Our fellows are motivated, self-starting individuals who are excited to learn new things and to have new experiences. They are caring physicians who love working with patients and their families.
We care for a diverse population from all over the state and neighboring regions. We have one of the largest urban African-American populations in the US. There is a growing Latino population and several immigrant groups from Africa, Eastern Europe, and Asia, including a large Burmese population. Referral patients from around Indiana include rural patients and a large Amish population. Fellows here see all types of patients – from the common to the rare and from a variety of cultures and backgrounds.
In addition to their weekly continuity clinics, fellows spend time in multiple subspecialty clinics, including Type 2 Diabetes, Metabolic Bone, Cancer Survivor, Prader-Willi, Transgender, and Congenital Adrenal Hyperplasia Clinics. This allows for more in depth exposure to these patients and approaches to their care.
The inpatient Pediatric Endocrinology team consists of an attending, a fellow, two upper level pediatrics or medicine/pediatrics residents, a third year medical student, diabetes educators, and a social worker. We often have fourth year medical students on the team as well. During months when there is no fellow assigned to the inpatient team, we have a nurse practitioner. Residents and students have primary responsibility for evaluating consults and working with the fellow to determine the initial approach.
Fellows primarily see patients at the main campus of Riley Hospital for Children in downtown Indianapolis. We also cover NICUs at the nearby Methodist Hospital and the neighboring Eskenazi Hospital, which is the county safety net hospital.
Fellows take call from home one night per week throughout their training. Each fellow also covers eight weekends per year plus two holidays per year.
We will match fellows who have a particular research question in mind with a mentor who can help them develop their ideas. However, most new fellows do not have to think of their own project. New fellows meet with the program leadership early in their training to discuss their goals and general interests. We help fellows meet with potential mentors and establish a project within the first six months. This model has allowed our fellows to be remarkably productive and successful.
The division sponsors fellows to attend national meetings to present their research, whether in the form of a poster or oral presentation. Most fellows attend at least one national meeting each year and sometimes more.
Fellows get four weeks of vacation each year.
Over the last 15 years, 92% of our fellows have passed the American Board of Pediatrics subspecialty exam on the first attempt.