Medical College of Wisconsin Pediatric Endocrinology Fellowship

History: Program established in 2005
Duration: 3 Years
Prerequisite Training/Selection Criteria: Must have completed certified residency program
VISAS Accepted By MCW: J1, & H1B
VISAS Accepted By Program: J1

Goals & Objectives for Training
The broad educational goals of the program are to develop the knowledge, skills, and attributes that will allow the pediatric endocrine fellow to provide excellent care to children with endocrine disorders and diabetes mellitus. This will be accomplished by providing opportunities for direct inpatient, outpatient, and consultative patient care to patients with endocrine disorders and/or those referred for endocrinology consultation under the direct supervision of full-time faculty.

In addition, the program will train fellows to have the necessary knowledge, skills, and attributes to pursue a career that will combine scholarly activity with clinical care. During all years of training, the fellow will have the opportunity to pursue clinical and/or laboratory-based research.

Instruction regarding study design, epidemiology, and biostatistics will be available through the research mentor, pediatric endocrine faculty, and the Joint Fellowship Curriculum, with the goal of training the fellow to be academically productive. Both within the section as well as in collaboration with other sections of the Department of Pediatrics, multiple scholarly opportunities exist. Under the supervision of a research mentor, the program will aim to develop the academic potential of the pediatric endocrine fellow. A summary of the goals of the training program will be distributed to each pediatric endocrine fellow and faculty member within the section, as well as to each research mentor on an annual basis.

Program Certifications

• Nationally recognized/accredited diabetes program
• USNWR nationally ranked clinical program in Endocrinology and Diabetes

Clinical
The pediatric endocrine fellow will be supervised at all times by a faculty member and will provide inpatient care, outpatient care, and consultative services on under direct supervision. Goals and objectives of each clinical rotation (as described by the six ACGME competencies) will be distributed to each pediatric endocrine fellow and faculty member within the section.

As laid out in the “A Day in the Life of a Pediatric Endocrinology Fellow” below, during the first year of training, the pediatric endocrine fellow will be on service or “on-call” and in the outpatient clinic more often than during the 2nd and 3rd years of fellowship. This early experience under the direct supervision of faculty is designed to facilitate the fellow’s development of expertise in caring for pediatric endocrinology and diabetes patients. Over the entire 3 years, the fellow will have the opportunity to follow patients longitudinally in their own endocrinology and diabetes continuity clinics, under the supervision of experienced faculty, to gain a greater understanding of the chronic nature of the endocrine and diabetes-related disorders of childhood. In addition to patient-care experiences, the fellow will receive regular, didactic instruction regarding clinical care of endocrine disorders and diabetes mellitus.”

Work Product of Scholarly Activity
Involvement in scholarly activities must result in the generation of a specific written "work product" as outlined by the ABP. Examples of include, but are not limited to:

• A peer-reviewed publication in which a fellow played a substantial role
• An in-depth manuscript describing a completed project
• A thesis or dissertation written in connection with the pursuit of an advanced degree
• An extramural grant application that has either been accepted or favorably reviewed
• A progress report for projects of exceptional complexity, such as a multi-year clinical trial

The fellow’s Scholarship Oversight Committee (SOC) will be instrumental in guiding the fellow’s activity towards an acceptable product. In addition to the work of the SOC, the department will provide all subspecialty fellows with the opportunity to participate in a departmental research, education, and scholarship forum to present their work product and receive feedback from department faculty.

Scholarship Oversight Committee (SOC)
The SOC in conjunction with the trainee, the mentor, and the program director will determine whether a specific activity is appropriate to meet the ABP guidelines for scholarly activities. These activities require active participation by the fellow and must be mentored. The mentor(s) will be responsible for providing the continuous ongoing feedback essential to the trainee’s development.

Review of scholarly activity and the written work product will occur at the local level with each fellow having a SOC responsible for overseeing and assessing the progress of each fellow and verifying for the ABP that the requirement has been met. The SOC must consist of three or more individuals, at least one of whom is based outside the subspecialty discipline; the fellowship program director may serve as a trainee’s mentor and participate in the activities of the oversight committee, but should not be a standing (i.e. voting) member. Particular emphasis will be placed on encouraging identification of committee members whose professional and research responsibilities encompass elements of the trainee’s scholarly interest, but who do not necessarily have a primary appointment in the Department of Pediatrics. Examples of such individuals include faculty in clinical departments, faculty in basic science departments, or faculty in the Schools of Public Health or Education.

