Endocrinology Fellowship Program

The endocrinology fellowship program at the SSM Health/Saint Louis University School of Medicine provides comprehensive patient care services, education, and research experience pertinent to endocrine disorders.

Our division provides inpatient and outpatient consultation services to a diverse patient population with a wide range of endocrine disorders at the SSM Health Saint Louis University Hospital and VA Saint Louis Health Care System.

The ambulatory care service at the Center for Specialized Medicine is enhanced by an active thyroid ultrasound and biopsy clinic coordinated with onsite cytopathology, as well as a busy diabetes clinic with exposure to the latest technologies in diabetic care.

The inpatient consultation service responds to daily requests ranging from diabetes management to complex endocrine and metabolic disorders. The endocrine division coordinates care with tertiary referral services including otolaryngology, neurosurgery, and oncology among other specialties.

How to Apply

You may apply for one of our two endocrinology fellowship positions through the Electronic Residency Application Service (ERAS). All of our positions are filled through the National Residency Match Program (NRMP).

Applicants must have passed the USMLE Steps 1, 2 and 3 and must expect to complete a three-year internal medicine residency in an ACGME-accredited program. International medical graduates holding J1 visas are considered.

The program identifier on the AMA FREIDA Online website is 143-28-21-080. 

Training and Didactic Teaching

The division offers two clinical fellowship training positions each academic year. In addition to daily teaching rounds and supervised outpatient clinics, the curriculum includes core lectures, grand rounds, formal case presentations, bone densitometry practicums, evidence-based medicine conferences, journal club, quality improvement project updates, and monthly joint adult/pediatric endocrinology conferences. A one-month rotation in pediatric endocrinology and a one-month rotation in reproductive endocrinology/high-risk obstetrics are assigned during Year 1 and Year 2 respectively.

The endocrinology core curriculum and board review are delivered as a comprehensive systems-based lecture series given by faculty throughout the academic year. Endocrinology faculty and fellows participate in the general internal medicine training program at SSM Health Saint Louis University Hospital. The division contributes to medical education in the community through Internal Medicine Grand Rounds, invited symposia, diabetes and endocrinology symposia.

Clinical rotations are divided into one-month blocks in which the first-year fellows have four months on the in-patient consultation service of SSM Health Saint Louis University Hospital (SSM), three months at the outpatient Veterans’ Administration Medical Center (VAMC), one month in outpatient pediatric endocrinology and four months for research. The second-year fellows have three months each at SSM and VAMC, a one-month rotation in reproductive endocrinology/high-risk obstetrics and five months for research.

The rotations are described below:

While on this rotation, fellows are required to attend the Type 1 diabetes clinic once a week, Men’s Health Clinic once a month and Fellows Continuity Clinic weekly. Otherwise, the fellow should be participating in research in lieu of other clinics.

Research

Research within the division of endocrinology, diabetes and metabolism focuses on human clinical and translational studies. Endocrine fellows have exposure to all aspects of research, including protocol development, patient recruitment and follow-up during trial, laboratory methodology and data analysis.

Our faculty have expertise in the following areas:

• Hypogonadism in obese men
• Mechanisms underlying hypertension in obesity
• Metabolic consequences of sleep apnea
• Pharmacologic management of type 2 diabetes  mellitus
• Diabetes technology
• Thyroid disorders and thyroid cancer

The division is currently recruiting subjects for the following studies:

• Hypogonadotropic hypogonadism in obese young males
• Metformin and gastrointestinal intolerance
• TRAVERSE study is evaluating MACE with five-year treatment of androgel. Recruitment is limited to men with established CVD
• Role of testosterone in NASH

Facilities include a clinical research center and a fully equipped research laboratory, and a research staff composed of a nurse coordinator, laboratory technician and laboratory supervisor.

The research center has three patient-exam rooms, one room with a bed for prolonged infusions, a phlebotomy station and offices. The laboratory has 700 square feet of space supplied with a biosafety hood, 2 tissue culture incubators, including one that can be used for hypoxia research, phase contrast and dissecting microscopes, refrigerated centrifuges,  protein electrophoresis and Western blot apparatus, a PCR machine and a -80 degree freezer. Departmental equipment available for our use on the same floor includes real-time RT-PCR machines, a multifunctional plate reader, digital imaging for protein quantification, NanoDrop spectrophotometry, SpeedVac vacuum system, Milli-Q water system, protein purification system, equipment for large scale bacteria culture, and high-speed and ultra-centrifuges. Immunohistochemistry services along with access to advanced microscopy systems including electron microscopes, and fixed and live cell confocal equipment are available through the pathology core. In addition, flow cytometry is available through a core facility. We have combined 30-plus years of basic research experience.

Faculty Publications

• View Sandeep Dhindsa, M.D. Publications
• View Stewart G. Albert, M.D., Publications
• View Guoyu Ling, M.D., Publications
• View Alan B. Silverberg, M.D. Publications
• View Ekta Shrestha, M.D., Publications

Visiting Residents

Rotators are expected to attend scheduled conferences and be present in both an outpatient clinic and inpatient hospital setting on a daily basis. Rotators are responsible for their parking and meal fees. This is not a salaried rotation. 

Sponsoring institutions must contact our program coordinator via email 60 days before the requested rotation is required. (If the requested rotation is not available, a mutually agreed upon request will be considered.) In addition:

• Rotators must hold a current Missouri license (no exceptions).
• All rotations requested must be at a four-week interval, no exceptions.
• Upon approval by our program director, our program coordinator will send the required documents to the sponsoring institution's coordinator via email for completion.
• Upon completion, the sponsoring institution will return three original completed signed documents and required attachments to the address listed on the form.

Any resident rotating will be required to complete the following, unless they are a SLU employee:

• Epic training (Usually one full day on-site and an online module.)
• Obtain a SSM Health/SLU ID

You will not be able to complete a rotation at Saint Louis University until all requirements are met and approval has been authorized. 

*The division does not currently sponsor observerships.