The Fellowship Training Program in Endocrinology, Metabolism and Diabetes at the University of Colorado at Denver and Health Sciences Center (UCDHSC) is designed to provide trainees with:
1) Outstanding research and clinical training to become leaders in the field of academic Endocrinology, Metabolism, and Diabetes
2) The opportunity to work with experienced investigators on basic and clinical research projects that will allow the fellow to ultimately pursue an independent research career.
Our goal is to provide fellows with a level of training and expertise that would allow them to be leaders in Endocrinology, Metabolism and Diabetes and to have successful careers in academic medicine. We want to help our fellows tailor an educational experience from a rich environment at UCDHSC that will help them reach their professional goals. Established in 1982, the Endocrinology Training Program at UCDHSC is the only NIH funded Endocrine Training Program between the west coast states of California, Oregon and Washington, and the Midwestern states of Minnesota, Illinois, Missouri and Texas. As such it serves a population base of over 23 million and 33% of the land area of the United States. The program is available to individuals who have completed residency training in Internal Medicine (standard three year or short-track two year program). Completion of the training program fulfills the requirements for sub-specialty board certification in Endocrinology, Metabolism, and Diabetes by the American Board of Internal Medicine. Because funding for research training comes from an NIH training grant, applicants must either be U.S. citizens or have permanent resident status. We have recently joined in participating in the Electronic Residency Application Service (ERAS). For specific requirements to apply using ERAS click here. Applications will be downloaded for review on December 1, 2007. To apply, please click here for an application. If you have any further questions please contact our Fellowship Coordinator, Emily Martin at (303) 724-3927 or Emily.L.Martin@UCHSC.edu
The focus of the first year of fellowship training is clinical endocrinology. First year fellows will have significant outpatient and inpatient exposure to many patients with a broad spectrum of disorders of the endocrine glands, lipid and bone metabolism, reproductive and neuroendocrinology, diabetes mellitus, and obesity. Fellows will gain clinical experience on the inpatient consult services of University Hospital (UH), the Veterans Administration Medical Center (VAMC), and Denver Health Medical Center (DHMC), and in outpatient clinics at these three Core hospitals. We believe that this focus on clinical training during the first year of the fellowship allows the new fellow to make a smooth transition from the role of a well-trained General Internist to a skilled Clinical Endocrinologist. In addition, this period of clinical training will provide a foundation on which the research experience will build. While some individuals may know what area they want to focus on for their research years, many do not. We also encourage applicants with a strong research background who wish to start their fellowship on a research project with a specific mentor to apply as well. The second year would be focused on clinical training with continued research for these fellows.
By the end of the first nine months of fellowship training, fellows will have had the opportunity to meet with each faculty member of the division (22 primary research faculty and 24 secondary research faculty) to discuss the research training opportunities available. The research experience begins in the final three months of the first year of training which includes twice monthly meetings with the mentor to plan and begin clinical or basic research projects as well as learn basic clinical research and basic research skills. This will allow each fellow a ‘head start’ on their full-time research which begins at the start of the second year in July. During this year and subsequent years the fellow will primarily focus on research. In general, one half day per week will be spent in our continuity clinic. Additionally, one half day per week is spent continuing his or her subspecialty training in areas such as lipids, pediatric endocrinology, high risk obstetrics, osteoporosis, or metabolic bone clinics. This training allows for advanced exposure to clinical endocrinology during the research years.
What happens to our graduates? Of the fellows who have trained with us over the last 10 years, 60% continue in academic careers involving at least some commitment to basic or clinical research. Many of these fellows have obtained faculty positions and successfully competed for independent research funding (NIH, National Cancer Institute, American Diabetes Association, American Heart Association, American Cancer Society, Department of Defense). Our graduates have had no difficulties finding employment following their fellowship training. We believe that fellowship training in Endocrinology, Metabolism and Diabetes at UCDHSC will provide fellows with the necessary prerequisites for successful careers in clinical and academic medicine.
Denver
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Nestled at the foot of the majestic Rocky Mountains, Denver is home to almost 2.5 million people. In addition to being known as the “Mile High City,” Denver also hold the titles of 1) the Most Educated City in the U.S., with 92.1% of the metro area population having high school diplomas and 35% with at least a bachelor’s degree; 2) the Nation’s Baby Boomer Capital, with the highest percentage of boomers in any major city; and 3) the “Thinnest” City in America with less than 20% of adults being overweight. Denver is also home to the Denver Performing Arts Complex, which is the second largest performing arts center in the nation (after the Lincoln Center in New York) in seating capacity and the largest in the world under one roof.
Denver is a clean, young and green city with over 200 parks and dozens of tree-lined boulevards. With over 300 days of sunshine in a year, Denver is a sports capital. In addition to the two-time NFL Super Bowl Champion Denver Broncos, the two-time NHL Stanley Cup Champion Colorado Avalanche and the 2007 National League Champion Colorado Rockies, Denver is home to professional teams in basketball, soccer, La Crosse, and arena football. Within an hour and a half drive from Denver, there are opportunities for World-Class skiing, hiking, fishing, camping, horseback riding, sailing or mountain biking that are enjoyed by many of the residents, fellows and faculty.
