The Pediatric Endocrinology Fellowship Program is a three-year program designed to prepare pediatricians for careers in academic and clinical pediatric endocrinology and diabetes. The first year of this program is dedicated to clinical training in pediatric endocrinology. The second and third years are focused on research training in either patient-oriented or basic laboratory research. Alternatively, fellows may elect to pursue a more clinical track that allows for greater focus on clinical training in the second and third years that remains within the ABP and ACGME guidelines.

Fellowship leadership

Marissa Kilberg, MD, MSEd
Program Director
Division of Endocrinology and Diabetes

Sara Pinney, MD
Associate Program Director
Division of Endocrinology and Diabetes

Lorraine Levitt Katz, MD
Director, Division of Endocrinology and Diabetes NIH T32 Training Grant
Division of Endocrinology and Diabetes

Dreitra Massey
Program Coordinator II, Fellowship and Residency Education 
Division of Endocrinology and Diabetes

Division chief

Diva D. De León-Crutchlow, MD, MSCE
Director, Congenital Hyperinsulinism Center
Division of Endocrinology and Diabetes

Specific information by years and/or rotations

First year

The first year is a period of intensive clinical training during which fellows dedicate most of their efforts to learning both outpatient and inpatient pediatric endocrinology, supervised by attending physicians from the division. The fellow is expected to become proficient in diagnosis and management of common endocrine disorders, as well as become familiar with the social and ethical aspects of care for these patients.

The first year fellow rotates among 4 blocks: Inpatient Diabetes & Endocrine Service, Endocrine Consult Service, Outpatient Endocrine & Diabetes Clinics, and an Elective Rotation, which includes exposure to sub-specialty clinics, sub-specialty consult services (Bone, Adrenal, and Diabetes), as well as academic time. In addition, the first year fellow will collaborate with an attending on a research project (usually clinical) with a goal of a presentation at one of the national meetings at the end of the first year.

The Inpatient Diabetes & Endocrine Service consists of patients admitted with primary endocrine disorders. A large percentage will have either diabetes mellitus or hypoglycemia due to hyperinsulinism, but other endocrine abnormalities are also seen. The fellow will work closely with both the attending physician and the other members of the Diabetes and Hyperinsulinism Teams (Educators, Nurse Practitioners, Social Workers, and Dietitians). Along with leading daily rounds, the inpatient fellow is also involved with teaching residents and medical students at the bedside, during rounds, and in formal sessions.

The Endocrine Consult Service cares for children with a vast variety of endocrine disorders. With the attending physician's supervision, and in collaboration with an endocrinology nurse practitioner, the fellow will work with other services on the wards, NICU, PICU, ER, and other hospital locations to work-up and manage possible endocrine problems. CHOP's role as a tertiary referral center ensures that fellows will be exposed to a high volume of common conditions as well as frequent encounters of rare and complex cases.

During the Outpatient Endocrine & Diabetes Clinic rotations, the fellow will rotate through various clinics to see patients with attending physicians in the division. This allows exposure to a broad range of diagnoses and management styles. For example, the fellow will have opportunities to participate in Thyroid Clinic, Cancer Survivorship Clinic, PCOS clinic, Lipid Clinic, Bone Health Clinic, Turner Syndrome Clinic, and Healthy Weight Clinic. There are also opportunities to arrange for participation in other clinics (at CHOP and HUP) that are of specific interest of the fellow.

Additionally during the first year, the fellow establishes a General Endocrine Continuity Clinic and a Diabetes Continuity Clinic with patients assigned from inpatient admissions as well as from referrals from the community. The fellow provides both consultative care as well as long-term management of general endocrine disorders and diabetes. All patients are seen in conjunction with a faculty member with direct supervisory care. Fellows typically have General Endocrine Continuity Clinic scheduled once per week and Diabetes Continuity Clinic scheduled once per month. In Diabetes Continuity Clinic, the fellow will also get to work with diabetes nurse practitioners, diabetes educators, dieticians, and social workers to provide the most optimal and well-rounded care to children and adolescents with diabetes.

