Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism Fellowship
Mission & Vision
Our primary mission is to train fellows for academic careers in endocrinology and diabetes by providing a diversified, cutting-edge curriculum that encompasses the breadth of endocrinology, diabetes and metabolism, while providing an in-depth experience in all endocrine subspecialty areas.
Mission & Vision
Our primary mission is to train fellows for academic careers in endocrinology and diabetes by providing a diversified, cutting-edge curriculum that encompasses the breadth of endocrinology, diabetes and metabolism, while providing an in-depth experience in all endocrine subspecialty areas.
Program Director’s Welcome
Program Director’s Welcome
Welcome to the J. Maxwell McKenzie Endocrinology, Diabetes, and Metabolism Fellowship Program, which honors Dr. John Maxwell McKenzie’s seminal contributions to the field of thyroidology, including the development of a mouse thyroid stimulating hormone bioassay. Our campus, one of the largest medical campuses in the United States, is located in the “Health District” of the city of Miami and includes the University of Miami/Jackson Health System and the Bruce W. Carter Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center. With more than 1,500 beds, Jackson Memorial Hospital is the only public hospital for the citizens of Miami-Dade County, the major teaching institution for the University of Miami and one of the nation’s busiest hospitals. It is continually ranked as one of the best hospitals by U.S. News & World Report.
Our two‐year fellowship combines a variety of clinical and research activities within flexible programs designed for each individual, including opportunities in epidemiologic, clinical and laboratory-based research. Trainees, particularly those who are interested in pursuing an academic career, are strongly encouraged to extend their appointments to a third year to allow for completion of a substantial research project.
Our expanding, highly trained faculty includes nationally and internationally renowned clinicians and scientists, ensuring both clinical and research training at the highest level, and at top facilities, including, but not limited to, the Diabetes Research Institute, a world leader in diabetes cure-focused research where our fellows have direct access to emerging technology and the opportunity to interact and work closely with many researchers and faculty dedicated to finding a cure for diabetes; the Endocrine Testing Center, where our fellows learn the indications, technical application and interpretation of a wide array of dynamic endocrine tests and the Fellows’ Thyroid Fine-Needle Aspiration Clinic, where we are one of the very few training programs providing simulator-based training with a thyroid ultrasound-guided FNA model.
Additionally, the diverse patient population at our training locations provides fellows with a challenging wealth of opportunities, further ensuring a truly unique training experience.
-Violet Lagari-Libhaber, DO MPH
Description
Our two‐year fellowship combines a variety of clinical and research activities within flexible programs designed for each individual, including opportunities in epidemiologic, clinical and laboratory-based research. Trainees, particularly those who are interested in pursuing an academic career, are strongly encouraged to extend their appointments to a third year to allow for completion of a substantial research project.
Our expanding, highly trained faculty includes nationally and internationally renowned clinicians and scientists, ensuring both clinical and research training at the highest level, and at top facilities, including, but not limited to, the Diabetes Research Institute, a world leader in diabetes cure-focused research where our fellows have direct access to emerging technology and the opportunity to interact and work closely with many researchers and faculty dedicated to finding a cure for diabetes; the Endocrine Testing Center, where our fellows learn the indications, technical application and interpretation of a wide array of dynamic endocrine tests and the Fellows’ Thyroid Fine-Needle Aspiration Clinic, where we are one of the very few training programs providing simulator-based training with a thyroid ultrasound-guided FNA model.
Additionally, the diverse patient population at our training locations provides fellows with a challenging wealth of opportunities, further ensuring a truly unique training experience.
-Violet Lagari-Libhaber, DO MPH
Fast Facts
Accreditation
Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education
Number of Fellows per Year?
3
Duration of Fellowship?
2 years
Program Highlights
1 of the busiest hospitals in the U.S.
Lipid & reproductive endocrine fellowship rotations
Program Highlights
1 of the busiest hospitals in the U.S.