Denver’s climate is prime for all outdoor activities. During the summer months, the average daytime temperature is 80ºF and during the winter months, a refreshing 45ºF, with an average precipitation of 8-10 inches per year in the city and 23-30 inches per year in the high country. The cost of living is comparable to other metropolitan areas, with rent for a two-bedroom home in the vicinity of the medical center starting at about $1,200 per month or selling for approximately $185,000.
Training Facilities
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We believe that one of the strengths of our training program is the diversity of the sites for both clinical and research training. Facilities for clinical and research training in Endocrinology, Metabolism and Diabetes are located at the new Outpatient Pavilion, Inpatient Pavilion and Children’s Hospital at the Anschutz Medical Center in Aurora, at the VA Medical Center in east Denver and at the Denver Health Medical Center (DHMC) in central Denver. Each site serves a unique population and therefore provides unique clinical experiences and research opportunities
Clinical Facilities
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The Department of Medicine at UCDHSC has over 600 full-time faculty members and a 300 member housestaff service. Strong and supportive departmental leadership comes from the Department Chairman, Dr. Robert J. Anderson and Dr. E. Chester Ridgway, Vice Chair since 2006. Dr. Ridgway was also the Division Head and Endocrinology, Metabolism and Diabetes Program Training Director from 1985 -2007. Clinical teaching activities utilize three core teaching hospitals. University Hospital (Anschutz Inpatient Pavilion, AIP) is a 373-bed, Magnet Status, tertiary care hospital that serves as the major teaching hospital of UCDHSC. It is located on the Anschutz Medical Campus in Aurora, CO. The 400-bed Veterans Administration Medical Center is located on the 9 th Ave campus in east Denver. The medical service at the VAMC has responded to the changing role of health care with innovations like outpatient based medical teams to reduce hospital stays and unnecessary admissions. The endocrinology service at the VAMC is closely integrated with the service at UH. Denver Health Medical Center is a modern 300-bed acute care city and county hospital. DHMC has been a leader in the National Association of Public Hospitals and is one of the healthiest “City and County” hospitals in the country. Endocrine activities at DHMC are also completely integrated into the clinical and educational activities of the Division at UH. Each of these clinical facilities has outpatient clinics available for clinical training. And the endocrine fellows provide inpatient consultative services to the three Core hospitals as well. The endocrine faculty at these institutions are integrated into the activities of the Division and provide an added educational dimension for our fellows.
Research Facilities
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Endocrine Laboratories : The Division of Endocrinology, Metabolism and Diabetes occupies 16,000 sq. ft. of laboratory space located in the state-of-the-art RC1 complex on the Anschutz Medical Campus. The entire Health Sciences Center community will relocate to the new Anschutz Medical campus by September 2008. Endocrinology research occupies 2,000 sq. ft. of both laboratory and office space at the VAMC and 600 sq. ft. in the research building at DHMC. Additionally, there is a 12-bed, NIH-supported, Adult General Clinical Research Center (GCRC) located on the 12th floor of Anschutz Inpatient Pavilion. Many inpatient clinical research studies are performed by Division members on the GCRC, which has a rich 42-year tradition and includes both an outpatient and an inpatient facility. The Program Director for the GCRC is Robert H. Eckel, M.D. and the Associate Program Director is Bryan R. Haugen, M.D., both are members of the Endocrinology Training faculty.
Core Facilities: A number of Core Facilities are available to researchers including Core labs in Genetics, Clinical Investigation, Biostatistics, Flow and Confocal Cytometry, Laboratory and Transgenic Animal Core, Tissue Culture and Monoclonal Antibody Core, DNA and Sequencing Core, Pathology and Tissue Procurement Core, Fermentation Core, and Immunology Core.
Fellow’s Office: Within the Division, 350 sq. ft of office space has been architecturally designed to be used by the endocrinology fellows. This space is equipped with desks and computer facilities, and is adjacent to the research laboratories.
Clinical Service, Conferences and Seminars
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Consulting Service: The three first year fellows have primary responsibility for the management and organization of the inpatient consulting service. This service includes the supervising of residents and students, performing the usual activities of initial workups, giving presentations, acting as liaison between housestaff and attending physician, and providing daily follow-ups. Attending rounds are made four to five times a week, and more frequently if the need arises. The service is an active one, seeing an average of 30-50 new consults per month and following 10-15 patients at the three teaching hospitals.
Outpatient Clinics: The Division of Endocrinology, Metabolism and Diabetes assumes full responsibility for the management of several outpatient clinics. These include a General Endocrine Clinic, Metabolic Bone Clinic, Diabetes Clinic, Thyroid Neoplasms Clinic (in parallel with our Endocrine Surgeons), a Pituitary Tumor Clinic (held jointly with our Neurosurgeon) and Lipid Clinic at Anschutz Outpatient Pavilion. We also have very active General Endocrine Clinics at the VA Medical Center and Denver Health Medical Center. First year fellows attend four to five half day clinics per week. Second year fellows attend two half day clinics per week, the third year fellows are able to but not required to attend one half day clinic per week. In the second year, all fellows have the opportunity to attend Metabolic Bone, Lipid, Pediatric Endocrine, and Reproductive Endocrine Clinics. The third year fellows can attend a clinic which focuses on an area that complements his or her basic or clinical research.
