Research mentors

Fellows who pursue the National Institutes of Health (NIH)-Sponsored Track will identify a research mentor prior to matching into the program. All fellows who match into the Endocrinology Fellowship have access to a large pool of mentors with diverse career paths and interests. A career mentor and research mentor or a mentorship committee may be utilized. The program director and division chair regularly review the career development plan of each fellow.

Career goals may change as you progress through each stage of medical education. The Clinical Scholar Track is individualized and developed based on your career goals and your trajectory toward those goals.

Research objectives

At Mayo Clinic, a close working relationship between trainees and faculty preceptors is the basis for completing a superior research project. The development of an acceptable research protocol is fundamental and, following review of the proposal at different levels, the investigation is initiated.

Through the successful construction of a protocol and execution of a project, you:

• Clarify your objectives
• Develop a plausible hypothesis
• Understand experimental design
• Become familiar with the theoretical and practical aspects of the methodology you employ
• Accumulate and analyze data accurately and effectively
• Describe results, providing an abstract for presentation at a national or international meeting
• Deliver a well-organized presentation, including the effective use of audiovisual techniques

It is expected that one or more manuscripts derived from this work will be accepted for publication by peer-reviewed scientific journals. As part of the academic development workshop series and coursework offered through the Center for Clinical and Translational Science, you learn and improve your skills for scientific manuscript preparation. Workshops on writing grants also are available.

These faculty members may serve as preceptors and mentors for fellows on either track:

Mission

The goal of the Endocrinology Fellowship is to train expert clinicians and physician-scientists. Graduates of our program have continued on to be:

• Faculty at academic medical centers
• Productive investigators
• Leaders in professional societies
• Key contributors to their communities