Endocrinology Fellowship Program

Interviews

We are pleased to announce that the Mass General Hospital Endocrine Training Program will be converting all fellowship interviews to virtual for the 2022 fall interview season. We hope this is helpful to our applicants!

Overview

The ACGME-accredited fellowship program in adult endocrinology at the Massachusetts General Hospital prepares trainees for independent careers in academic endocrinology.

Our three-year program builds on an initial year of intensive clinical training in endocrinology; the subsequent two years provide in-depth training and experience in a mentor-based, basic and/or clinical research environment.

The program is staffed by the collaborating faculties of our subspecialty units including:

• Diabetes Unit
• Endocrine Unit  
• Thyroid Associates
• Laboratory of Molecular Endocrinology
• Lipid and Metabolism Associates
• Neuroendocrine Unit
• Reproductive Endocrine Unit

An Engaged Clinical and Research Faculty

A faculty committed to teaching and mentoring provides a depth of experience in a wide variety of endocrine subspecialties. Over 35 faculty serve as clinical teachers on rounds and in clinics. Over 40 basic and clinical research mentors provide a breadth of research opportunities across five research units. The long tradition of excellence in endocrine patient care, teaching and research combined with the considerable strengths in investigative endocrinology at Massachusetts General Hospital afford a unique environment for clinical training and participation in exciting advances in basic and clinical research.

Requirements

Endocrinology fellowships are offered to MDs who have completed at least two years of post-graduate training in internal medicine. All applicants are expected to be board eligible in internal medicine when beginning the fellowship. This means that a physician must have completed the requisite predoctoral medical education, met the postdoctoral training requirements, and demonstrated clinical competence in the care of patients. It is expected that all Endocrinology Fellows will have passed USMLE I, II and III as requirements of training.

Due to restrictions in our funding, we can only consider applicants who are citizens or permanent residents of the United States.

Curriculum

Two years of fellowship (one clinical and one research year) are required for board certification, and fellows may take the board certification examination after two years of fellowship. However, the NIH-sponsored training program requires a three year fellowship with two years of research training (a second and third year of fellowship). In addition to the first clinical year, it is expected that fellows will spend two additional years in clinical or laboratory research to develop their scientific skills.

Experience

Clinical Experience

The first year is devoted to an intensive clinical experience in the hospital and subspecialty endocrine clinics. Fellows participate in extensive consultative activities on the inpatient services at Mass General. Inpatient endocrine consultations are seen by the endocrine fellows and are reviewed with staff physicians. Visit rounds, attended by all of the fellows along with medical residents and students on rotation and two attending physicians, are held four mornings each week.

These are considered a highlight of the first year of fellowship and allow the fellows to learn from the cases seen by the other fellows. Over 30 faculty attending physicians with expertise in the subspecialties of endocrinology rotate through the Visit Rounds in pairs over the year, providing extraordinary depth in teaching.

Outpatient Experience

Fellows are exposed to extensive outpatient experience in endocrinology. Pediatric endocrine experience is also available as an elective. Patients are seen with staff supervision by faculty who are expert in that particular endocrine subspecialty in each of these practices.

Fellows see patients weekly at the following subspecialty practices:

• Diabetes Clinical Center
• Endocrine and Osteoporosis Associates
• Lipid and Metabolism Associates
• Neuroendocrine Clinical Center
• Reproductive Endocrine Associates
• Thyroid Associates

Conferences

First-year fellows attend and participate in formal teaching conferences. In July, a series of clinically oriented core lectures are provided as a part of fellowship orientation. In August, an introduction to research available throughout the division is provided to familiarize fellows with the choice of research areas for the subsequent two research years.

During the year, Fellows make presentations at didactic conferences listed below, giving them experience in organizing and leading a conference. In addition, the fellows gain teaching experience by playing a major role in the clinical teaching of medical students and residents on the endocrine elective.

Weekly Didactic Conferences

• Endocrine Grand Rounds
• Calcium Rounds
• Diabetes/Thyroid/Neuroendocrine Conference
• Reproductive Endocrine Conference

Research Experience

The research years provide intensive experience in basic and/or clinical investigation. The research faculty of our subunits collaborate closely. The research training program draws on the expertise of the Endocrine Faculty as well as that of our postgraduate trainees. Each second-year fellow works specifically on one or more projects selected from one of the collaborating units.

Research training includes:

• Weekly research conferences involving members of the training faculty and guest speakers;
• Journal clubs held each week, involving members of the cooperating units and the trainees;
• Intensive mentor-based instruction and guidance in individual research projects chosen by the trainees and supervised by individual faculty members. These projects are designed to lead to independence in research and serve as a transition to investigator-initiated programs.

The Second Fellowship Year

Second-year fellows write a grant appropriate for their level of training and experience under supervision of a research mentor. There is no requirement that the grant be funded as there is training support for two years of research for all accepted fellows. The purpose of the requirement is to prepare trainees to be independent investigators.

How to Apply

The Massachusetts General Hospital Endocrinology Fellowship Program processes applications through the Electronic Residency Application (ERAS) Fellowships system and offers up to four fellowship positions through the National Residency Matching Program (NRMP) each year.

Four fellowship positions are available each year.

Due to restrictions in our funding, we can only consider applicants who are US citizens or permanent residents.

Applications are processed through ERAS and must include:

• ERAS application
• Personal statement
• Three letters of recommendation
• Photo (optional)

Deadline

Please find instructions for applying to our program via ERAS on the AAMC website. We are able to view applications in July of each year.

To apply, visit:

ERAS Fellowships Applicant Site