Second and third year

The second and third years are devoted to clinical or basic research with a mentor chosen by the fellow, based on area of interest. During this time, the fellow is expected to gain experience in designing, conducting, and presenting hypothesis-driven research. The fellowship research project is expected to culminate in the submission of at least one manuscript to a peer-reviewed journal. The fellow has a wide choice of possible mentors at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia and the University of Pennsylvania and will have access to the generous resources available at both CHOP and Penn as they conduct their research.

The fellow is required to attend and present his or her research at institutional, local, and national meetings. The research experience allows fellows to learn and gain experience in laboratory techniques, protocol development, data collection and analysis, and other skills related to their research area of interest. In addition, the fellow will have the experience of preparing applications for grant funding. 

For more formal education, fellows are also able to enroll in degree or non-degree programs in the Center for Clinical Epidemiology and Biostatistics (CCEB) and the Institute for Translational Medicine (ITMAT) at the University of Pennsylvania, or the Clinical Pharmacology Fellowship Training Program at Thomas Jefferson University. Degree-granting programs include the Master of Science in Clinical Epidemiology (MSCE), Master of Science in Health Policy Research (MSHP), Master of Science in Translational Research (MSTR), Master of Science in Medical Education, Master of Science in Biomedical Informatics (MBMI), Master of Bioethics (MBE), Master of Science in Medical Ethics (MSME), Master of Public Health (MPH), Master of Business Administration (MBA). Non-degree-granting programs include the Clinical Research Certificate Program; the Certificate Program in Translational, Entrepreneurial, or Regulatory Science; the Certificate in Healthcare Quality and Patient Safety; and the Certificate in Biomedical Informatics. 

The senior fellows continue to participate in semi-weekly continuity clinics, the weekend and weekday call schedule, and 1 week of inpatient experience per year, in order to further develop their clinical skills. In addition, the senior fellows are expected to attend several weekly divisional and institutional conferences.

Fellows on the clinical track will spend more time exploring their clinical interests during the second and third years than traditional fellows. Their research experience will be more focused and will comply with ABP and ACGME requirements. 

Fellowship mission

• To recruit and develop diverse, innovative, and compassionate leaders in pediatric endocrinology who aim to promote the health of the individuals and populations we serve by recognizing patients and their families as whole individuals beyond their diagnosis or condition.
• To promote a collaborative working environment where critical thinking and inquiry are supported, and a love of life-long learning is fostered.
• To promote the professional development and global well-being of the multi-faceted individuals we train
• To maximize use of the resources available within the Division of Endocrinology and across the CHOP/Penn system to tailor fellowship training based on fellows individualized clinical, research and educational interests

Clinical aims

• To integrate all fellows into our state-of-the-art clinical care model, emphasizing the provision of evidence based and culturally competent care and employing shared decision-making models. 
• To foster the development of emotionally intelligent, organized, collaborative providers in the process of providing excellent care in a quaternary referral center with complex pathophysiology. 
• To provide exposure to expert clinical care across a broad range of endocrine disorders and cultivate development of the fellow's professional niche 
• To provide clinical mentorship aimed at supporting clinical decision-making and ensuring adequate clinical exposure and guidance in career development.

Research and Scholarly Aims

• To integrate fellows – regardless of prior experience – into innovative research opportunities across clinical, translational, basic science, public health policy, education, and ethics research programs 
• To nurture individual fellows’ interests by facilitating collaborations with a diverse array of interdisciplinary scholars and mentors across the CHOP/Penn system, as well as encouraging use of the multitude of educational and research resources available in the CHOP/Penn system

Teaching and administrative opportunities

The program requires that the senior fellows organize and administer the logistics of the other fellows. This includes the on-call schedule, time-off, time-away for conferences and emergency coverage. One fellow may be selected to serve as Chief Fellow during their senior years. Fellows are encouraged to serve on a division committees as well as hospital-wide committees, in an area of interest, including quality improvement and technological advances.

