NIH Training Grant in Molecular and Cellular Endocrinology

Overview

The objective of this training program is to provide continuing and expanded opportunities for interdisciplinary training in cellular and molecular endocrinology at Mount Sinai School of Medicine. Pre- and postdoctoral scientists have been, and we hope will continue to be, exposed to a wide variety of opportunities in modern cellular and molecular laboratory science, in addition to a clearly-defined didactic program of courses and seminars. The trainees and the environment created by our Program have ensured the production of independent research scientists in cellular and molecular endocrinology who are an asset to the future growth of the science. The official degree-granting unit as of July, 1999 is New York University. Ph.D. students and postdoctoral fellows will be able to take advantage of the NYU facilities in mathematics, chemistry, engineering, in addition to the biological sciences offered on the Mount Sinai campus.

Program Direction

Director

Terry Davies, M.D., is the Florence and Theodore Baumritter Professor of Medicine and Director of the Division of Endocrinology and Metabolism in the Department of Medicine. He has published more than 250 communications in the area of endocrine cell biology with an emphasis on the thyroid and thyroid autoimmunity.

Steering Committee

The setting of major policy and the handling of important decision making has rested with, and will continue to be with, a Steering Committee consisting of Drs. Davies, Sealfon, Bancroft, and Zaidi. The Steering Committee is administratively supported by Mr. Tom Chacko, M.B.A., administrator of the Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes, and Bone Disease.

The Graduate School

The academic program has been designed in cooperation with the Graduate School of Biological Sciences. The Dean has liaised for us with the School faculty and administration concerning our predoctoral training as well as our didactic programs, which serve both pre- and postdoctoral trainees. We will continue to rely on the assistance of the Graduate School for our program evaluation.

Program Faculty

Preceptors

Preceptors who are part of the current renewed cellular and molecular endocrinology training grant program are listed under their programmatic category below:

Thyroid

• Davies, T.F., M.D.
• Forrest, D., Ph.D.
• Osman, R. Ph.D.

Bone

• Zaidi, M., M.D., Ph.D.

Diabetes

• Vlassara, H., M.D. (Geriatrics, Glycated end-products in diabetes and aging)
• Mobbs, C., Ph.D.

Neuroendocrinolgy

• Bancroft, D., Ph.D.
• Salton, S., M.D.
• Sealfon, S. M.D.
• Wilk, S., Ph.D.

Reproduction

• Caplan, A., Ph.D.

Pharmacology

• Iyengar, R., Ph.D.

Endocrinology at Mount Sinai School of Medicine

Since 1960, endocrinology training has stressed instruction in basic and clinical endocrine research through collaborative studies between clinical and basic science departments, as well as with extramural collaboration. Before the establishment of our training program in cellular and molecular endocrinology in 1988, there was no coordination in endocrine science training, but rather ad hoc interactions. Major development and realignment in the basic science departments at Mount Sinai School of Medicine resulted in the recruitment of a significant number of new senior and junior investigators in the clinical and basic sciences, and Clinical Endocrinology was markedly expanded with a doubling in the size of the Clinical Training Fellowship to four positions per year and the appointment of new clinical investigators. The award of this Training Grant added to the momentum by the development of a clearly-organized Training Program in the Endocrine Sciences, which integrated the doctoral program in the School of Biological Science with the more traditional postdoctoral training and clinical programs. This momentum has continued with the further development of the basic sciences at Mount Sinai as evidenced by the opening of major new research facilities and the recruitment of 75 new faculty to the school, including highly successful investigators in the endocrine sciences.

Many major advances in endocrinology have been promulgated by scientists working at Mount Sinai. These include the early use of radioiodine treatment in hyperthyroidism and the discovery and characterization of radioimmunoassay. We provide an environment that will guarantee that Mount Sinai continues to produce endocrine scientists capable of making worthy contributions in the new biologies. Our strength lies not just in the quality of the contributing scientists and their training experience and the overall institutional strength, but also in the interdisciplinary opportunities which are interdepartmental in nature. The diverse experiences of the trainees appointed to the program are excellent evidence of this strength.