This committee will:

1. Determine whether a specific activity is appropriate to meet the ABP guidelines for scholarly activity.
2. Provide guidance in charting a course of preparation beyond the core fellowship curriculum to ensure successful completion of the project.
3. Evaluate the fellow's progress as related to scholarly activity.
4. Meet with the fellow early in the training period (within 6 months of initiation of fellowship training) and regularly thereafter.
5. Require the fellow to present/defend the project related to his/her scholarly activity.
6. Advise the program director on the fellow's progress and assess whether the fellow has satisfactorily met the guidelines associated with the requirement for active participation in scholarly activities.

The fellow, in conjunction with the fellowship director or designee and research mentor, should identify the direction for the fellow’s scholarly activity. At the first SOC meeting, the purpose will be to hear the general path the fellow has chosen, to help further outline the path, and determine the specific steps for the fellow to meet the outlined path. The SOC should meet again within 4-6 months of the first meeting and at least semi-annually thereafter to further update and guide the fellow on developing their scholarly path.

A written report by the chair of each trainee's SOC should be completed twice a year and forwarded to the fellowship program director. The Department Education Office will provide the subspecialty training programs with standard forms for documenting each SOC meeting. The fellowship director and the head of the fellow's SOC are expected to monitor whether additional SOC meetings are necessary for fellows who need more help or may be changing their scholarly activity.

The final responsibility of the SOC is to review and approve the final scholarly “work product” of the applicant prior to submission to the ABP.

External Oversight
A program’s ability to provide a satisfactory scholarly experience for all trainees will be evaluated periodically, as described below.

• The Pediatric Residency Review Committee (RRC) of the ACGME will be asked to review the training program’s structure as it relates to the scholarly activity requirements.
• External periodic peer review of the quality of the training environment related to scholarly activity, in addition to that undertaken by the RRC, is highly recommended.

Responsibilities of the Training Program Director
In addition to meeting the requirements of the ACGME related to the six general competencies, the responsibilities of the training program director shall include the creation of a core curriculum in scholarly activities, the identification of a mentor, the creation of the Scholarship Oversight Committee responsible for overseeing and assessing the progress of each trainee, and providing verification to the ABP of the successful completion of training.

It is the responsibility of the training director to review the SOC documentation and clarify the responsibilities and outcomes for each fellow. The SOC and the Fellowship Program Director are both accountable for scholarly progress of individual fellows and will share their recommendations with the Department Chair.

Verification of Scholarly Activity
Upon completion of training, the ABP will require:

• Verification from the training program director that the clinical and scholarly skills requirements have been met.
• A comprehensive document (i.e. personal statement), written by the fellow, describing the scholarly activity that includes a description of his/her role in each aspect of the activity and how the scholarly activity relates to the trainee’s own career development plan.
• The actual “work product” of the scholarly activity as described above.
• Signature of the fellow, program director, and members of the Scholarship Oversight Committee on both the personal statement and work product of the fellow as described above.

The fellow will need to produce the work product and personal statement, as well as obtain approval from the SOC to be eligible to sit for the Subspecialty Board Examination. The decision about the adequacy of the work product is the responsibility of the SOC and the program director.

From the start of fellowship, fellows have their own Diabetes and Endocrinology continuity clinics. The fellows’ own continuity clinics allow them to build relationships with families and learn more about the pathophysiology and progression of various diseases including Diabetes Type 1 & 2, puberty, and growth disorders.

Fellows participate in specialized clinics including: Disorders of Sexual Development, Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome, Brain Tumor, Bone Marrow Transplant, Metabolic Bone Disease, and Genetics clinics.

Inpatient experience at Children's Wisconsin allows fellows to build expertise in evaluation/management of endocrine and diabetes mellitus issues while patients are acutely ill or post-surgical following a recent procedure.

All education sessions and conferences are considered protected time where the pager is held by the attending.

• Fellow education sessions Wednesday morning (8-10 a.m.): Topics covered include case discussions, content review for board preparation, programmatic changes and improvements to help fellows and improve clinical care provided by our team.
• Division Peds Endocrinology conferences Friday afternoon (1-2:30 p.m.)
• Monthly Joint Adult-Peds Endocrine conference

Fellows have full access to the active and thriving Max McGee Diabetes Research Center, a multi-disciplinary type 1 diabetes research center engaged in basic, translational, and clinical research. The McGee Center receives extramural and intramural funding and is involved in investigator-initiated and consortium-based protocols. There are ample opportunities to participate in bench and animal work and also to translate those findings to clinical research protocols. There are two research coordinators, three full-time research faculty, and a pediatric Translational Research Unit managing multiple projects with over 400 study visits/year. Past fellows have been active leaders on interventional clinical trials, presented at national meetings, and received authorship in peer-reviewed articles. There are also ample opportunities for non-diabetes research, including quality improvement initiatives, chart review, and case reports.

