Open Letter to Applicants
Dear Fellowship Applicants,
Congratulations on reaching this exciting step of your career! My name is Lauren Ray, and I recently completed my Pediatric Endocrinology Fellowship at Indiana University School of Medicine. I’ve been invited to share my experience with you in hopes that you find it helpful in your fellowship journey. In short, you have made an excellent choice to apply to the IU School of Medicine Pediatric Endocrinology Fellowship program, a decision I would certainly make again if I were in your shoes!
My priorities in choosing a fellowship program were three-fold: to become experienced in clinical practice with both the “bread and butter” of pediatric endocrinology and the “zebras,” to conduct research in my areas of interest and to tailor my training to meet my personal career goals. The program at IU School of Medicine fulfilled each of these beyond measure, and I feel well-prepared to enter the faculty stage of my career.
As the largest children’s hospital in Indiana, Riley Hospital for Children serves as the primary referral center for the children and adolescents in the state. This standing brings in a volume of patients with a variety of pathologies to exceed a trainee’s needs. Our busy inpatient service consults on patients in every pediatric specialty, providing exposure to endocrinopathies across the spectrum of acuity. You will be able to follow patients you saw in the hospital in your outpatient clinics, maintaining continuity that optimizes patient care and your own training. You will also build your own panel of patients in your individual endocrine and diabetes clinics, where you will see new referrals and established patients for follow up. This breadth of clinical experience has made me well-versed in caring for common endocrine diagnoses including diabetes, hypo- and hyperthyroidism, hypopituitarism, pubertal dysfunction and primary adrenal insufficiency. Our patient volume has also provided great exposure to rare pathologies including pediatric thyroid cancer, ovarian tumors, MEN 1 and 2, osteogenesis imperfecta and Cushing disease — just to name a few!
The size of our institution at IU School of Medicine allows for an abundance of research opportunities. As a large division, our pediatric endocrinology faculty have expertise in all areas of the field. Whether you’re interested in basic, clinical or translational research (or if you haven’t decided!), you will have opportunities to work with faculty mentors who will be able to support your research goals. For those interested in a career as a physician scientist, the Morris Green Physician Scientist Development Program is an excellent opportunity to develop your research skills, with a project stipend and mentor. Previous fellows have also obtained a Master of Science in Clinical Research through IU. Both programs can be completed within your three years of fellowship. Our pediatric endocrinology fellows have historically been quite academically productive with their research, typically graduating with several publications and presentations at national or international conferences. This reflects the great support we have from our program directors and faculty mentors to pursue our individual interests and take advantage of the many opportunities during our training.
One of the many benefits of the IU School of Medicine Pediatric Endocrinology Fellowship is the flexibility to personalize your experience. While our institution is large enough to provide abundant clinical and research support, the small fellowship size of three to five fellows allows you to tailor your training to meet your career goals. For example, I recognized early that I was interested in medical education, so I participated in the Clinician Educator Training Pathway through the GME office. Not only have I been able to give lectures to all levels of trainees, but it has also opened doors for medical education roles as an attending. Other training pathways offered here include the Global Health Pathway, Health Equity Training Pathway, and Leadership Training Pathway — all can be completed during your fellowship time. I desired more clinical time in my latter half of training, so our program directors built additional general endocrine clinic time into my schedule. As another example, a co-fellow added additional bone clinics to her schedule and started her own diabetes transition clinic. These are only a few examples of how our faculty and program directors are invested in our training, and how our program size is the best of both worlds!
Outside of your time at Riley Hospital, you’ll find a wide variety of things to do in Indianapolis. It is an affordable city with many different restaurants for the foodies and breweries that are dog friendly. There are local and professional sporting teams as well as theaters and concerts throughout the year. Indianapolis also has parks for hiking and several bike trails that run through the city. I recommend the children’s museum and zoo, for adults and kids alike!
Choosing a fellowship program can be an overwhelming decision. I can say without a doubt that if I had to do it over again, I would absolutely choose IU School of Medicine again and again. I am so grateful to have been a part of the Riley Hospital family and know that the relationships I’ve made with my mentors and program directors will continue throughout my career. If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out to me. I wish you the best of luck on your fellowship journey and future career as a pediatric endocrinologist!
Good luck!
Lauren Ray, MD
Assistant Professor of Pediatrics
Division of Pediatric Endocrinology
University of Kentucky College of Medicine
UK Healthcare and Kentucky Children’s Hospital