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Educational Program
The Pediatric Endocrinology Fellowship at NIH consists of one year of clinical training, and two years of combined clinical training and research training.
Clinical Training Rotations
A typical training schedule for first-year fellows includes the following rotations: 6–8 weeks at The Johns Hopkins University Hospital, 6–8 weeks at Georgetown University Hospital, 6–8 weeks at Children's National Medical Center, and 6 months at NIH Clinical Research Center. During the second and third years, mandatory clinical responsibilities are limited to a half-day continuity clinic per week and provide inpatient pediatric endocrine consultation on an on-call basis.
Didactic Training
Regularly scheduled didactic courses, seminars, and case conferences enhance clinical experience. These include the following weekly events:
- Endocrine Grand Rounds
- Pediatric Endocrine Case Conference
- Pediatric post-clinic conference
- Lecture series covering both clinical and research topics
- Journal Club (once a month)
- Board review
Fellows are encouraged to attend at least one national/international professional meeting/year during the three fellowship years.
Research Training
Fellows learn how to develop a research protocol, conduct a study, evaluate the results, and create a presentation or a manuscript suitable for publication. Work in a laboratory setting performing state-of-the-art basic science research is closely supervised by internationally known mentors. During the first year, a research mentor is chosen, and the project for each fellow and progress on it are monitored by a committee, as recommended by the American Board of Pediatrics. With the mentor's help, the fellow defines a topic of special interest and develops a research protocol. The second and third years of the fellowship are dedicated to the successful completion of the selected project(s) with minimal clinical duty requirements.
Call Frequency
There is no in-house call. During the first year, pediatric endocrine fellows are on call from home, supported by one of the endocrine attendings. During the second and third years, fellows take calls from home when they participate in the pediatric endocrine consult service. Third-year fellows attend one month in the wards of the NIH-CRC and are on-call from home for the ward during those 4 weeks.
Teaching Opportunities
Third-year fellows are required to take a supervisory role and cover the pediatric endocrine inpatient service at the NIH-CC for one month. During those 4 weeks, the senior fellow supervises first-year fellows, residents, and students and is responsible for teaching rounds and conferences.
Evaluation and Quality Assurance
The fellow meets with the program director, the mentor, and the supervising committee on a regular basis to assess personal goals and objectives and to review evaluations from the staff. All fellows and other staff participate in regular staff meetings, and quality assurance is monitored both at the program and at the hospital level by regular (weekly and other) meetings.