Overview
The major activities in the Division of Endocrinology included patient care, basic and clinical research and the training of physician/scientists, graduate students and postdoctoral fellows for careers in academic medicine. During the past year, approximately 7,300 patient visits were made in the endocrine and diabetic clinics, and inpatient care was provided for approximately 1900 children. About 216 newly diagnosed patients with diabetes mellitus are admitted yearly; the total number of children followed in the diabetes clinic is about 1,500.
The major basic research projects performed during the past year included investigations of
- the roles of IGF and IGF-binding proteins in bone development and growth;
- the regulation of human placental and uterine decidual differentiation;
- the regulation of human placental lactogen and prolactin gene expression;
- the development of animal models to study the pathogenesis of type I diabetes mellitus;
- the role of T-lymphocytes in the pathogenesis of type I diabetes mellitus; and
- genomic analysis of risk factors in diabetes mellitus.
Clinical research projects included investigations of
- the use of low dose insulin injections in the prevention of insulin-dependent diabetes in genetically susceptible children;
- the natural history and etiology of diabetic heart disease and nephropathy;
- the epidemiology of type II diabetes mellitus in childhood;
- the roles of growth hormone, IGF and IGF-binding proteins in normal growth and intrauterine growth retardation; and
- the endocrine consequences of childhood cancer and head trauma.
In addition to participating in the teaching of medical students and house staff, the division was involved in the training of six postdoctoral fellows in pediatric endocrinology, one postdoctoral fellow in Obstetrics/Gynecology, one PhD postdoctoral fellow seeking advanced research training in endocrinology, and four PhD postdoctoral fellows pursuing diabetes research training.
