The UC San Diego Pediatric Endocrinology Fellowship Program at Rady Children’s Hospital-San Diego is a three-year program designed to train and prepare academic pediatric endocrinologists of the future. Most graduates of the program move on to positions at academic medical centers, which recently have included UC San Diego, UC Davis, the University of Tennessee and the University of Maryland.
The fellowship is divided into one-third clinical training and two-thirds research training. The majority of clinical activities for the UC San Diego Department of Pediatrics takes place at Rady Children’s, which serves as the major pediatric referral center for San Diego County, Imperial County and parts of Riverside County. Fellows are responsible for all patients admitted to the endocrine service as well as for providing consultation throughout the hospital for children with endocrine disorders. Most outpatient clinics are currently held at Rady Children’s, and fellows participate in outreach clinics throughout the San Diego region. In addition, fellows provide consultation at other local affiliated hospitals, including the UC San Diego Medical Center (Hillcrest), Sharp Mary Birch Hospital for Women, and Scripps Memorial Hospital.
The fellowship’s first year focuses on the development of clinical skills, whereby the fellow spends about six months on the clinical service. During this time, the fellow is responsible for all inpatients and typically follows between five and eight patients. The second and third years focus primarily on a research project, which the fellow develops and executes under the direction of a mentor. Typically, the fellow is on service three months each year for the last two years. The other nine months are spent on the research project.
Research is an integral part of the fellowship program. The Division has a broad range of research interests that range from basic science and translational research to clinical research. Current areas of interest within the Division include pediatric pharmacokinetic studies for agents relevant to pediatric endocrinology, islet cell regeneration, precocious puberty, immunology of type 1 diabetes, insulin signaling, and fat metabolism.
The Division can also support the fellow’s participation in an National Institutes of Health-sponsored course on research methodologies conducted by UC San Diego. In addition, the San Diego biomedical community, including UC San Diego, the Salk Institute, the La Jolla Institute for Allergy and Immunology, and the Scripps Research Institute provides a broad range of research areas outside of the Division in which to participate.
John G. Davies Endowed Fellowship in Pancreatic Research
Rady Children’s and UC San Diego have established an Endowed Fellowship in Pancreatic Research as a lasting legacy to honor John G. Davies, Esq. Along with being a prominent attorney and civic leader, Mr. Davies was a board chair of the Rady Children’s Hospital and Health Center Board of Trustees and Rady Children’s Hospital-San Diego Board of Directors, a Rady Children’s Hospital Foundation trustee, a University of California regent, and a UC San Diego Foundation trustee. Mr. Davies passed away after battling pancreatic cancer.
The fellowship will train the next generation of physicians specializing in diseases of the pancreas. Every year, a qualified candidate wishing to learn about pancreatic research will be awarded this one-year ACGME-accredited fellowship, which will rotate annually in perpetuity. Fellows will work towards advancing knowledge of pancreatic health and disease—and sharing these findings—in order to discover better treatments and cures.
Both Rady Children’s and UC San Diego are leaders in endocrine research. At Rady Children’s, the Division of Endocrinology/Diabetes is ranked among the nation’s best by U.S. News & World Report. At UC San Diego, endocrine research is particularly strong and includes basic, translational and clinical research components. UC San Diego’s Diabetes and Endocrinology program is also ranked among the nation’s best by U.S. News & World Report.
Current Fellow
Sejal Kadakia, M.D. (2015)
Contact Us
For more information on our fellowship programs and how to apply, contact Dr. Michael Gottschalk at 858-966-4032 or mgottschalk@rchsd.org.