Introduction
The Department of Endocrinology, Diabetes, and Metabolism at the Geisinger Health System offers a four-week elective rotation in Endocrinology, Diabetes, and Metabolism that focuses on adult patients with diabetes mellitus and other endocrine and metabolic disorders. The Department provides comprehensive, team-centered care at three clinical sites for patients that live within the 40 counties of central, northern, and northeastern Pennsylvania. Our team of physicians, nurse practitioners, certified diabetes educators, registered dieticians, and certified insulin pump trainers manage Type1 and Type 2 diabetes mellitus and obesity and insulin resistance syndromes. We provide diabetes and nutrition education, analysis of glycemic control through the use of continuous glucose monitoring, and intensive insulin management with insulin pump therapy in both inpatient and outpatient settings. We also provide comprehensive management of thyroid disease--including diagnostic ultrasonography, radioiodine ablative therapy, and ultrasound guided thyroid fine needle aspiration--and advanced multidisciplinary treatment of thyroid carcinoma. For patients with metabolic bone diseases, we perform and interpret DXA scanning and provide infusion therapy for osteoporosis. Finally, we perform dynamic endocrine testing to evaluate and treat patients with functional and nonfunctional pituitary and adrenal diseases. The rotating medical student is integrated into our services through active involvement in the daily care of our patients, beside teaching, and didactic instruction. Students see new patients in both inpatient and outpatient settings, and patient follow up is done at the discretion of the supervising attending physician. Faculty guided observation presents opportunities for students to experience thyroid ultrasonography, ultrasound guided fine needle thyroid nodule aspiration, and DXA scan interpretation. To broaden the educational experience, students attend weekly Endocrine and other department grand rounds and participate in discussions, case presentations, and literature review. Students are expected to give short presentations summarizing interesting clinical topics determined by service patient mixture and the attending Endocrinologist. Our current teaching faculty includes: John W. Kennedy, MD
Ralph H. Starkey, MD
Frederick Sunderlin, MD
Matvey Brohkin, MD
Ronald I. Harris, MD
Prashant Nadkarni, MD
Brian C. Jameson DO, Associate, Department of Endocrinology, Diabetes, and Metabolism
Clerkship Director |
