Research
Introduction
Our fellowship-training program provides trainees ample exposure to clinical, basic and/or clinical/translational research. Research experience is acquired through mentorship, active participation in individual research projects, and attendance at sectional research conferences, interdepartmental research meetings, and attendance at local, regional and national scientific meetings. The traditional track of the Yale Endocrinology & Metabolism Fellowship Program provides an intensive mentored experience of at least 2 years in biomedical research. Many fellows within this track extend their research fellowships by 1-2 years in order to obtain more extensive investigative training. Fellows in the Clinician-Educator track will pursue a more limited (usually clinical) mentored research project during the 2-year span of this program.
Research Mentors
Historically, research programs of individual core Endocrine faculty have spanned the spectrum of clinical and basic research techniques in pursuit of improved understanding of and better treatments for endocrine and related diseases. In addition, trainees have access to a wide variety of potential mentors, both in the Endocrine Section and within the wider Yale research community, who are pursuing clinical physiology in humans, clinical epidemiology, outcomes research, basic and translational immunology, cell biology, developmental biology, and basic biochemistry. Yale Endocrine trainees have access to the vast resources of one of the world’s premier universities to develop expertise in techniques ranging from cutting edge genetics and genomics, molecular genetic manipulations in animal models of disease, advanced spectroscopy and MRI techniques used in humans and animals, as well as advanced clinical trial design, personalized medicine, clinical trials, clinical epidemiology, and outcomes research. Essentially, anything that an aspiring endocrine investigator wants to do is possible at Yale.
The major focus areas of research in the Section are carbohydrate metabolism (Type 1 and Type 2 Diabetes, and Obesity) and calcium, phosphate, and bone metabolism. Modern medical research is a team effort and Endocrine faculty interact with investigators in many other basic and clinical departments throughout Yale University. Additionally,the Endocrine Section is home to several interdisciplinary disease-orientated research centers. Below is a brief overview of the major areas of research, with links for you to explore individual faculty members’ research programs.
Type 1 Diabetes
Research in this area focuses on the immunopathogenesis of autoimmune diabetes, immune therapy, the artificial pancreas, central sensing of hypoglycemia, counter-regulation and hypoglycemia unawareness syndrome. There is close cooperation with pediatric endocrinology and immunobiology.
Faculty members include:
Type 2 Diabetes and Obesity
Research in this area focuses on the pathogenesis and genetics of insulin resistance, hepatic steatosis, obesity in children, adolescents, and adults, the central regulation of appetite and weight regulation, mechanisms of action of novel glucose lowering drugs, clinical complications and outcomes of type 2 diabetes, vascular complications of diabetes, reproductive complications of insulin resistance, PCOS and diabetes, and the regulation of pancreatic beta-cell glucose sensing and insulin secretion. There is close cooperation with investigators in Pediatrics, Digestive Diseases, Physiology, Radiology and OB/GYN.
Faculty members include:
Bone and Mineral Metabolism
Research in this area encompasses the regulation of osteoclast development and activity, the physiology and pathophysiology of parathyroid hormone-related protein, the calcium-sensing receptor, the sensing and hormonal regulation of extracellular phosphate as well as clinical/translational studies in patients with osteoporosis, X-linked hypophosphatemic rickets, cancer hypercalcemia and bone metastases.
Faculty members include:
Further Research Training Opportunities
Yale Endocrine Fellows enter our program with a variety of past research experience. Some have extensive backgrounds and already have earned a Ph.D. prior to medical school or as part of a joint MD/PhD program. However, many have less past experience and decide on an investigative career during clinical training. Our goal is to help all trainees meet their career goals and, as a result, Yale offers additional formal training programs to help develop young investigators. These are listed below. It is also worth pointing out that the Endocrine Section has been the most successful Section in the Yale
Department of Internal Medicine in the acquisition of federal research grants. As a result, Endocrine fellows have consistently successfully competed for extramural funding during their research years.
- The National Clinical Scholars Program: This program offers advanced training in epidemiology, statistics, clinical trial design and outcomes research in preparation for careers in clinical epidemiology and health economics and policy. One of our past trainees and current faculty, Kasia Lipska, MD, completed this program
- Investigative Medicine Program: This is an NIH –funded PhD-After-MD program, administered by the Yale Clinical and Translational Science Award (CTSA). The overall goal of this PhD program is to provide physicians with the training required to develop a broad knowledge base, analytical skill, creative thinking and the hands-on experience demanded of clinical researchers devoted to either laboratory-based or clinically-based patient-oriented investigation. The program provides students (in this case fellows) with individualized experience encompassing formal coursework and practical experience, under the close supervision and mentorship of a senior faculty member. Several of our former fellows completed this program, including Varman Samuel MD, PhD and Ania Jastreboff MD, PhD.