Lipid & reproductive endocrine fellowship rotations
Clinical Experience
Our fellowship program prides itself on its commitment to education. The program provides a sophisticated curriculum designed to deliver state-of-the-art clinical training to fellows. Endocrinology fellows also are active teachers themselves, teaching endocrinology to medical students and residents, not only on rounds but also in the classroom. The fellowship program also has numerous educational conferences for fellows, including weekly case presentations; core-curriculum didactic lectures given by faculty members; endocrine board review; endocrinology and internal medicine grand rounds, as well as monthly journal club and tumor board conferences. Fellows also participate in an annual “how-to” conference series, similar to a “boot camp,” occurring at the beginning of each academic year.
Fellows are required to participate in scholarly activities during their fellowship including research and quality improvement projects. In the first year of fellowship, trainees are provided with guidance in obtaining a research mentor and are required to identify their mentor and to define their research project. A substantial portion of the second year of our fellowship training program is dedicated to research training. Fellows are encouraged to present their work at national or international conferences and their work has resulted in several publications in recent years.
Year 1 (PGY-4)
First-year (PGY-4) fellows will experience:
Inpatient Consult Services – five to six months (two-week rotation in diabetes or endocrinology)
Lipid Clinic/Rotation – once a month
Outpatient Clinics – Four, half-day outpatient clinics per week (two diabetes, two endocrine)
Quality Improvement – identification of mentor, project and preliminary work
Research – identification of mentor, project and preliminary work (e.g., institutional review board)
Thyroid FNA Clinic – twice a month
Vacation – four weeks total
Year 2 (PGY-5)
Second-year (PGY-5) fellows will experience:
Academic Clinic – twice a week (Diabetes Research Institute and Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center)
Consult Service “Refresher” – five weeks total
Continuity Clinic – once a week
National & International Meetings
Research & QI Projects – dedicated time
Subspecialty Rotations – five weeks each (bone/pediatrics; diabetes; neuroendocrine/adrenal/reproductive and thyroid)
VA Consults/DEXA/Dynamic Endocrine Testing Rotation
Vacation – four weeks total
Professors
Rodolfo Alejandro, M.D.
Ernesto Bernal-Mizrachi, M.D.
Ronald Goldberg, M.D.
Gianluca Iacobellis, M.D., PH.D.
Jay Skyler, M.D.
Jay M. Sosenko, M.D.
Roy Weiss, M.D., PH.D.
Associate Professors
Rodolfo Galindo
Zeina Hannoush
Violet Lagari, D.O.
Francesco Vendrame
Assistant Professors
David Baidal, M.D.
Ashley Ann Engel
Mark Jara
Silvia Gra Menendez, M.D.
Zeina Hannoush, M.D.
Jason E Levine, DMP
Bresta Miranda-Palma, M.D.
Marcela Perez Bustamante, M.D.
Valentina Rodriguez, M.D.
Maria del Pilar Solano, M.D.
Diana Soliman
Anu Thekkumkattil
Francesco Vendrame, M.D., Ph.D.
Carmen Vanessa Villabona
Research Professors
Ricardo Pastori, Ph.D.
Alejandro Caicedo, Ph.D.
Research Associate Professors
Armando Mendez, Ph.D.
Research Assistant Professors
Manuel Blandino, Ph.D.
Rayner Rodriguez Diaz, PhD
Khemraj Hirani, PhD
Joao Pedro Saar Werneck de Castro, PhD
Voluntary Faculty
Hara Rosen Berger, M.D.
Sabina Casula, M.D.
Neil Goodman, M.D.
Alumni Placements Include:
MD Anderson Cancer Center
Rush University Medical Center
University of Miami Leonard M. Miller School of Medicine
University of Texas Rio Grande Valley
Alumni Placements Include:
MD Anderson Cancer Center
Rush University Medical Center
University of Miami Leonard M. Miller School of Medicine
University of Texas Rio Grande Valley