Division of Intramural Research header.

Pediatric Endocrinology Inter-Institute Training

This NICHD-hosted training program is supported through close collaboration with Children’s National Health System (CNHS) external link located in the District of Columbia metropolitan area with state-of-the-art facilities in surrounding areas.

This unique fellowship combines exceptional clinical and research training in pediatric endocrinology over the course of 3 years. Individuals with medicine-pediatrics training can also be considered for a combined, 4-year dual program in adult-pediatric endocrinology training.

About the Program

Clinical and research time distribution can be highly individualized based on each fellow’s interests. We accommodate requests on adjusting clinical and research time exposure based on each fellow’s future plans, as long as they comply with American Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) requirements.

The following provides an example of time distribution in various rotations during the 3-year fellowship.

  1st Year 2nd Year 3rd Year
Clinical Rotations
NIH Ward 4 months - -
CNHS (Inpatient and outpatient) 4 months - -
Walter Reed 2 months - -
Other 1 m elective (can spend at Georgetown, Johns Hopkins or research rotation) - -
NIH Consult Service
Empty Cell 1 month 2.5 months 2.5 months
Research
Empty Cell 1 month elective if requested Remaining Time Remaining Time
Continuity Clinic
Empty Cell One half day/week One half day/week One half day/week
Call Schedule
NIH 4-5 weeks during NIH ward rotation 2.5 months during consult service 2.5 months during consult service
CNHS 5 weeks during CNHS inpatient rotation 4 weeks 3 weeks

First Year

During the first year, fellows are mostly developing their clinical skills and exposed to a wide variety of pediatric endocrine conditions. Fellows rotate at the NIH Clinical Center (4 months), Children’s National Health System (4 months), and Walter Reed National Medical Center (2 months). Trainees also serve as the consult fellow at the NIH for 1 month. During these rotations fellows work either at outpatient clinics or inpatient service.

The NIH Clinical Center rotation provides unparalleled exposure to rare endocrine conditions (pituitary tumors, pheochromocytoma, lipodystrophy, McCune-Albright syndrome, and many others), while the CHNS and Walter Reed rotation provides exposure to common and rare endocrine conditions in various clinical settings (outpatient clinic, PICU, NICU).

Fellows also have the option to do 1 month of research rotation as an elective during the first year, or spend 1 month on clinical rotation at other neighboring institutions (such as Georgetown University or Johns Hopkins Hospital).

Second and Third Year

During second and third year, fellows spend 10 weeks/year at the NIH consult service. They are also on call for CNHS  for 4 weeks during the second and 3 weeks during the third year.

The NIH consult service provides a unique opportunity to get exposed to various endocrine pathologies associated with rare syndromes, including multiple endocrine neoplasia (MEN), endocrine manifestations in cancer survivors, and endocrine pathologies in yet undescribed genetic conditions.

Specialty Clinics

Fellows are encouraged to attend the specialty endocrine clinics that are offered at NIH or CNHS (many of which are run jointly by NIH and CNHS faculty). They can choose to spend one continuity clinic session per month at a specialty clinic, if that falls under their interests, or spend additional clinical time on specialty clinics if their schedule allows.

Available specialty clinics:

  • Type 2 diabetes
  • PROUD (Positive Reevaluation of Urogenital Differences) clinic for children with disorders of sex differentiation (with the participation of NIH pediatric gynecologist Program Director, Dr. Gomez-Lobo)
  • Bone health clinic
  • Thyroid nodule clinic
  • Endocrine-Genetics clinic
  • Turner syndrome clinic

Call Schedule

There is no in-house call. During the first year, pediatric endocrine fellows are on call from home approximately 1 week every 3 to 5 weeks depending on the rotation (CNHS vs. NIH, respectively), supported by one of the endocrine attendings. During the second and third years, fellows take call from home when they participate in the NIH pediatric endocrine consult service (10 weeks of the year) and CNMC inpatient service (3 to 4 weeks per year).

Although fellows are given the opportunity to care for young adult patients with interesting endocrine conditions during the NIH ward rotation, there is no call coverage of adult patients.

Continuity Clinic

Throughout fellowship, fellows have one-half day continuity clinic each week (alternating between NIH and CNMC). Fellows have at least one diabetes-dedicated continuity clinic each month. Fellows can choose to spend one continuity clinic session per month at a specialty clinic, if that falls under their interests.

The Pediatric Endocrinology Inter-Institute Training Program provides exceptional research opportunities in clinical and basic research, led by world-wide known scientists who have participated in developing many of the currently standard-of-care clinical practice guidelines.

Fellows are encouraged to choose a mentor by the end of first year and initiate a research project in the beginning of the second year. All faculty supports a research protected environment for our fellows, and a supervising committee provides regular feedback.

Funding for 2 years of research is guaranteed to all accepted fellows. Fellows can learn how to develop a research protocol, conduct a study, evaluate the results, and create a presentation or a manuscript suitable for publication.

