Pediatric endocrinology and metabolism fellowship

The fellowship program at CHoR is the only pediatric endocrine fellowship training program in Central Virginia, which has a diverse population of 1.5 million. We provide over 7,500 outpatient visits and more than 250 inpatient admissions or consults annually. 

Faculty members have diverse training backgrounds and a variety of clinical and research interests. They include four board-certified pediatric endocrinologists, two internal medicine-pediatric endocrinologists, two nurse practitioners, one RD-CDE, one RN-CDE, and two child psychologists. 

The programs are highly integrated with the internal medicine adult endocrinology fellowship program and with research programs from the departments of Human and Molecular Genetics, Psychology, Epidemiology and Community Health, Health and Human Performance and Pathology. 

VCU is one of the top research institutions in the U.S. and the university’s Center for Clinical and Translational Research received a $20 million Center for Translational Research Award from the National Institutes of Health in 2011 and 2018. 

The program accepts only one fellow annually (total of three trainees), which allows fellows to select the faculty mentor of their choice. 

In order to ensure successful academic productivity, an oversight committee is designed specifically for each fellow to provide guidance and oversight from study design to completion and publication. 

The program hosts regularly scheduled conferences that are designed to review the field of pediatric endocrinology in depth as well as interdisciplinary conferences with internal medicine endocrinology and surgical oncology. 

The diabetes education program at CHoR holds official ADA recognition. Fellows have the opportunity to participate in a multidisciplinary program dedicated to excellence in diabetes self-management education, quality improvement and community outreach/education. We host a day-camp for young children with diabetes every summer. 

Thyroid clinic 

The program offers specialized training in diagnosis and management of thyroid nodules and cancers in a multidisciplinary clinic that incorporates pediatric endocrinology, endocrine surgery, thyroid ultrasonography, nuclear medicine and pathology. Additional training in thyroid ultrasound takes place in the thyroid clinic. 

Transdisciplinary adolescent weight management program 

The T.E.E.N.S. program involves faculty and students from nutrition, exercise physiology, psychology, medicine, pediatrics, surgery and nursing. This is one of the most productive areas of research both clinical and basic in the division. An adolescent bariatric surgery program is also an active part of the healthy lifestyle program and provides opportunities to participate in pre-operative and perioperative management as well as research. 

Transgender clinic 

The care of children and adolescents with gender dysphoria is a recognized need and requires highly specialized and experienced teams. The CHoR Pediatric Endocrine Program support this clinic with a regular multidisciplinary clinic dedicated to these patients. 

Congenital adrenal hyperplasia 

Children with CAH require a multidisciplinary approach to manage hormone therapy, surgery, genetics, and psychological outcomes. The CHoR Pediatric Endocrine Program hosts this multidisciplinary clinic on a quarterly basis. 

Turner Syndrome 

Children with Turner syndrome have a variety of medical needs spanning the gamut from cardiology to nephrology to endocrinology, gynecology, reproductive endocrinology, genetics, and pediatric endocrinology. The CHoR Pediatric Endocrine Program hosts this special clinic on a quarterly basis. 

All fellows are expected to participate in the Endocrine University sponsored by the Mayo Clinic and the Endocrine Fellows Foundation. 

Travel to national meetings is expected along with career mentoring and initial faculty placement. 

The program offers two tracks: a conventional pathway for those interested in a well-rounded educational experience and a separate track which also leads to completion of the Master’s Degree in Public Health with expertise in epidemiology.