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. 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. We are also involved with an accredited Bariatric surgery program for adolescents.

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, including those with 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 polyendocrine metabolic ovarian 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.

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 35 physicians (4 still in training) who have graduated from the program in the last two decades, 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, although rotations may be spread over the 3 years. During  their clinical rotation, 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 experientially 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. Until at least 2028, we will continue to offer a 3-year program.

Our Fellows’ Accomplishments

We are proud to recognize the many accomplishments of our pediatric endocrinology fellows. Their dedication to patient care, research, education, and professional development is reflected in their publications, presentations, awards, and other scholarly achievements. These accomplishments demonstrate the important contributions our fellows make to both our program and the broader field of pediatric endocrinology.

We are especially proud to highlight Jonathan Steinman, MD, PhD, who completed his fellowship at Columbia in 2025, and has since joined the faculty as an instructor. Dr. Steinman’s research focuses on the mechanisms underlying pediatric obesity-associated metabolic disease, particularly how metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease and steatohepatitis differ between children and adults. His work has examined the distinct roles of Notch1 and Notch2 signaling in liver injury, fibrosis, insulin resistance, and metabolic disease.

During and following his fellowship, Dr. Steinman received several competitive research awards, including the Lawrence R. Stanberry Fellowship Research Grant, a Pediatric Endocrine Society Research Fellowship Award, and was selected as a scholar in the NIH-NIDDK DiabDocs National K12 Physician-Scientist Career Development Program. His research has been published in several journals including Pediatrics, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, and Liver International, and his work has been presented at national scientific meetings.

Some recent publications from our current and former fellows include:

• Citron-Zafrin K, Gandica R, Leibel N; Latest Updates in Prevention and Screening of Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus. Current Pediatrics Reports. June 2025.
• Moriyama H, Ham JN. Pediatric Hypertriglyceridemia: Lipoprotein Metabolism, Etiology, and Management. Curr Pediatr Rep. 2025 Dec;13:10.1007/s40124-025-00349-7. doi: 10.1007/s40124-025-00349-7. Epub 2025 Jun 28. PMID: 41103488; PMCID: PMC12524095.
• Tillotson CV, Fisher AS, Nguyen K, Antal Z, Yan B, Carpenter CP, Vuguin P, Herbstman J, Oberfield S. charactne Exposure to Endocrine-disrupting Chemicals and Risk of Hypospadias: A Pilot Study. J Endocr Soc. 2025 Dec 12;10(1):bvaf208. doi: 10.1210/jendso/bvaf208. PMID: 41488028; PMCID: PMC12757584.
• Steinman JB, Duong N, Partida I, Bien-Aime C, Shen W, Lee CK, Fazlollahi LA, Remotti HE, Pajvani UB, Goldsmith J, Woo Baidal JA. Characteristics of Transient Elastography for Hepatic Steatosis and Fibrosis in Children Undergoing Liver Biopsy. J Pediatr. 2026 Aug;295:115107. doi: 10.1016/j.jpeds.2026.115107. Epub 2026 Apr 17. PMID: 42002217.
• Citron-Zafrin K, Richter L, Williams KM, Gandica R, Vargas-Rodriguez I, Leibel N. Technology Use in Adolescents with Type 1 Diabetes at a Large, Urban Diabetes Center. Diabetes Technology and Therapeutics, submitted 2026.       

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!

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. Please note that Columbia University and NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital do not sponsor H1B visa trainees.

For additional information, please contact:

Melissa Goldstein
Fellowship Coordinator
mg5069@cumc.columbia.edu  

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