The fellow's teaching experience includes frequent bedside teaching to the pediatric residents and conferences that include basic biomedical information about clinical problems. In addition, the fellow presents at the following conferences:

• Children's Hospital of Philadelphia-University of Pennsylvania combined Endocrine Grand Rounds, which integrate basic biomedical knowledge and pediatric endocrine illness; each fellow presents once-twice yearly.
• Division Journal Club: Fellow chooses and reviews, using evidence-based techniques, a recent journal article relevant to Endocrinology; each fellow presents once-twice yearly.
• Morbidity and Mortality Conference: based on recent cases encountered by our division; each first year fellow presents relevant cases and leads the discussion once yearly.
• Evidence-Based Medicine Review: second and third year fellows choose topics and present jointly to the entire division once yearly.
• Fellow Case Conference: Each week before academic clinic, fellows bring challenging cases to discuss with attendings and other fellows. This is an opportunity to get management advice on their toughest patients as well as learn from other fellows’ cases.
• Research Conference: at the end of fellowship, third year fellows present their research projects to the division.

Additional conferences include opportunities for senior fellows to present at lectures for other divisions, CHOP morning report, and outside hospitals.

Additional Division Education: Every Friday there is either a division-wide clinical case conference, or faculty research presentations, after journal club. These conferences are not fellow-driven.

• The clinical case conference is an informal opportunity for any provider to present a challenging clinical case (inpatient, outpatient, or consults) to the group to get everyone’s input.
• The faculty research presentations provide a venue for fellows and faculty to learn about the breadth of research that is being conducted within the division, as well as to discuss works-in-progress and promote collaborative research efforts. 

Education and meetings

In addition to the conferences listed above, there are many educational opportunities at CHOP and Penn that fellows attend. These include the CHOP weekly Grand Rounds and the Institute of Diabetes, Endocrinology, and Metabolism (IDOM) weekly seminar featuring cutting-edge basic and clinical research. Within CHOP and Penn, there are various conferences, retreats, and symposia where fellows can attend or present posters and talks.

Fellows have the opportunity to enroll in degree or non-degree coursework in the Center for Clinical Epidemiology and Biostatistics (CCEB) and the Institute for Translational Medicine (ITMAT) at the University of Pennsylvania, or the Clinical Pharmacology Fellowship Training Program at Thomas Jefferson University. Degree-granting programs include the Master of Science in Clinical Epidemiology (MSCE), Master of Science in Health Policy Research (MSHP), Master of Science in Translational Research (MSTR), Master of Science in Medical Education, Master of Science in Biomedical Informatics (MBMI), Master of Bioethics (MBE), Master of Science in Medical Ethics (MSME), Master of Public Health (MPH), Master of Business Administration (MBA). Non-degree-granting programs include the Clinical Research Certificate Program; the Certificate Program in Translational, Entrepreneurial, or Regulatory Science; the Certificate in Healthcare Quality and Patient Safety; and the Certificate in Biomedical Informatics.

Fellows are expected to attend at least one national meeting per year.  Our fellows have presented at meetings of the Pediatric Endocrine Society, the Endocrine Society, and the American Diabetes Association, and the American Thyroid Association, among others.

Through the division’s curriculum, fellows receive training and feedback on how to give successful clinical and research presentations.

Past fellows and their current positions

Alumni of the Pediatric Endocrinology Fellowship Program at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia transitioned to diverse career paths and leadership positions.