Weekly Endocrine Grand Rounds: The Wednesday Endocrine Grand Rounds is attended by faculty from the Division and throughout UCDHSC, practicing endocrinologists from the community, housestaff, and students. The topics discussed at this conference are clinically relevant, but may include newer developments in the basic sciences which are of increasing importance to a clinician. Once a month, the clinical fellows have an opportunity to present interesting cases they have seen and discuss a related area of diagnosis or therapy.
Journal Club: Journal club follows Endocrine Grand Rounds every Wednesday. Each week fellows gather to discuss a group of recent articles they believe are of relevance. In this forum, first year fellows learn from senior fellows and faculty. Often, this conference allows the opportunity to compare the content of the literature with “what we really do.” The focus is very clinical and the goal is to stay up-to-date on a broad range of topics. Fellows often cover 1-3 articles in depth and 5-8 articles more superficially.
Specific Conferences: Fellows are able to attend a bimonthly Cytopathology Conference in which expert Pathologists review all cytopathology cases with our Thyroid specialists. There are also monthly interdisciplinary conferences focused on management issues for patients with Thyroid Neoplasms and Piltuitary tumors. Fellows have the opportunity to present patients at these conferences and participate in lively and interesting management discussions with specialists in Endocrinology, Surgery, Pathology and Radiology.
Fellow Mentorship Committee: Similar to the structure of a Ph.D. candidate in graduate school, you will be assigned a committee to help guide your progress while in training. We feel that this type of structure is also be helpful for M.D. Endocrine fellows to have during the research portion of their training. After starting in the laboratory, each fellow will compose a mentorship committee consisting of three individuals: one recent fellow, one clinician-scientist, and one basic-scientist. This committee will meet with the fellow twice a year to provide oversight to the trainee’s progress, publications, presentations at national meetings, and career goals. This group will serve as an advocate for the fellow if problems will arise and help prepare the fellow for the future.
Coursework: All fellows begin the research training period with a course in molecular and cellular biology. This course involves both didactic sessions and laboratory experiences to help the fellow reorient from the clinic to the laboratory. In addition, coursework from the medical and graduate school curriculum (i.e., biostatistics, ethics) is used to supplement the fellow’s training.
Endocrine Training Faculty
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Fellows will have an intensive first-hand participation in basic or clinical research under the direct supervision of a primary faculty mentor with assistance and input from the Mentorship Committee and the Program Director. The endocrinology training faculty provide a diverse menu of research opportunities. Each member of the faculty is actively engaged in either clinical or basic research in various areas of clinical endocrinology as well as molecular endocrinology, reproductive endocrinology, hormones and cancer, childhood growth disorders, childhood diabetes, nutrition, metabolic bone disease, adult diabetes, obesity and lipid metabolism. Fellows will have an opportunity to meet with potential research faculty mentors during the first year of fellowship. For example, intensive interviews between trainees and potential faculty mentors are carried out during the second half of the clinical year. The trainee meets each of the research faculty and discusses the research opportunities in their laboratory and the research interests of the fellow. Once the fellow and faculty mentor have decided upon a mutually acceptable area of research, the fellow will design, plan and execute experiments under the guidance of the faculty mentor. Each fellow’s program will be tailored to his or her specific goals and integrated into the faculty mentor’s ongoing program of research. The endocrine training faculty offer diverse choices for fellows. Please click here for a listing of our faculty.
Conclusion
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As you can see from this brief outline of the clinical and research interest of the training faculty, endocrine fellows have the opportunity to work with some exceptional Academic Endocrinologists who are perfoming cutting-edge research in variety of areas of Endocrinology, Metabolism and Diabetes. In addition, these individuals have demonstrated leadership within the Department of Medicine, the School of Medicine, and at a national level. The Division of Endocrinology, Metabolism and Diabetes at UCDHSC is committed to offering exceptional opportunities for clinical and research training in endocrinology. Our faculty are proud of and excited about our Fellowship Training Program. We want to help you design the kind of training program that meets your individual educational needs and helps you pursue a productive and exciting career in Academic Medicine.
If we can be of any further assistance in answering questions that you might have, please feel free to contact us. Our Fellowship Director is Dr. Dan Bessesen, Fellowship Coordinator is Emily Martin, and our Division Administrator is Terri Carrothers. They can be reached at (303) 724-3927 or at Emily.L.Martin@UCHSC.edu. To apply to our Fellowship Program, please click here. For specific requirements to apply using ERAS click here. We look forward to hearing from you.
Sincerely,
Bryan R.Haugen, MD
Professor of Medicine and Pathology
Head, Division of Endocrinology, Metabolism and Diabetes
Dan Bessesen, MD
Professor of Medicine
Fellowship Program Director
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