Sorana Hila, MD
Cleveland Clinic
Nephrology Fellow

Sorana Hila, MD

Medical School: University of Medicine and Pharmacy School of Medicine, Tirgu-Mures, Romania

There are only a few names of US academic medical centers that are familiar to a European medical graduate. The Cleveland Clinic Foundation is one of them. Ever since I was an Internal Medicine resident in Romania, I aspired to work with and learn from the experts in the field: people that are authors of textbooks and the latest cutting edge research articles in NEJM and JAMA. My aspirations were fully rewarded by my experience as an Internal Medicine resident at the Cleveland Clinic.

This IM Residency Program is a well-founded program with a long history of tradition. There is a sense of pride here starting with the Chair of Medicine and extending to the IM Program Director who are both approachable and intimately involved in making the Residency Program great. The physicians that make this place one of the world's top academic medical centers were my attendings on both primary and consult services. They were outstanding teachers, who are very approachable and willing to help with career advice. Most influential for me were those who pursued a career in academic medicine, combining the responsibilities of a clinician, an independent researcher, and a teacher. My fellow residents, American or foreign graduates, were extremely bright and we learned a great deal from each other. I had a great amount of autonomy as intern/resident, but never to the point that I felt I did not have plenty of back up and support.

The teaching experience is excellent: there are morning reports prior to rounds, a team conference during rounds, and daily noon conferences with a 3-year curriculum to avoid overlap. While a core of inpatient and ambulatory rotations is mandatory, training is also tailored to fit each individual’s needs. I used all the opportunities afforded to me – electives, research months to broaden my knowledge in Nephrology, which is my future specialty.

Clinical, transitional, or basic science research is encouraged and facilitated early on. The clinical databases at the Cleveland Clinic are outstanding and in some areas represent the largest in the world. Within each department, there are investigators assigned to NIH-related research, and the technology and statistical support makes the process of publication easier. The results of my research during residency were accepted for poster sessions and oral presentations at national and international meetings, and were published in two, well-known, peer-reviewed medical journals.

Like the vast majority of my fellow residents, I am going to continue my training by enrolling in a fellowship program. I have interviewed at the top 11 programs in my specialty, and was offered 8 positions. I chose to stay here, at the Cleveland Clinic, for my fellowship not only because of the reputation but also to continue and develop my research projects.

By the end of my third year, I felt prepared to manage the most unstable and complicated patients, as well as, the common medicine cases. Thanks to the constant and intense teaching which included a 1-week long IM Board Review Course that is offered for free to all IM CC residents. By the end of my third year, I felt well prepared to take the internal medicine board. Overall, this was everything, and more, I could have asked for in an Internal Medicine residency program.