NICHD-NIDDK-NIDCR Inter-Institute Endocrine Training Program
- Ranganath Muniyappa, MD, PhD, Director, Inter-Institute Endocrine Training Program; Diabetes, Endocrinology, and Obesity Branch, NIDDK
- Michael T. Collins, MD, Director, Career Development and Research Oversight and Head, Disorders & Mineral Homeostasis Section, NIDCR
- Karel Pacak, MD, PhD, DSc, Head, Section on Medical Neuroendocrinology, NICHD
- Sanjay Jumani, MD, Clinical Fellow
- Sonal Vaid, MD, Clinical Fellow
The Inter-Institute Endocrinology Training Program (IETP) is a three-year training program that seeks to train internal medicine physicians to become first-rate endocrinologists dedicated to investigative careers. The National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK), the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD), and the National Institute of Dental and Craniofacial Research (NIDCR) participate in the program, with faculty from all three institutes.
Clinical and research training under the NICHD-NIDDK-NIDCR Inter-Institute Endocrine Training Program
Clinical training occurs largely in the first year. At any one time, fellows are responsible for five to ten patients on the inpatient service of the NIH. Under the supervision of the endocrine faculty, the trainee has complete responsibility for all aspects of a patient’s care. Fellows make daily rounds, discuss patients with the attending physicians, and participate in management decisions related to both patient care and clinical investigation. Although all patients are admitted under peer-reviewed research protocols, there are many other aspects of diagnosis and patient care that fall entirely under the discretion of the endocrine fellows.
Developing an independent career as a physician-scientist is the primary focus during the second and third years of training; emphasis is placed on how to develop research questions and hypothesis-driven research protocols. To this end, the second and third years are spent primarily in the laboratory or conducting clinical research under the mentorship of a senior investigator in one of the several endocrinology branches of the NIH. During this research period, fellows continue to gain active clinical experience through bi-weekly continuity outpatient clinics (general endocrinology as well as diabetes clinics) and by participating in clinical conferences. In addition, fellows on the endocrine service serve as consultants to other services within the Clinical Center, where patients are not selected with regard to endocrine problems. Thus, fellows gain experience with the several common endocrine problems that may occur in any general medical ward. Clinical research activities include programs in all the areas of endocrine and metabolic diseases and diabetes. Study design, outcome measures, statistical analysis, and ethical and regulatory issues are stressed.
The IETP provides a comprehensive training experience that involves not only the NIH clinical branches working in endocrinology but also Georgetown University Hospital, Washington Hospital Center, and Walter Reed National Military Medical Center. The basic and clinical endocrine research facilities at the NIH are among the most extensive and highly regarded in the world. Thus, the fellowship is ideal for physicians who seek a broad education in both research and clinical endocrinology.
Publications
- Kamilaris CDC, Stratakis CA, Hannah-Shmouni F. Molecular genetic and genomic alterations in Cushing's syndrome and primary aldosteronism. Front Endocrinol 2021;12:632543.
- Gubbi S, Al-Jundi M, Del Rivero J, Jha A, Knue M, Zou J, Turkbey B, Carrasquillo JA, Lin E, Pacak K, Klubo-Gwiezdzinska J, Lin Fi. Case Report: Primary hypothyroidism associated with lutetium 177-DOTATATE therapy for metastatic paraganglioma. Front Endocrinol 2021;11:587065.
- Shekhar S, Sinaii N, Irizarry-Caro JA, Gahl WA, Estrada-Veras JI, Dave R, Papadakis GZ, Tirosh A, Abel BS, Klubo-Gwiezdzinska J, Skarulis MC, Gochuico BR, O'Brien K, Hannah-Shmouni F. Prevalence of hypothyroidism in patients with Erdheim-Chester disease. JAMA Netw Open 2020;3(10):e2019169.
- Al-Jundi M, Thakur S, Gubbi S, Klubo-Gwiezdzinska J. Novel targeted therapies for metastatic thyroid cancer-a comprehensive review. Cancers (Basel) 2020;12(8):2104.
Faculty
- Rebecca Brown, MD, Diabetes, Endocrinology, and Obesity Branch, NIDDK, Bethesda, MD
- Alan H. DeCherney, MD, Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility Training Program, NICHD, Bethesda, MD
- Rachel Gafni, MD, Craniofacial and Skeletal Diseases Branch, NIDCR, Bethesda, MD
- Joanna Klubo-Gwiezdzinska, MD, PhD, Thyroid Tumors and Functional Thyroid Disorders Section, NIDDK, Bethesda, MD
- Lynnette K. Nieman, MD, Diabetes, Endocrinology and Obesity Branch, NIDDK, Bethesda, MD
- William F. Simonds, MD, Metabolic Diseases Branch, NIDDK, Bethesda, MD
- Joseph Verbalis, MD, Director, Endocrine Training Program, Georgetown University Medical Center, Washington, DC
- Lee S. Weinstein, MD, Metabolic Diseases Branch, NIDDK, Bethesda, MD
Contact
For more information, email Ranganath.Muniyappa@nih.gov or go to https://www.niddk.nih.gov/research-funding/at-niddk/training-employment/medical-student-md/inter-institute-endocrinology-fellowship-program.
