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Chief Resident Message | Salary & Benefits | Our Residents | Research | How to Apply

Message from the Chief Residents

Rachel Sunico Karim Fahmy
Armand Ardestani, DO Jonathon Teng, MD

Thank you for your interest in the Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Residency Program at the University of California, Irvine.

Our program is located in beautiful southern California, and is privileged to offer a diverse, hands-on educational experience to residents pursuing a career in the field of PM&R. We accept five residents into each class of our three-year advanced program.

Rotations

Our program has many strengths. One of them is our unique rotation schedule, which offers diverse learning environments in the private sector, academic setting, and the VA population. 

Most of our rotations are 10 weeks long and include:

  • Musculoskeletal medicine
  • Interventional pain
  • Electrodiagnostics
  • Spinal cord injury
  • General inpatient rehabilitation
  • Pediatrics
  • Traumatic brain injury
  • Research/Outpatient

The rotations are led by enthusiastic and skilled attending physicians who have a genuine, vested interest in the education of our residents. 

Our weekly didactics are led by attendings, who are both general physiatrists and subspecialized in PM&R. They also include interprofessional lectures from complementary areas of medicine (for example, neurosurgery, neurology, therapists, radiologists, etc.). The didactic schedule is carefully designed to cover all topics within the field of PM&R to give the resident a solid fund of knowledge in a lecture-based format. 

Research

Research opportunities are vast at UC Irvine.

First, our program is supported by academic researchers at UC Irvine who specialize in stem cell therapy for various neurological disorders and injuries, dance medicine, stroke recovery and spinal cord injury. We are also privileged to work with some of the leading researchers in the field of robotics and technology in the setting of rehabilitation.

Second, residents have plenty of opportunities to work with our clinical attending physicians on projects that complement varied interests and future career aspirations. 

Both avenues of research allow for self-directed projects, providing residents a platform to formulate their own research ideas and questions. In this regard, we are proud to offer the Research Badges project that was first developed here at UC Irvine, in partnership with the Academy of Academic Physiatrists (AAP). The project is a step-by-step guide to developing and executing a research project, from the birth of an idea to publication submission.

Extracurricular education

Residents are strongly encouraged to be involved in extracurricular educational events that can broaden their residency experience and training. 

One way is by attending educational conferences, including the two national PM&R conferences:  AAP and the American Academy of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation (AAPM&R). 

Our residents have taken active leadership roles in these national academies, with many of our residents serving on the Resident/Fellows Council for AAP over the past four years.

Our residents are also heavily involved with sporting events, thanks to a wide network of supportive alumni and local sports physicians. These events have included Ironman events, the Los Angeles Marathon, Badwater 135 Ultramarathon, Special Olympics, Disney Half Marathons, sideline coverage at football games and many others.

Fellowship opportunities

We are fortunate to have a history of diverse interests within our program. From subspecialized fellowships to general PM&R positions, our residents have pursued it all. 

Recently, our residents have matched with a wide array of competitive fellowships, including:

  • Sports medicine
  • Interventional pain
  • Spinal cord injury
  • Pediatrics 

This success is due in large part to our extensive alumni network, supportive attendings and administration, as well as the cohesiveness among residents. We are a family, dependent on one another to reach our full, individual potential as physiatrists. We understand each other’s goals and aspirations, and we support each other in those pursuits. It’s for these reasons and many more that our program produces competitive, competent and compassionate physiatrists year after year.

Thank you again for your interest in our program. We hope to have the pleasure of meeting you soon.

 
Armand Ardestani, DO
Jonathon Teng, MD
Chief Residents, Department of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation
University of California, Irvine
Class of 2024