Didactic sessions are held weekly to prepare for board certification and discuss interesting clinical cases. Additionally, fellows participate in multidisciplinary rounds held with surgery, neurosurgery and radiology, to discuss interesting cases and provide exceptional care to our patients.

Some of the available weekly didactic activities include the following:

Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday

No conferences

Post-clinic conference

NIH Clinical Center Grand Rounds

Board Review

Pediatric Endocrinology-Metabolism-Genetics Research rounds

Inter-Institute Endocrinology Training Program Didactics

Case Conference or journal club (once/month)

Pituitary Rounds

Pediatric endocrine inpatient rounds

Surgical-Radiology Rounds

Endocrine Grand Rounds

Fellows' Benefits

  • NIH Loan Repayment Program (LRP): Non-competitive loan repayment is available through the intramural NIH LRP. All fellows are eligible to apply and receive loan repayment of up to $20,000 per year.
  • Joint NIH-Duke Training Program in Clinical Research: All fellows are encouraged to apply to this program, which leads to a Master of Health Science (MHSc) degree. The program is supported by the NICHD Office of Education.
  • Numerous NIH training opportunities external link and resources are available and provided at no cost to all clinical fellows. These include credited courses on biostatistics, bioinformatics, laboratory methods etc.
  • Additionally, all fellows can participate in educational workshops provided by NICHD for manuscript writing, grant preparation/application, etc.

Our Team

Zubeyir Gun headshot.

Dr. Zubeyir Gun (1st year)

Jeffrey Barron headshot.

Jeffrey Barron, M.D.

Senior Investigator
Head, Section on Growth and Development
Division of Intramural Research (DIR)
NICHD

Alison Boyce headshot.

Alison Boyce, M.D.

Associate Research Physician
Section on Skeletal Disorders and Mineral
Homeostasis Craniofacial and Skeletal Diseases Branch
National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research (NIDCR)

Sheila Brady, F.N.P.

Nurse Practitioner
Section on Growth and Obesity
DIR
NICHD

Rebecca Brown headshot.

Rebecca Brown, M.D., MHSc

Lasker Tenure Track Investigator
Acting Head, Section on Translational Diabetes and Metabolic Syndromes, Diabetes,
Endocrinology and Obesity Branch
National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK)

Stephanie Chung headshot.

Stephanie Chung, MBBS

Assistant Clinical Investigator
Co-Director, Metabolic Clinical Research Unit
Section on Ethnicity and Health
Diabetes, Endocrinology and Obesity Branch
NIDDK

Michael Collins headshot.

Michael Collins, M.D.

Senior Clinical Investigator
Section on Skeletal Disorders and Mineral Homeostasis
NIDCR

Rachel Gafni headshot.

Rachel Gafni, M.D.

Senior Research Physician
Head, Mineral Homeostasis Unit
Section on Skeletal Disorders and Mineral Homeostasis
NIDCR

Youn Hee Jee headshot.

Youn Hee Jee, M.D.

Staff Clinician
Section on Growth and Development
DIR
NICHD

Margaret F. Keil headshot.

Margaret F. Keil, R.N., P.N.P., Ph.D.

Nurse Practitioner
Director, Pediatric Endocrine Clinical Services
DIR
NICHD

Ellen Werber Leschek headshot.

Ellen Werber Leschek, M.D.

Program Director
Division of Diabetes, Endocrinology, and Metabolic Diseases
NIDDK

Marissa Lightbourne headshot.

Marissa Lightbourne, M.D., M.P.H.

Assistant Research Investigator/Staff Clinician
Pediatric and Adult Endocrinology Ward Chief
DIR
NICHD

Ashwinni Mallappa headshot.

Ashwinni Mallappa, M.D., MHSc

Associate Research Physician
Section on Congenital Disorders
NIH Clinical Center (CC)

Deborah Merke headshot.

Deborah Merke, M.D., M.S.

Senior Investigator
Head, Section on Congenital Disorders
Chief, Pediatric Service
NIH CC

Christina Tatsi headshot.

Christina Tatsi, M.D., M.H.Sc., Ph.D.

Assistant Clinical Investigator
Head, Unit on Hypothalamic and Pituitary Disorders
DIR
NICHD

Jack Yanovski headshot.

Jack Yanovski, M.D., Ph.D.

Senior Investigator
Head, Section on Growth and Obesity
NICHD

Brittney Corbin
brittney.corbin@nih.gov
Tel: 301-496-4786

View a map (PDF 2.6 MB) with information about our past fellows.

How to Apply

The Pediatric Endocrinology Fellowship Program is fully accredited by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education. However, we are not accepting applications at this time.

Contacts

Rachel Gafni, M.D.
Email: rachel.gafni@nih.gov

Karel Pacak, M.D., Ph.D., D.Sc.
Email: karel@mail.nih.gov 
Tel: 301-402-4594

Brittney Corbin
Email: brittney.corbin@nih.gov 
Tel: 301-496-4786

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