Clinical Opportunities

More than 70% of the fellowship’s clinical training takes place in the outpatient setting—a deliberate design that supports long-term patient relationships and progressive clinical autonomy. Fellows work closely with supervising attendings in sub-specialty endocrine clinics, deepening their understanding of chronic disease management and learning to recognize nuances in patient presentation over time.

The sub-specialty clinics is a signature strength of the Program. These clinics are led by faculty with focused expertise, offering fellows the chance to learn directly from leaders in specific domains of endocrinology:

• Bone and Mineral Disorders
• Neuroendocrinology
• Thyroid (including ultrasound-guided fine-needle aspiration)
• Diabetes, Lipid and Weight Management

This structure provides fellows with rich opportunities to develop subspecialty proficiency and to appreciate the complexity of endocrine care in a modern academic setting.

Inpatient clinical rotations are carefully structured to provide meaningful exposure to acute and often complex endocrine presentations. Fellows rotate on the Endocrinology Consultation Service, managing hospitalized patients with a wide range of endocrine issues in collaboration with multidisciplinary teams.

• First-year fellows complete approximately 16 weeks of inpatient consultation.
• Second-year fellows complete approximately 8 weeks, with additional responsibilities on the Glycemic Consultation Service during weekends and holidays.

These rotations emphasize real-time clinical reasoning, team-based care, and thoughtful communication with consulting services, patients, and families. Fellows also supervise and teach residents and medical students, developing important leadership and mentorship skills in the process.

Procedural training is an integral part of the curriculum. Fellows gain hands-on experience and are expected to master the indications, techniques, contraindications, and interpretation of procedures commonly used in endocrine practice.

• Thyroid Fine-Needle Aspiration (FNA): Fellows are trained in ultrasound-guided FNA and typically perform 30–40 thyroid FNAs during the fellowship, most during the first year. A minimum of 10 supervised aspirations is required to demonstrate procedural proficiency.
• Thyroid ultrasound: Fellows receive dedicated instruction and direct practice in thyroid ultrasonography, including anatomy recognition, lesion characterization, and image acquisition—skills essential for endocrine specialists in contemporary practice.

The clinical experience is deeply integrated with a robust and interactive educational curriculum. Fellows participate in a wide range of didactic and case-based learning opportunities, designed to enhance knowledge and foster critical thinking.

• Weekly clinical case conferences: Fellows present and lead discussions of interesting or challenging cases, sharpening diagnostic and management strategies.
• Multidisciplinary conferences: Regular participation in endocrine pathology and radiology rounds fosters collaboration and a systems-based understanding of endocrine disease.
• Endocrine seminar series: Fellows deliver scholarly presentations on endocrine topics, guided by faculty mentors, and receive feedback to refine their teaching and academic communication skills.

Together, these educational experiences ensure that fellows graduate with the intellectual foundation, clinical expertise and professional confidence to thrive in academic, clinical or research-focused careers.