Nadia Sweet, MD

Internal medicine residency - 2022
Chief residency - 2023

You’re currently in your second year as a Rheumatology fellow at UW, something you were looking forward to when we last talked to you as a chief. What are some of the highlights of your experience so far?

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The major highlights I’ve experienced during my rheumatology fellowship include:

• Presenting an abstract at the American College of Rheumatology (ACR) Convergence meeting in San Diego
• Authoring a meta-analysis characterizing disparities among people with lupus nephritis
• Participating in the Fellows as Medical Educators (FAME) track here at UW
• Advocacy on a national level with the ACR to educate non-rheumatology providers about lupus

I am so grateful to all the wonderful faculty I get to work with in the Rheumatology Division for their support, mentorship, and guidance along the way.

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You’ve also mentioned elsewhere that you’re interested in the musculoskeletal ultrasound curriculum. Has being a fellow given you more experience in that area, and/or are you going to pursue the advanced certification we offer?

I have been lucky to receive additional mentorship and experience with musculoskeletal ultrasound (MSK US) during my rheumatology training. I plan to pursue advanced certification during my final year of fellowship and incorporate ultrasound into my future daily practice. I would also love the opportunity to teach MSK US to other learners.

How did your time in the internal medicine residency prepare you for your fellowship?

As an internal medicine resident in the primary care track, not only did I get plentiful inpatient training, I also felt very well prepared to take care of patients in the outpatient setting.

Rheumatology is a primarily outpatient focused subspecialty, and I came into fellowship confident and ready to use my ambulatory skillset.

How does the experience of being a fellow differ from being a resident?

Rheumatology fellowship has fewer trainees than residency, which has allowed me to get to know and learn from my mentors on a greater level. 

I like that I know many of my attending’s hobbies outside of work, their family members, and feel comfortable asking them questions via text or phone call if a difficult clinical scenario comes up.

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What is a funny or fond memory you have of your time here, either as a resident, chief, or now as a fellow?

I look back fondly on my intern year of residency. My class did many fun events like tubing down the Sugar River or going out on State Street. Then the pandemic happened part way through my intern year, and there were a lot of unknowns. 

Experiencing a global pandemic during residency training was scary but also brought my class together in a lot of ways. I think my record for longest use of an N95 mask was 38 consecutive days.

Do you stay in touch with any of your former peer residents/chief residents?

My co-chiefs are all still at UW! I love when I get to run into them in the hallways and continue our chats via group text. 

Some of my best friends came from my internal medicine residency class at UW. I was recently a bridesmaid in one of my co-resident's wedding, and continue to get dinners with former co-residents.

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Is there any other information you’d like to share to let your fellow alums know what you’re up to?

I spend most of my free time with my family. My husband, son and I love going for walks and catching live music when we can :)

Banner image: Dr. Sweet (center) with Rheumatology faculty (left) Shivani Garg, MD, MS, assistant professor, and (right) Sancia Ferguson, MD, MPH, assistant professor. Credit: Clint Thayer/Department of Medicine.

All other photos are shared courtesy of Nadia Sweet, MD.

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