Conferences

We have a robust educational program that includes lecture series, research conferences, journal clubs and clinical conferences.

Division conferences

Fellow core Conferences: These weekly conferences covering the core curriculum are held throughout the year. This conference reviews, through didactic sessions, major clinical topics and basic science relevant to endocrinology, diabetes and metabolism. In the summer, new fellows are also given a series of “orientation” lectures in their first two weeks that cover more essential topics and skills needed to start the fellowship. Conferences are given by faculty from the Endocrinology and Diabetes divisions, as well as diabetes educators and invited speakers from other departments like Pediatric endocrinology, Reproductive Endocrinology, Nephrology, Cardiology, Nuclear Medicine, Pathology, and Radiology.

Clinical Endocrinology Conferences: These conferences consist are held on 1st, 3rd and 5th Tuesdays, and consist of a 30-minute lecture with 15 minutes of discussion and 45 minutes ofcase presentations and discussions. Cases come from both the inpatient and outpatient settings and may be chosen because of 1) their unique nature, 2) difficult decision making and 3) their general interest. The discussions typically revolve around appropriate treatment, identification of risks associated with management strategies, patient safety, and loss prevention. Faculty and fellows in the division are involved in the presentations, providing peer-review of clinical practices and discussion of medical ethics, quality assurance, patient relations and other issues. Attention is also given to optimal clinical practices in the management of complex situations.

Endocrine Grand Rounds are held twice monthly, on the 2nd and 4th Tuesdays of each month, except during the summer break. Distinguished experts from within and outside UMass are invited to deliver a lecture on basic and clinical advances in the field. When the speaker is a clinician, cases are also presented and discussed in the hour after the lecture.

Journal club is scheduled monthly and fellows are assigned on a rotating basis to review important articles in Endocrinology and Diabetes.

Scan conferences are held once a month. Fellows review nuclear studies (including radioiodine whole body and thyroid scans, parathyroid scans, PET scans, and MIBG studies) with at least one member of the endocrinology faculty.

Research Conference: held 6 times a year, these conferences showcase research being performed by faculty and laboratories affiliated with the Endocrine or Diabetes Division. Two conferences per year are devoted to presentation of fellows’ research and quality improvement projects.

Fellow-led board review: every 3rd Friday of the month, fellows are given protected time for board review. Fellows decide on which topics to cover, and faculty are invited to participate based on these topics.

Departmental conferences

Medical Grand Rounds: Fellows are also encouraged to attend the weekly Medical Grand Rounds series of the Department of Medicine, which includes didactic lectures, as well as Morbidity and Mortality rounds. The Endocrinology and Diabetes divisions each sponsor one lecture per year in this series.

Interdepartmental conferences

Neuroendocrine Conferences: This is a monthly interdisciplinary conference attended by faculty and fellows in Endocrinology, Neurosurgery and Neuroradiology. Patients with Neuroendocrine issues, usually pituitary or sellar tumors, are presented. The clinical presentation, imaging findings and management options are reviewed for each case. Discussions are held in the context of basic scientific information and critical evaluation of the current clinical literature and practices. Standards of care and risk/benefits issues are discussed.

Cytology conference: This is a monthly interdisciplinary conference attended by faculty and fellows in endocrinology, and cytopathology. The cytologic findings for patients who have had cytologic evaluation, typically thyroid/parathyroid/node biopsies, are reviewed and management options are discussed.

Endocrinology/Pathology/Surgical conference: This is a monthly interdisciplinary conference for faculty and trainees in Endocrinology, Pathology and Surgery/ENT. Histologic findings are reviewed for patients who have had surgery for an endocrine disorder (e.g. thyroid, parathyroid, adrenal or pituitary surgery). Further surgical or medical management is discussed based on pathologic findings.