Endocrinology Fellowship Details
During the 3-year Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) accredited program fellows have access to a training experience that is broad and highly specialized.
Program Structure
Most rotations take place at the NIH Clinical Center. The NIH Clinical Center is the largest medical research hospital in the United States, and has a world-wide and local referral basis that ensures exposure to a variety of common and rare endocrine disorders. Additional rotations take place at the Washington Hospital Center, Georgetown University Hospital, Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, Mobile Med/Suburban Hospital Community Clinic, and Washington VA Medical Center.
Year 1
NIH Clinical Center (6 months): During their first year, fellows participate in the following rotations at the NIH Clinical Center.
- Continuity Clinic and Endocrine Inpatient Service: During this time, fellows will
- make daily rounds
- discuss patients with attending physicians, many of whom are world renowned experts in the field, for both inpatients on the Endocrine Service as well as a weekly continuity clinic
- train in specialized testing procedures, including interventional procedures for diagnostic or therapeutic protocols (adrenal and parathyroid vein sampling, inferior petrosal sinus sampling, functional arteriography for insulinoma and parathyroid localization, neurosurgery team) and fine needle aspiration (FNA) with on-site cytopathology and individualized ultrasound
- participate in management decisions related to both patient care and clinical investigation. Although all patients are admitted under IRB-reviewed research protocols, there are many other aspects of diagnosis and patient care that fall completely under the discretion of the endocrine fellows, especially for patients enrolled in observational or natural history studies
- Lipid Rotation (4 weeks): Fellows are exposed to common and rare disorders of lipid and cholesterol metabolism. Training focuses on familial or genetic disorders of lipid metabolism, including pathophysiology, diagnosis and management.
Washington DC Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Washington Hospital Center, Georgetown University Hospital, and Walter Reed National Military Medical Center (4 weeks, 6 weeks, 6 weeks, and 4 weeks, respectively): Fellows rotate to four local hospitals.
Mentored Research (ongoing): Fellows select research areas during the spring of their first year and work closely with a mentor during years two and three.
Year 2
NIH Clinical Center (full year): During their second year, fellows participate in the following rotations at the NIH Clinical Center.
- Continuity Clinic (weekly)
- Consult Service and Blood Glucose Management Service (BGMS) (4-6 weeks): Fellows train with the multidisciplinary inpatient glucose management team and cover consults for other NIH services.
MobileMed/Suburban Hospital Community Clinic (one half day session every other week): Fellows rotate to a local community clinic.
Mentored Research (ongoing)
Year 3
NIH Clinical Center (full year): During their third year, fellows participate in the following rotations at the NIH Clinical Center.
- Continuity Clinic (weekly)
- Consult Service (4-6 weeks per year)
Mobile Med/Suburban Hospital Community Clinic Pre-attending Training (monthly)
Mentored Research (ongoing)
Weekly Conferences and Seminars
Fellows can join weekly conferences and seminars.
Monday
- No scheduled conferences
Tuesday
- Outpatient Continuity Clinic (half day)
- FNAB Clinic
- Post-clinic Conference
Wednesday
- Didactic Lecture Series
- Inpatient Rounds
Thursday
- Admit/Discharge Rounds
- Radiology Rounds
- Surgery Rounds
- Biweekly Board Review
- Biweekly Cytopathology/Surgical Pathology Rounds
- Mobile Med/Suburban Hospital Community Clinic (evening)
Friday
- Didactic Lecture Series
- Endocrine Grand Rounds
Additional Ad-hoc Rounds
- Pheochromoctyoma/Paraganglioma Rounds (Dr. Pacak)
- Bone/X-ray Rounds (Dr. Collins)
Optional Courses in Clinical Research
Fellows can join optional courses in clinical research.
CC-Duke Training Program in Clinical Research
The CC-Duke Training Program in Clinical Research allows participants to attend formal courses in research design, research management, medical genomics, and statistical analysis at the Clinical Center by means of video-conferencing from Duke or on-site by adjunct faculty. The program is designed primarily for NIH staff clinicians, clinical fellows, and other health professionals who are training for careers in clinical research, and must be sponsored.
Introduction to the Principles and Practice of Clinical Research
The Introduction to the Principles and Practice of Clinical Research (IPPCR) is a course to train participants on how to effectively conduct clinical research. The course focuses on the spectrum of clinical research and the research process by highlighting epidemiologic methods, study design, protocol preparation, patient monitoring, quality assurance, and Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issues. The course is free of charge and is offered annually October-March.
Principles of Clinical Pharmacology
The Principles of Clinical Pharmacology course is a weekly lecture series covering the fundamentals of clinical pharmacology as a translational scientific discipline focused on rational drug development and utilization in therapeutics. The course is free of charge and is offered annually at the NIH Clinical Center and runs from September through April.