• 1990 — Mary Lee, MD; Chief Scientific Officer, Nemours duPont Hospital
• 1991 — Jerry Olshan, MD; Director, Barbara Bush Children’s Hospital
• 1992 — Steve Willi, MD; Professor of Pediatrics, Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania; Director, Diabetes Center, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia
• 1993 — Craig Alter, MD; Professor of Pediatrics, Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania
• 1994 — Paul Thornton, MD; Medical Director, Cook Children’s Hospital
• 1995 — Lorraine Katz, MD; Professor of Pediatrics, Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania
• 1996 — Marta Satin-Smith, MD; Assistant Professor, Children’s Hospital of the King’s Daughters
• 1997 — Paulo Collet-Solbeg, MD; Adjunct Professor of Pediatric Endocrinology, Universidade do Estado do Rio de Janeiro
• 1998 — Stuart Weinzimer, MD; Professor of Pediatrics, Yale School of Medicine
• 1999 — Adda Grimberg, MD; Professor of Pediatrics, Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania
• 2000 — Robert J. Ferry, MD; Professor of Pediatrics, Le Bonheur Children’s Medical Center
• 2001 — Andrea Kelly, MD, MSCE; Professor of Pediatrics, Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania
• 2002 — Diva De León-Crutchlow, MD, MSCE; Professor of Pediatrics, Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania; Chief, Division of Endocrinology and Diabetes, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia
• 2003 — Weizhen Xu, MD; Assistant Professor of Pediatrics, St. Peter’s University
• 2004 — Maria J. Henwood-Finley, DO; Clinical Associate Professor, East Carolina University
• 2004 — Sheela N. Magge, MD, MSCE; Associate Professor of Pediatrics and Director, Division of Pediatric Endocrinology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine
• 2005 — Roy J. Kim, MD, MPH; Associate Professor of Pediatrics and Head, Center for Pediatric Endocrinology, Cleveland Clinic
• 2005 — Shannon H. Fourtner, MD; Clinical Assistant Professor of Pediatrics, Division of Endocrinology, University at Buffalo School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences
• 2005 — Francis M. Hoe, MD; Associate Physician, Kaiser Permanente
• 2006 — J. Nina Ham, MD; Associate Professor of Pediatrics, Division of Endocrinology, Emory University School of Medicine
• 2006 — Olga T. Gupta, MD; Assistant Professor of Pediatrics, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center
• 2006 — Malaka Jackson, MD; Assistant Professor of Clinical Pediatrics, Division of Endocrinology, University of South Carolina
• 2007 — Vaneeta Bamba, MD; Associate Professor of Pediatrics, Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania
• 2007 — Sogol Mostoufi-Moab, MD, MSCE; Associate Professor of Pediatrics, Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania
• 2007 — Preneet C. Brar, MD; Assistant Professor of Pediatrics, Division of Endocrinology, NYU School of Medicine
• 2008 — Jennifer A. Sutter, MD; Clinical Associate Professor and Chief, Division of Pediatric Endocrinology, Eastern Carolina University
• 2008 — Chirag Kapadia, MD; Assistant Professor of Pediatrics, Division of Endocrinology, University of Arizona College of Medicine
• 2008 — Sara E. Pinney, MD, MSTR; Assistant Professor of Pediatrics, Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania
• 2009 — Andrew Palladino, MD; Clinical Director, Endocrine Therapeutics, Pfizer
• 2009 — Rachana Shah, MD, MSTR; Assistant Professor of Pediatrics, Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania
• 2008 — Dorit Koren, MD; Assistant Professor of Pediatrics, Harvard Medical School; Director, Pediatric Diabetes Center, Mass General Hospital for Children
• 2010 — Alisa Schiffman, DO; Attending Physician, Jefferson University Medical College; Medical Scientist, Novo Nordisk, Inc.
• 2010 — Melinda Penn, MD; Assistant Professor of Pediatrics, Virginia Commonwealth University School of Medicine
• 2010 — YeouChing Hsu, MD; Assistant Professor of Pediatrics, Hofstra North Shore-LIJ School of Medicine
• 2011 — Jill Brodsky, MD; Attending Physician, Mount Kisco Medical Group
• 2011 — Andrew Calabria, MD; Associate Professor of Pediatrics, Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania
• 2012 — Pamela Abrams, MD; Attending Physician, St. Luke’s Center for Diabetes & Endocrinology
