The Endocrine Training Program at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, directed by Dr. Barbara Kahn, trains four MD, MD/PhD or PhD postdoctoral fellows per year in the research areas of endocrinology, diabetes, and metabolism. The goal of the program is to foster the development of trainees into independent investigators who will excel in scientific investigation and can obtain faculty positions at major university medical schools. The research faculty for the endocrine program is an experienced group of investigators involved in the study of obesity, diabetes, thyroid biology, nuclear receptor action, neuroendocrinology, and signal transduction. The faculty is comprised of basic and clinical scientists who work together to train fellows to investigate questions at both the molecular and physiological levels. The collaborative nature of the faculty is made evident by their multiple joint publications, their three Program Project Grants and their multiple research core facilities as part of Boston area NIH-funded Obesity Centers and Diabetes Endocrinology Research Centers. Trainees who are either beginning their postdoctoral work or are more advanced are provided an opportunity to learn from the integrated and collective expertise of the faculty in hormone action, gene expression, adipocyte biology, animal physiology, sophisticated transgenic and gene targeting approaches to endocrine and metabolic disorders, neuroanatomy and neurophysiology, research in human subjects, and strategies for novel treatment modalities. Trainees are supported by the T32 for 1-3 years. They have an outstanding record of obtaining independent funding and a number of former trainees have been promoted to faculty positions. These funded investigators now participate themselves in training fellows in this and other Programs in Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism. Since the last competitive renewal of this grant, the Division has added new, talented faculty and expanded its research space and core facilities. The program is strongly supported by core facilities at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Genomics, Proteomics, Mass Spectrometry, Biostatistics and Bioinformatics, and Transgenic Mouse Generation. The program has further formalized its curriculum in the responsible and ethical conduct of research. The success of the trainees reflects the outstanding quality of this Endocrine Training Program.
The current epidemic of obesity and diabetes sweeping the American populace has heightened the need for well-trained academic endocrinologists who can address the problem with clinical, translational, and basic science approaches. The Endocrine Training Program at the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center has a long record of accomplishment in turning out such scientists. The undiminished tide of metabolic disease underscores the importance of continuing the vital activities of this Training Program.
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