Research Training in Endocrinology and Metabolism

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PROJECT SUMMARY This proposed postdoctoral training program (2 fellows/year, 2-year program) in endocrinology and metabolism will provide comprehensive research training for individuals with a serious commitment to a career at the interface of biomedical research and endocrine disorders. Metabolic diseases represent significant health burden in the US; advances in the pathophysiology of these diseases are required to improve diagnostics, therapeutics and health outcomes. Weill Cornell Medicine (WCM) is experiencing accelerating growth in clinical and biomedical research activities, due to the singular emphasis on developing medical research over the past decade during the Deanships of Dr. Laurie Glimcher and Dr. Augustine Choi. Investment in the Department of Medicine and the Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism has been significant. Dr. Anthony Hollenberg, a prominent endocrinologist and thyroid biologist, was recruited to Chair the Department of Medicine in 2018; his support has catapulted metabolic research to a high priority on campus, resulting in recruitments and significant internal and external resources. Dr. Laura Alonso, islet biologist and PD on this proposal, was recruited in 2019 to be Chief of the Endocrinology Division and Director of the Weill Center for Metabolic Health, a newly assembled research group on campus focused on metabolism, with 45+ faculty and 150+ members. Our proposed T32 leadership team also includes Dr. Julianne Imperato-McGinley, renowned endocrinologist, prior Division Chief and current Director of the Weill Cornell CTSC. However, the impetus for this proposal is not the leadership team, but rather the incredible trainees that have been finding a path to academic medicine even without T32 support. Three clinical endocrine fellows in the past 10 years managed to obtain K08 awards and are currently leading successful academic research careers, despite the lack of an available T32; one of our current 2nd year fellows elected to pursue a 3rd year of research training even though our program has been advertised as a 2-year clinical program, and both of the incoming clinical fellows for 2022 are outstanding researchers, one with a PhD from Cal Tech and the other with a first author Nature Medicine paper in islet biology, mentored by one of our faculty preceptors (Dr. Lo). We have hand-picked a top team of research Preceptors, and designed a comprehensive didactic training plan with wrap-around mentoring to guide trainees through eventual R01 submission. Our recruitment plan is thorough and has a strong emphasis towards enrolling top URM candidates. We propose a tri- institutional (WCM, MSKCC and RU), rigorous multidisciplinary T32 to enroll 2 postdoctoral MD or PhD trainees annually for 2 years training duration each. The leaders of this training program will work with the utmost enthusiasm and energy to ensure that our trainees reach their potential to excel and contribute significantly to the academic endocrine community for years to come.