Thank you for your interest in the University of Connecticut Pediatric Endocrinology Fellowship Program.  While our clinical activities are based at the Connecticut Children’s Medical Center (CCMC), a free-standing full-service children’s hospital in Hartford, our academic Department of Pediatrics remains part of the School of Medicine of the University of Connecticut Health Center in Farmington, Connecticut.

Our fellowship in pediatric endocrinology is three years in duration and has been designed to meet the requirements of the subspecialty-board in Pediatric Endocrinology of the American Board of Pediatrics.  The first year is primarily clinical.  Supervision of all clinical activities is provided by the four full-time pediatric endocrinologists in our division each of whom has particular clinical and research interests that add to the overall depth of the training experience.  All clinical rotations are done at CCMC.

Dr. Susan Ratzan -  Clinical diabetes, prevention of diabetes in pre-diabetics, disorders of lipid and carbohydrate metabolism, ambiguous genitalia.
Dr. Karen Rubin -  Adolescent gynecologic-endocrinology, transitional medicine, Turner Syndrome, long-term endocrine complications of survivors of childhood cancer.
Dr. Elizabeth Estrada -  Clinical and translational research in type 2 diabetes and childhood obesity. 
Dr. Sevket Yigit – Program development and clinical research in osteopenic disorders of childhood and adolescence.

During the first year of clinical training, the fellow will attend four weekly clinic session with the different attendings.  It is expected that during this time he/she will acquire the skills to master the broad theoretical and practical considerations in the commonly occurring endocrine and metabolic problems seen in the pediatric and adolescent age group.

The fellow participates with the pediatric endocrine faculty in a weekly journal clubs and monthly case conference.  They also participate in a weekly clinical case conference with the adult endocrinology division.  Other academic activities, such as, pediatric grand rounds and pediatric resident conferences are also available.

The trainee will be encouraged to develop teaching skills both in the informal setting of the clinic as well as for more formal presentations for medical students, house staff, and faculty. 
During the first year, the fellow will be encouraged to identify a particular clinical area of concentrated interest from which a clinical research project will be carried out.  The final two years are reserved almost exclusively for the development of research skills.  During this time, clinical activities will be limited.  Prior to entering the second year, extensive planning will be done to identify a research mentor and a research plan.  Part of this planning process will include writing for research funding for the training experience. 

It is expected the applicant will not have prior experience in grant writing, and thus, the mentor will play a major role in this process.  Nevertheless, the experience of writing the grant is considered essential to the training process.  The trainee’s salary for the final two years will be supported even if no funding is obtained.

The mentor can be selected from individuals located either within the Department of Pediatrics or other clinical or basic science departments throughout the University of Connecticut Health Center.  An NIH funded clinical research center is available as an additional resource.

In the domain of clinical research, there are training experiences available in childhood obesity and type 2 diabetes, in neonatal growth, and in the investigation of the systemic and local regulation of bone metabolism and the development of new therapeutic strategies for the treatment of osteoporosis.  During this training period, formal courses in the basic fundamentals appropriate to the training program are available through the basic science graduate program and through the NIH funded Clinical Research Center.  Specific areas of basic science research include the molecular basis of hormone regulation, the production and analysis of transgenic mice, osteoblast lineage and progression, DNA linkage in heritable disorders of humans or animals, and mutation identification of genes that cause heritable disorders, and gene therapy for certain knowledge of molecular biology and human genetics.  This knowledge base will be essential for all biologically-related medical research in the future.  A one month rotation in a basic science laboratory is arranged during the second year, when the trainee will have the opportunity to participate hands-on in an already established project or conduct his/her own small project.

Graduates of foreign medical schools are required to complete at least one year of pediatric training in an approved U.S. residency training program before beginning a fellowship in pediatric endocrinology. They must also have a valid ECFMG certificate. Visa types that we accept are J1 and J2.

We believe our program provides a good balance of clinical expertise and research training to prepare its graduates for successful careers in academic pediatric endocrinology.  If you have questions, or if you would like an application, please contact:
           
            Program Coordinator:  Veronica Tomlinson    vtomlin@ccmckids.org