first-year fellows are appointed at a PGY-4 level and second-year fellows are appointed at a PGY-5 level.
Trainees are paid via direct deposit on the 15th and the last working day of the month.
Paid time off: 15 Vacation days, five personal days, eight weeks paid maternity and four weeks parental leave.
We are a smoke and drug free workplace and have random drug screenings. We require yearly flu vaccinations, and follow the Center for Disease Control for Covid vaccination practices.
View the current Salary and Benefit Policy, which outlines our equal pay/equal benefits policy for trainees, as well as the new Salary and Benefit Policy, on the GME policy page.
Staff
Meet our program leadership
Soumya Chatterjee, MD, MS
Program Director, Rheumatology
Adam Brown, MD
Associate Program Director, Rheumatology
Core Faculty
Rula Hajj-Ali, MD
Vice Chair of Quality and Safety, Medical Specialties Institute
Brian Mandell, MD, PhD
Vice Chair of Education, Medical Specialties Institute
Alexandra Villa-Forte, MD
Vasculitis Clinic
Colleen Vahcic
Program Coordinator
Meet our faculty
Cleveland Clinic’s staff rheumatologists serve as dedicated teachers and mentors, bringing a diverse range of clinical and academic backgrounds that enrich the fellowship experience. This depth and breadth of expertise provide fellows with outstanding opportunities for clinical learning, scholarly development, and active engagement in research across all aspects of rheumatology.
Our faculty members pursue a wide array of research interests spanning the full spectrum of rheumatic diseases. Fellows are encouraged to explore these areas and collaborate with faculty on ongoing projects. More information about each faculty member’s clinical and academic focus is available by clicking on their individual profiles.
- Matthew Bunyard, MD
- Ambreesh Chawla, MD
- Cassandra Calabrese, DO
- Leonard Calabrese, DO
- Shashank Cheemalavagu, MD
- Elizabeth File, MD
- Suguni Loku Galappaththy, MD
- Melany Gonzales-Orta, MD
- Rula Hajj-Ali, MD
- Magdalena Harasimowicz, MD
- Elaine Husni, MD, MPH
- Divya Jayakumar, MD
- Sarah Keller, MD
- Taylor Koenig, MD
- Carol Langford, MD, MHS
- Jean Lin, MD, PhD
- Emily Littlejohn, DO, MPH
- Jennifer Peugh, MD
- Binita Sapkota, MD
- Stephanie Tancer, DO
- Patompong (Tom) Ungprasert, MD
- James Vondenberg, DO
- Adil Vural, MD
- Kinanah Yaseen, MD
Fellows
Meet our first year fellows
Chih Yu Fang, MD
Medical Education: Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center School of Medicine
Residency: Dartmouth-Hitchcock University
Anna Kay-Palmer, MD
Medical Education: University of the West Indies, Jamaica
Residency: Albert Einstein, Philadelphia
Akhila Arya Perumangote Vausedevan, MD
Medical Education: Government Medical College, India
Residency: Bridgeport Yale
Meet our second year fellows
Ahmed Abuyakoub, MD
Medical Education: Al-Quds University, Jerusalem, State of Palestine
Residency: University Hospitals/CWRU Internal Medicine Residency
Yanint Raksadawan, MD
Medical Education: Mahidol University, Ramathibodi Hospital Faculty of Medicine, Thailand
Residency: Weiss Memorial/Chicago University Internal Medicine Residency
Haruki Sawada, MD
Medical Education: Miu University School of Medicine, Japan
Residency: University of Hawaii Internal Medicine Residency
Alumni
Class of 2025
J Elise Abdalla, MD
Residency: Louisiana State University Internal
Staff, Louisiana State University Rheumatology
Komal Mushtaq, MD
Residency: Cleveland Clinic Fairview Hospital
Staff, Cleveland Clinic Rheumatology
Adil Vural, MD
Residency: Cleveland Clinic Fairview Hospital
Staff, Cleveland Clinic Rheumatology
Class of 2024
Komal Ejaz, MD
Residency: The Wright Center, PA
Staff, Piedmont Health, Athens, Georgia (J1 Waiver)
Mehnaj Grewal, MD
Residency: Cleveland Clinic
Staff, Northern Light Health, Maine (J1 Waiver)
Taylor Koenig, MD
Residency: Ohio State University
Staff, Cleveland Clinic
Class of 2023
Perry Fuchs, MD
Residency: University of Phoenix, Arizona
Staff, Denver Arthritis Clinic, Colorado
Melany Gonzalez-Orta, MD
Residency: Cleveland Clinic
Staff, Cleveland Clinic
Jaime (James) Vondenberg, DO
Residency: University of New Mexico, Albuquerque
Staff, Cleveland Clinic
Class of 2022
Saja Almaaitah, MD
Residency: Cleveland Clinic
Staff, Corewell Health, Grand Rapids, Michigan
Shashank Cheemalavagu, MD
Residency: University of Michigan, Ann Arbor
Staff, Cleveland Clinic
Rupal Shastri, MD
Residency: Rush University
Staff, Trinity Health, Grand Rapids, Michigan
Current staff who were Cleveland Clinic fellows & graduation year
- Leonard Calabrese, DO - 1980
- Robert Perhala, MD 1990
- Rula Hajj-Ali, MD - 2001
- Alexandra Villa-Forte, MD - 2003
- Feyrouz Al Ashkar, MD - 2006
- Elizabeth File, MD - 2007
- Judith Manzon, MD - 2007
- Adam Brown, MD - 2016 & Vasculitis Fellow - 2017
- Elisabeth Ray, MD - 2016
- Cassandra Calabrese, DO - 2017
- Juliette Yedimenko, MD - 2020
- Kinanah Yaseen, MD - 2020 & Vasculitis Fellow - 2021
- Rupal Shastri, MD - 2022
- Shashank Cheemalavagu, MD - 2022
- Melany Gonzales-Orta, MD - 2023
- Jaime (James) Vondenberg, DO - 2023
- Taylor Koenig, MD - 2024
- Komal Mushtaq, MD - 2025
- Adil Vural, MD - 2025