Learn more about the Max McGee Diabetes Research Center

Pediatric endocrine fellows and faculty will perform annual reviews of the training program, including whether the goals and objectives are being met. The comments will be collated and discussed at an annual meeting including the faculty and pediatric endocrine fellows to discuss these concerns. Changes to the goals, objectives, or curriculum may be implemented, when necessary, based on feedback received at these review sessions.

• Evaluation of fellows by faculty
• Evaluation of faculty by fellows bi-annually
• Evaluation of program by faculty, staff, and fellows annually

• 1 continuity clinic per week (either diabetes or endocrine)
• 2 attending clinics per week (exempt when on-call)
• Service or on-call experience
• While on-call, 1st through 3rd year fellows are the first call for families and provider within Children's Wisconsin.
• In the 3rd year only while on-call, fellows will also be first call for provider consults or questions outside of Children's Wisconsin.
• Fellows find this practice (with an attending there to staff with) during their 3rd year prepares them for working independently after graduation.
• Number of call weeks:
• 1st year: 16 weeks of 24-hr. call
• 2nd year: 12 weeks of 24-hr. call
• 3rd year: 8 weeks of 24-hr. call + 4 weeks of overnight call (4:30 p.m.-8 a.m.)
• Schedule when on-call (weekdays)
• 7:30 a.m.: See patients with new onset diabetes in clinic
• 9 a.m.: See patients with urgent endocrine problems in clinic
• 10 a.m.-12 p.m.: Round on established patients in the hospital
• 1-4 p.m.: Consult on new patients in the hospital
• Schedule when on-call (weekends and holidays): Round in the hospital as needed
• Holidays are divided among the fellows, as per their preference
• During non-business hours, call is “home call”

• Remaining time dedicated to research and other academic pursuits

Our 3-year fellowship program is ACGME accredited and begins on July 1 each year. We accept one fellow every year through the National Resident Matching Program (NRMP). Applicants must have completed a US-accredited residency program. Applications from prospective applicants are accepted from July through October via the Electronic Residency Application Service (ERAS). We will access your application and contact you to make interview arrangements.

Complete applications should include the following:

• ERAS application form
• At least 3 letters of reference including Program Director letter
• Medical Student Performance Evaluation/Dean's Letter
• Curriculum Vitae
• Personal statement
• MD Applicants: USMLE scores - Steps 1, 2, and 3 or
• DO Applicants: COMLEX scores – Levels 1, 2 and 3
• ECFMG certificate for foreign medical school graduates (see visa information below)

Our program currently accepts the following visas:

• Permanent Resident Visa
• Visitor Exchange Visa sponsored by ECFMG (J-1)
• Temporary Professional Workers (H-1B)

View MCWAH visa information

Apply via ERAS

Fellows are employed by the Medical College of Wisconsin Affiliated Hospitals (MCWAH). View their website for information regarding vacations, leaves, insurance, stipends and professional liability.

MCWAH benefits, conditions, and terms of employment

As a fellow, you will participate in the FACTS Program and embark on a journey that not only enhances your professional skills but also fosters meaningful connections with peers across various pediatric subspecialties. FACTS is a comprehensive curriculum designed to enhance your education through career development, scholarly activities, and personalized learning experiences. FACTS offers centralized education on core topics relevant to all pediatric subspecialties, promoting collaboration and knowledge sharing among fellows. The curriculum emphasizes individualized education by providing multiple offerings in certain time slots, allowing you to tailor your learning to your specific interests and career goals. Through shared learning sessions and collaborative projects, you'll build lasting relationships that support both your personal and professional growth, preparing you to excel as a well-rounded pediatric subspecialist.

Learn more about our curriculum

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Our residents and fellows consistently highlight Milwaukee’s affordability, short commutes, strong sense of community, and access to outdoor spaces, restaurants, coffee shops, and festivals year round. From Summerfest and neighborhood farmers markets to beer gardens, bike trails, and the lakefront, there’s always something to explore – and time to enjoy it.

Explore Milwaukee through the eyes of our trainees