Our curriculum is based on the requirements set by the American Board of Pediatrics for board certification in Pediatric Endocrinology and Diabetes. Content outline is available at the American Board of Pediatrics website. We take pride at utilizing a novel learner-centered educational model of team-based learning approach to cover the core pediatric diabetes and endocrine topics, enhanced by faculty-led didactic sessions.
Our fellow’s education is also complemented by educational session offered through the subspecialty Fellows’ College.
Fellows' Curriculum
Thursday afternoons are reserved for fellow education. In addition to traditional lectures by our Endocrine faculty, our curriculum incudes:
- Team-based Learning Sessions
- Case-based Learning Sessions
- PREP-style Board Review Sessions
- Lectures by content experts that include guest speakers from major academic institutions worldwide
- Career development and professionalism sessions
The whole division meets weekly for Division Conference with a focus on fellow's presentations that include Journal Club, Research Conference, Endocrine Debates, Clinical Case Conference, Endocrine M&M, and fun activities like Endocrine Jeopardy and Endo Star Wars!
Fellows’ College
Fellows’ College provides a community of learning and collaboration among pediatric subspecialty fellows, faculty, and coordinators who have a common goal of delivering high-quality education that will enable fellows to achieve accelerated personal and professional growth.
Through Fellows’ College events, fellows unite across programs and become part of a larger community, which fosters strong working relationships, mutual respect, and an optimal learning environment.
Tracks
Fellows are given the opportunity to choose their track based on their career path and preference. Most fellows decide on their track in the second half of their first year.
We offer three tracks:
- Clinical: designed for those who will be taking a primarily clinical job, with greater emphasis on clinical exposure.
- Research: designed for those who will be pursuing faculty positions with the aim to pursue grant-funded research, with exposure to extensive clinical or bench research and grant writing.
- Degree: provides opportunity for an advanced degree, such as Masters of Education or Public Health. The Master’s degree programs are supported by the BCM Department of Pediatrics with partial tuition assistance.
Regardless of the fellow’s individual track, all fellows will receive training in research and quality improvement principles and have the opportunity to participate in scholarly projects.
I chose the clinical track because it allows me to gain experience with a wide variety of diabetes and endocrine pathologies, provides exposure to many multidisciplinary clinics that facilitate holistic patient care, and prepares me to be a well-trained physician for my future career. It also gives me sufficient time to work on clinical research and academics, helping me become the well-rounded physician I aim to be.
Additional Opportunities
Our fellows have the opportunity to develop research mentor relationships with the faculty at Texas Children’s Hospital, Baylor College of Medicine, and/or the affiliated institutions of the Texas Medical Center including MD Anderson and The University of Texas. We provide individualized guidance to fellows in identifying research projects and research mentorship. In addition, a framework of research timeline is implemented to facilitate achieving graduation goals during fellowship.
Our fellows have the opportunity to receive quality improvement (QI) training and participate in QI projects during their time with BCM/TCH. The Pediatric Subspecialty Fellows College supplies a curriculum for formal QI instruction. Fellows are excused from clinical duties to attend these sessions. Our fellows \have an immersive experience in QI by completing a QI project from start to finish during their fellowship.
Additionally, a formal program is in place to facilitate scholarly work in QI and fellows may do their fellowship scholarly project in QI. Mentorship for QI is available with several Advanced Quality Improvement (AQI) certified faculty members.
Rotations
The first year is primarily clinical. Fellows rotate through the diabetes and endocrine inpatient services and outpatient clinic. First-year fellows will also begin to establish their regular continuity clinic.
The second and third year primarily focuses on scholarly activity and completion of outpatient clinical rotations. Fellows attend continuity clinic weekly and provide weekend call coverage. Specifically in the third year, fellows will serve four weeks as a junior attending to prepare for the transition to faculty.
All fellows attend Thursday afternoon fellows’ education and division conferences.
The inpatients services are split into two teams: diabetes and endocrine. Each team has a separate pediatric endocrinology fellow and attending. The teams also include advance practice providers, pediatric residents, medical students and adult endocrinology fellows.
Fellows will have weekly continuity clinic to gain immersive outpatient experience. Fellow will also rotate through attending clinics to facilitate exposure to a broad range of diagnoses and management styles.
Fellows’ Continuity clinic is held weekly on Fridays. Fellows see their own patients in clinic and are precepted by a core group of faculty. Fellows receive formative feedback after each clinical session.
We have subspecialty clinics for the differences of sexual differentiation, long-term cancer survivorship, thyroid nodules and cancer, lipids, polycystic ovarian syndrome, skeletal dysplasia, metabolic disorders, Prader-Willi syndrome, cystic fibrosis-related diabetes mellitus, and bariatric surgery/severe obesity.
Fellows who choose to enter our clinical track will also have opportunity to spend time at one our community sites, including time at our satellite hospitals and/or satellite outpatient clinics.
First-year fellows divide home call responsibilities during the week, Monday-Thursday. All fellows share coverage of weekends and holidays.