• 2012 — Jennifer Danzig, MD; Attending Physician, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia
• 2013 — David Weber, MD, MSCE; Assistant Professor of Pediatrics, Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania
• 2013 — Katherine Lord, MD; Assistant Professor of Pediatrics, Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania
• 2013 — Diana Stanescu, MD; Assistant Professor of Pediatrics, Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania
• 2013 — Jeffrey Roizen, MD, PhD; Assistant Professor of Pediatrics, Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania
• 2014 — Anthony Gannon, MD, MSCE; Attending Physician, Nemours/Cooper University; Alfred I. DuPont Hospital for Children
• 2015 — Jennifer Kelley, MD, MSCE; Assistant Professor of Pediatrics, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine
• 2015 — Christine Ferrara-Cook, MD, PhD; Director of Clinical Development, Rezolute, Inc.
• 2015 — Stacy Rustico, MD; Attending Physician, Naval Medical Center of San Diego
• 2015 — Colin Hawkes, MD, MSEd, PhD; Assistant Professor of Pediatrics, Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania
• 2016 — Amanda Ackermann, MD, PhD; Assistant Professor of Pediatrics, Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania
• 2016 — Chris Gibson, MD; Assistant Professor of Pediatrics, Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania
• 2016 — Jacquelyn Hatch-Stein, MD; Assistant Professor of Pediatrics, Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania
• 2016 — Sani Roy, MD; Assistant Professor of Pediatrics, Cook Children’s Hospital
• 2017 — Patrick Hanley, MD; Attending Physician, Nemours/Cooper University; Alfred I. DuPont Hospital for Children
• 2017 — V. Sanoe Harrison, MD; Physician at Southeast Alaska Regional Health Consortium
• 2017 — Juan Lado, MD, MSHP; Attending Physician, Health System Clinician of Pediatrics (Endocrinology), Northwestern University Feinberg School
• 2017 — Megan Oberle, MD, MSHP; Assistant Professor of Pediatrics, University of Minnesota
• 2018 — Karla Leavens, MD, PhD; Instructor of Pediatrics, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia
• 2018 — Stephanie Samuels, MD, MSTR; Instructor of Pediatrics, Yale School of Medicine
• 2018 — Mary Ellen Vajravelu, MD, MSHP; Instructor of Pediatrics, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia
• 2019 — Brett Barrett, DO, Physician, Advocate Children's Hospital
• 2019 — Tara Kaushal, MD, MSHP; Instructor, Joslin Diabetes Center
• 2019 — Adriana Herrera Lizarazo, MD; Medical Doctor Pediatric Endocrinologist Clinical Scientist, Study Manager, University of Munich
• 2019 — Arpana Rayannavar, MD; Assistant Professor, University of Minnesota
• 2020 — Marissa Kilberg, MD, MSEd; Assistant Professor of Pediatrics, Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania
• 2020 — Elizabeth Rosenfeld, MD, MSCE; Instructor of Pediatrics, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia
• 2020 — Winnie Sigal, MD; Assistant Professor of Pediatrics, Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania
• 2021 — Talia Hitt, MD, MSHP; Instructor of Peds, John Hopkins
• 2021 — Charlene Lai, MD; Assistant Professor, Oregon Health and Sciences University
• 2021 — Sando Ojukwu, MD, MSCE; Instructor, Joslin Diabetes Center
• 2021 — Jaclyn Tamaroff, MD; Instructor, Vanderbilt Health, Nashville
• 2021 — Sandra Vazquez Diaz, MD, MSCE; Assistant Professor, University of Toledo
• 2022 — Meghan Crowley, MD, Texas Children’s Hospital
• 2022 — Stephanie Hanke, MD, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine
• 2022 — Camilia Kamoun, MD, Capel Hill UNC Children’s
• 2022 — Alison O’Neil, MD, Oregon Health & Science University
• 2023 — Julia Crowley, MD, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia
• 2023 — Melinda Danowitz, MD, DuPont Hospital for Children
• 2023 — Ashley Stoffers, MD, DuPont Hospital for Children
• 2023-Hamza Nasir, MD, Arkansas Children’s Hospital
• 2024- Patricia Chu, MD, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia
• 2024- Dana Reynolds, MD, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia
• 2024- Lama Alzoebie, MD, Residency Program, Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia
• 2024- Yesenia Sanchez-Kleinberg, MD, Joe DiMaggio Children’s Hospital in Hollywood, Fla

