Endocrinology

Application Deadline

July 30

Length of Program

3 years

Program Start Date

July 5

Number of Positions Available

1-2/year

  • Patricia Vuguin, MD

    • Fellowship Director
  • Sharon E. Oberfield, MD

    • Associate Fellowship Director/ Director, T32 Training Grant in Pediatric Endocrinology

Mission Statement

The Division of Pediatric Endocrinology, Diabetes, and Metabolism provides state-of-the-art care to infants, children, adolescents, and young adults with endocrine disorders and diabetes through NewYork-Presbyterian/Morgan Stanley Children's Hospital and the Naomi Berrie Diabetes Center.

We are committed to producing the next generation of thoughtful leaders in the pediatric endocrinology community by offering an exciting, in-depth, and high-quality experience for our fellows. Our training program combines excellent teaching and mentoring, exceptional research, and personal guidance to allow each fellow to become a skilled pediatric endocrinologist, scholarly thinker, critical investigator, and potential leader in the field.

Curriculum

Clinical

Endocrine Activities

Every year the division has almost 8,000 outpatient visits, more than 250 in-house consultations, and 150 diagnostic endocrine tests. Fellows gain extensive clinical experience through their continuity clinic, management of both in- and outpatients, and coverage for emergencies. We are a designated site for the NY State Congenital Adrenal Hyperplasia and Newborn Thyroid Screening Program. Fellows manage the newborn screen referrals and discuss treatment planning with the supervising faculty. In 2013 we established the only pediatric DXA unit in NYC, and fellows oversee the 115 or so scans we perform annually. In 2016 we established NYC's only pediatric thyroid center in collaboration with pediatric surgery and oncology, and  adult endocrinology, and fellows care for the approximately 150 patients with thyroid conditions that we now see yearly. 

Diabetes Activities

The Berrie Center is the only multi-disciplinary diabetes center in New York City, with a large and growing referral base and a staff and patient population interested in type 1 diabetes research. Through the clinical program at the Berrie Center, which cares for 3,000 children and adolescents, fellows help manage patients with new-onset type 1 diabetes. Faculty in the division also see approximately 130 inpatients yearly who have post-transplant diabetes, cystic fibrosis related diabetes, and rare forms of neonatal and genetic diabetes.

Research

There is a critical shortage of investigators in pediatric diabetes/obesity, and our goal is to develop and train physician-scientists in all fields of pediatric endocrinology. Current research in our division includes the study of:

  • disordered growth and pubertal development including polycystic ovary syndrome
  • the impact of environmental disruptors on obesity and pubertal development
  • obesity-related metabolic disorders
  • the genetic foundations of endocrine disorders
  • bone and body composition in childhood and adolescence
  • the pathophysiology and new therapies including immune modulation treatment of type 1 diabetes.

Graduates of the program have advanced into a variety of impressive careers. Of the 22 physicians who have graduated from the program in the last 14 years, all are board-certified, 94 percent are in research and academic-related careers, and a fifth are currently involved in intensive research. Over a third of graduates have participated in NIH-funded studies since completing their fellowship.

Education

The overarching goal of our fellowship program is to educate and train physician-scientists, through exposure to both clinical and research-based endocrinology, to become experts and leaders in the field. All fellows complete a clinical year during which they oversee the inpatient and outpatient endocrinology services and the newborn screening program. During this year they receive intensive training in all aspects of endocrinology in a diverse quaternary care medical center. The wide and unusual range of endocrinological disorders seen at our medical center, and the experience and enthusiasm of our faculty, lead to unparalleled clinical training in endocrinology. Our fellows also must complete two research years dedicated to a project in their area of interest. Fellows select a mentor with whom they formulate a research plan. The fellows have the advantage of access to multiple university-based educational activities that may enhance their research activities.

The fellowship training program was started in 1998 and is fully accredited by the ACGME. Our fellows graduate with high-level skills and experience, and secure positions in top academic institutions throughout the United States.

Why Columbia?

Fellows have the opportunity to participate in state-of-the-art patient care and high-quality research training funded, in part, by a T32 National Institutes of Health (NIH) Pediatric Endocrine Training Grant. Fellows also have access to cross-disciplinary collaborations with research programs throughout CUIMC such as the Naomi Berrie Diabetes Center (NBDC), the Comprehensive Adolescent Bariatric Surgery Program (CABS), Columbia Center for Children’s Environmental Health (CCCEH), the Irving Institute for Clinical and Translational Research/Biomarker Core Laboratory, the Diabetes and Endocrinology Research Center (DRC), the Division of Molecular Genetics, and the CUIMC Institute of Human Nutrition. Formal coursework options include a competitive NIH-funded six-week research module for intensive training in clinical and epidemiological research.

Benefits

Residents are employees of NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital and affiliated with Columbia University Irving Medical Center. With these affiliations come many benefits!

Current Fellows

  • Presley Nichols, MD

    • Post-doctoral Fellow
    Portrait of Dr. Presley Nichols
  • Virginia Rahming, MD

    • Post-doctoral Fellow
    headshot of Virginia Rahming
  • Cara Tillotson, DO

    • Post-doctoral Fellow
    headshot of Cara Tillotson, DO
  • Jonathan Steinman, MD, PhD

    • Post-doctoral Fellow
    portrait of Jonathan Steinman MD PhD

How to Apply

Applications to our fellowship are processed through the Electronic Residency Application Service (ERAS) system. Materials are accepted starting in July for fellowship positions beginning the following year. Those who wish to apply must be board eligible or board certified by the American Board of Pediatrics. Please note that a completed application includes:

  • Completed ERAS forms
  • Three letters of recommendation, including one letter from the applicant's department chairman or residency director
  • Curriculum vitae
  • Personal statement
  • Additional information, such as USMLE transcript and photo, are recommended

Acceptances to the fellowship are made through the Pediatric Specialties Fall Match of the National Residency Matching Program (NRMP). Please refer to the NRMP website for details about the match submission deadline.

Columbia University and NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital are equal opportunity employers; applications from women and minorities are encouraged. Please note that Columbia University and NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital do not sponsor H1B visa trainees.

For additional information please contact:

Sharon E. Oberfield, MD
PI T32 NIH Training Grant
seo8@cumc.columbia.edu
212-305-6559

Patricia Vuguin
ACGME Program Director
pv2267@cumc.columbia.edu
212-305-6559