Endocrinology Fellowship Program

Number of fellows taken per year: 1-2
Deadline for application to your program (if applicable): April 1st
Duration of appointment: 3 years
Other sites of training: Childrens Hospital Los Angeles
Postgraduate training required (1,2,3 years): 3 years
US Citizenship required: Preferred

Director of training program: Mitchell Geffner, M.D.
Phone: (323) 361-7032
FAX: (323) 361-1350
E-mail: mgeffner@chla.usc.edu
Address: Childrens Hospital Los Angeles,
Division of Pediatric Endocrinology
4650 Sunset Blvd., M/S #61
Los Angeles, CA 90027

Program Coordinator: Sandra Tamez
Phone: (323) 361-1826
E-mail: stamez@chla.usc.edu

Description of fellowship:
The fellowship program is a three-year program intended to prepare fellows for a career in academic pediatric endocrinology. The program combines clinical endocrinology and diabetes care with excellent opportunities for clinical research within the division and opportunities for laboratory-based research through close liaisons within the Department of Pediatrics at CHLA and Saban Research Institute, or through the USC School of Medicine. The program has a rich history of excellence in endocrinology and diabetes extending back almost 30 years. It is the intent of the program that fellows will be well trained in diagnosis and management of endocrine disorders of childhood, be able to teach and lecture on endocrinology and diabetes, and be familiar with the methodology and techniques of routine endocrine laboratory studies. Another critical component of the fellowship is to teach fellows to be able to design and carry out clinical and laboratory investigations.

In order to achieve these goals, the fellow will spend 11 months during the fellowship as the "on-service fellow." The service time is allocated as fellows: five months in year one, four months in year two, and two months in year three. On-service fellows will attend two (2) ½ day clinics per week (specific assignments made by the on-service attending of the month) and be assigned to the inpatient service. Whenever possible, fellows (beginning in the first year) will establish a continuity experience where endocrine and diabetes patients will be followed longitudinally for three years and will also supervise residents and students involved in the care of patients attending the endocrine/diabetes ambulatory clinics.

Fellows engage in research throughout their training (for a total of 22 months while "off service"). Off-service fellows attend two (2) ½ day clinics per week (with a balance between endocrinology and diabetes exposures); with additional short-term experiences in either genetics (at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center), adolescent gynecology, or lipid clinics, and do not cover the inpatient service (except on weekends in rotation with the other fellows and attendings). In the first year, fellows who are predominantly clinically oriented begin to learn the intricacies of designing and performing clinical research, while, during the second and third years, they will strive to complete two prospective longitudinal clinical research projects. Alternatively, the fellow may choose a more basic research path in the laboratory of their choice (see below for affiliated research opportunities), but will still be required to develop and implement one clinical research project. Fellows are encouraged to attend and present their research in institutional, local, and national meetings and the division provides clinical coverage and financial support for these activities. Fellows are expected to attend weekly institutional conferences on pediatric, endocrine, and research topics, including Pediatric Grand Rounds on Friday mornings.

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