How to apply

This three-year fellowship seeks physicians who will have completed three years of training in an accredited residency program. J-1 and H-1 visa applicants will be considered for either track, permitting there has been successful completion of a three-year accredited residency program. Applicants who are interested in pursuing ABP Non-Standard Pathways (link: Non-Standard Pathways | The American Board of Pediatrics (abp.org)) such as combined Medicine and Pediatric, dual subspecialty or otherwise fast-tracking are encouraged to reach out to the program in advance to clarify available opportunities. Please visit ERAS for an application and information about our program.

The following information should be uploaded into the ERAS program:

1. Completed on-line application
2. Current photograph (released only after interview is offered)
3. Personal statement
4. Three letters of recommendation
5. Dean's letter (MSPE)
6. Medical school transcript
7. Parts 1, 2 and 3 of the USMLE, taken within the 7-year time frame as required by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, or equivalent scores
8. If a graduate of a medical school outside the United States, Canada or Puerto Rico, valid ECFMG certificate or one that does not expire prior to the start of the fellowship

We will consider fellowship applications from uniquely qualified persons who are not US citizens or permanent residents, but in general we are not able to accept more than one such applicant because they do not qualify for salary support on our training grants.

The fellowship directors review completed applications. Selected candidates will then be invited to interview.

National Resident Matching Program (NRMP)

Our fellowship program participates in the NRMP. You may contact the NRMP at 202-828-0676.

Other requirements

To carry out its mission, it is of critical importance for the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP) to keep our patients, families and workforce safe and healthy and to support the health of our global community. In keeping with this, CHOP has mandated all workforce members (including trainees) on site at any CHOP location for any portion of their time be vaccinated for COVID-19 as a condition of employment.

This mandate also applies to workforce members or trainees performing work for CHOP at non-CHOP locations. Additionally, all workforce members based in or regularly scheduled to work at any New Jersey location are mandated to be both vaccinated and boosted for COVID-19, with booster timing consistent with applicable guidelines. The CHOP COVID-19 vaccine mandate is in alignment with applicable local, state and federal mandates. CHOP also requires all workforce members and trainees who work in patient care buildings or who provide patient care to receive an annual influenza vaccine. Employees may request exemption consideration for CHOP vaccine requirements for valid religious and medical reasons. Please note start dates may be delayed until candidates are fully immunized or valid exemption requests are reviewed. In addition, candidates other than those in positions with regularly scheduled hours in New Jersey, must attest to not using tobacco products.

Children's Hospital of Philadelphia is an equal opportunity employer. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, color, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, age, religion, national or ethnic origin, disability, protected veteran status or any other protected category. CHOP is a VEVRAA Federal Contractor seeking priority referrals for protected veterans.

CHOP is committed to building an inclusive culture where employees feel a sense of belonging, connection, and community within their workplace. We are a team dedicated to fostering an environment that allows for all to be their authentic selves. We are focused on attracting, cultivating, and retaining diverse talent who can help us deliver on our mission to be a world leader in the advancement of healthcare for children.

We strongly encourage all candidates of diverse backgrounds and lived experiences to apply.

Contact

To learn more, contact Dreitra Massey, Program Coordinator II - Fellowship and Residency Education, at 267-426-3904 (phone), 215-590-3053 (fax), or by email at MASSEYDR@chop.edu.