Integrated Endocrine and Metabolic Research Training

The Endocrine Training Program at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, directed by Dr. Barbara Kahn, trains MD, MD/PhD and PhD postdoctoral candidates in the research areas of endocrinology, diabetes, and metabolism. The goal of the program is to foster the development of the next generation of trainees into independent investigators in endocrinology and metabolism, who will excel in scientific investigation and succeed in obtaining faculty positions in at major universities and medical schools. A secondary goal is to provide a rigorous scientific foundation for fellows who will go on to careers as clinician-educators. The research faculty for the endocrine program is an experienced group of investigators, all of whom are Harvard Medical School faculty members involved in the comprehensive study of obesity, diabetes, "the metabolic syndrome", nuclear receptor action, neuroendocrinology and signal transduction. The faculty is comprised of basic and clinical scientists who work together to train fellows to investigate research questions at the molecular and physiological levels. The collaborative nature of the faculty is evidenced by multiple joint publications and shared research core facilities. Trainees are provided an opportunity to learn from the collective expertise of the faculty in the areas of hormone action, gene regulation, adipocyte biology, animal physiology, gene targeting approaches to endocrine and metabolic disorders, neuroanatomy and neurophysiology, research in human subjects, and strategies for novel treatment modalities. Our trainees have an outstanding record of obtaining independent funding and promotion to faculty positions. These funded investigators now participate in the training of fellows in this and other Programs in Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism around the country. The success of the trainees reflects the outstanding quality of this Endocrine Training Program.