Curriculum

The Division of Endocrinology offers a comprehensive academic program including weekly clinical case conferences, monthly journal clubs, radiology rounds and frequent invited speaker sessions.

Fellows will be provided didactics covering the full array of endocrine and diabetes topics as well as a board preparation course. Fellows will participate in research meetings with their chosen research groups. There are numerous hospital-wide academic offerings including weekly Pediatric Grand Rounds and Professorial Rounds, which is a multidisciplinary case-based conference at which fellows are encouraged to present interesting cases. The institution offers a standardized Fellows’ core curriculum, biostatistics course and wellness course. Additionally, fellows have the opportunity to participate in advanced degree programs through the George Washington University. Fellows will teach residents and students during their inpatient weeks at the bedside and through dedicated Friday morning teaching conferences.

Fellows will also have the opportunity to spend a week at Diabetes Camp as part of their clinical training.

Training

First Year

During the first year, the fellows primarily focus on clinical training by caring for a wide variety of inpatients including those with primary endocrine disorders admitted to the endocrine service and consults rendered to other services in the hospital including Oncology, Emergency Department, NICU and PICU. Fellows will spend approximately 14 weeks on the inpatient service during their first year and in addition will be part of a night float system. The remainder of the first year will be spent rotating through outpatient clinics as well as a research rotation when fellows will have time to explore research options for their second and third years.

In addition to general pediatric endocrinology and diabetes clinics, fellows participate in numerous specialized multidisciplinary pediatric endocrine clinics, including:

Fellows will have the opportunity to learn from well-trained diabetes educators about basic skills and technology in diabetes including insulin pump and continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) education and will attend the Children’s National run diabetes camp for one week during the summer.

Fellows will attend three to five half days of attending’s clinic during their outpatient weeks. Fellows will have one continuity clinic every week and follow their own cohort of patients through the three years of the fellowship.

Second and Third Year

During the second and third year, the fellows will primarily focus on their research and quality improvement projects. By the end of the first year, they are expected to have identified their research project and mentor. Funding for two years of research is guaranteed to all accepted fellows.

Fellows will be required to present their work at national meetings and submit a manuscript prior to the end of the fellowship.

Fellows will work on the inpatient service for four to eight weeks per year in their second and third year and be part of the night float. They will continue to do one half-day continuity clinic every week and may substitute one to two of their clinics per month with specialty clinics of their choice.

Research

The Division of Endocrinology offers the opportunity for research in many areas of endocrinology. Andrew Dauber, M.D., Chief of Endocrinology, work focuses on novel etiologies of short stature, and he leads a multi-center study integrating genomics with electronic health records to identify patients with undiagnosed genetic growth disorders. Dr. Dauber is also leading innovative clinical trials of novel therapeutics for genetic conditions causing short stature.

Youn Hee Je,, M.D., also focuses on the genetic etiologies of growth, leading translational research laboratory to discover novel molecular pathophysiology of growth disorders and to develop treatment approaches for severe growth disorders using mouse models. Dr. Jee's research also includes underpinning genetic causes of pubertal disorders (premature adrenarche and delayed puberty) that lead to long-term health consequences.

Nadia Merchant, M.D ., is a pediatric endocrinologist and geneticist with a focus on ways to improve bone health and endocrine management of children with complex genetic conditions.

Randi Streisand, M.D., conducts multiple studies using behavioral interventions to improve diabetes care.

Roopa Kanakatti Shankar, M.B.B.S., M.S., leads our Turner Syndrome registry and is part of the InsighTS National Registry with a focus on optimal hormone replacement and outcomes in patients with Turner syndrome.

Shideh Majidi’s , M.D., associate director of Diabetes Services, research focuses on behavioral health and psychosocial aspects of care in youth and young adults with type 1 diabetes. She additionally uses quality improvement methodologies to improve clinical care in diabetes and is the primary investigator for the T1D Exchange Quality Improvement Collaborative.

Publications and Presentations

Selected publications written by our fellows include:

Grundman JB, Chung ST, Estrada E, Podolsky RH, Meyers A, Marks BE. Virtual Learning and Youth-Onset Type 2 Diabetes During the COVID-19 Pandemic.Horm Res Paediatr. 2023 Jun 30. doi: 10.1159/000531720. Online ahead of print.PMID: 37393897

Grundman JB, Perkins A, Monaghan M, Meighan S, Streisand R, Marks BE. Differences in positive expectancy of hybrid closed loop (HCL) insulin delivery systems do not explain racial differences in HCL use. J Clin Transl Endocrinol. 2023 May 20;32:100319. doi: 10.1016/j.jcte.2023.100319. eCollection 2023 Jun.PMID: 37273975 Free PMC article.

Flokas ME, Bustamante VH, Kanakatti Shankar R. New-Onset Primary Adrenal Insufficiency and Autoimmune Hypothyroidism in a Pediatric Patient Presenting with MIS-C. Horm Res Paediatr. 2022;95(4):397-401. doi: 10.1159/000525227. Epub 2022 May 24.PMID: 35609533

Alkhatib EH, Dauber A, Estrada DE, Majidi S Weekly Growth Hormone (Lonapegsomatropin) Causes Severe Transient Hyperglycemia in a Child with Obesity.
Horm Res Paediatr. 2023 Apr 4. doi: 10.1159/000530522. Online ahead of print.PMID: 37015214

Flokas ME, Bustamante VH, Kanakatti Shankar R. New onset Primary Adrenal Insufficiency and Autoimmune Hypothyroidism in a Pediatric Patient presenting with MIS-C. Horm Res Paediatr. 2022 May 24. doi: 10.1159/000525227. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 35609533

Marks BE, Khilnani A, Meyers A, Flokas ME, Gai J, Monaghan M, Streisand R, Estrada E. Increase in the Diagnosis and Severity of Presentation of Pediatric Type 1 and Type 2 Diabetes During the COVID-19 Pandemic. Hormone Research in Paediatrics 2021; 94(7-8):275–284. https://doi.org/10.1159/000519797. Epub 2021 Sep 24. PubMed PMID: 34564073; PubMed Central PMCID: PMC8805060.

Elhenawy Y, Adhami S, Abdelmeguid Y, Ahmad P, Chinchilla P, Cody D, Grundman J, et al. ISPAD Annual Conference 2021 Highlights from the ISPAD Roving Reporters Team. Pediatr Diabetes. Jun 2022;23(4):427-432. doi:10.1111/pedi.13347

Selected titles of presentations at national or international meetings include:

USE OF CGM ADHESIVE KITS INCREASE ACTIVE CGM USE AMONG NHB AND LATINX YOUTH WITH T1D (Jody Grundman, Oral presentation at American Diabetes Association Meeting, 2023)

Community Perception and Knowledge Assessment of Patients and Families for Endocrine Related Management and Complications in Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy (Despoina Galetaki – Poster at Pediatric Endocrine Society Meeting, 2023)

Development of CAH-specific patient reported outcome (PRO) instrument to assess health-related quality of life (HRQoL) (Myrto Flokas – Poster Pediatric Endocrine Society Meeting, 2023)

Despoina Galetaki – Gonadotropins and AMH during Minipuberty in Infants with Turner Syndrome (Despoina Galetaki – Poster at Pediatric Endocrine Society Meeting, 2023)

IT TAKES 6!- RECRUITING MARGINALIZED YOUTH WITH T1D FOR SHARED MEDICAL APPOINTMENTS (SMA) PILOT STUDY - (Jody Grundman, Poster at American Diabetes Association Meeting, 2023)

Gonadotropin-Releasing Hormone Agonist Therapy Does Not Affect Bone Mineral Density in Congenital Adrenal Hyperplasia: a Clinical Study (Myrto Flokas, Poster at ENDO, 2022)