Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility Training Program
- Alan H. DeCherney, MD, Deputy Director, Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility Fellowship Program
- Micah J. Hill, DO, Program Director, Combined NICHD/Federal Fellowship in Reproductive Endocrinology
- Torie C. Plowden, MD, MPH, Associate Program Director
- Jennifer Chae-Kim, MD, Clinical Fellow
- Shelley Dolitsky, MD, Clinical Fellow
- Ariel J. Dunn, MD, Clinical Fellow
- Charlene Echague, DO, Clinical Fellow
- Kiley Hunkler, MD, Clinical Fellow
- Howard Li, MD, Clinical Fellow
- Peter G. Lindner, MD, Clinical Fellow
- Alexandra Poch, MD, Clinical Fellow
- Adina Schwartz, MD, Clinical Fellow
- Meghan Yamasaki, DO, Clinical Fellow
The Intramural NICHD Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility Training Program sponsors a three-year clinical fellowship in Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility, which is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME). The objective of the graduate medical education program is to train clinicians to serve as researchers and future leaders in the field of reproductive endocrinology with a view toward advancing basic, translational, and clinical science in reproduction. The program was started in 1978 and has since trained over 100 physicians in reproductive endocrinology. Upon completion of the rigorous scientific, clinical, and surgical curriculum, fellows may apply to the American Board of Obstetrics and Gynecology for certification in the subspecialty of Reproductive Endocrinology. The Fellowship in Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility is served by faculty from four institutions: the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD), the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences (USUHS), Walter Reed National Military Medical Center (WRNMMC), and the Shady Grove Fertility Center. The program accepts civilian and military graduates of U.S. residencies in Obstetrics and Gynecology and has the mission to train reproductive-endocrinology and infertility fellows who will serve as faculty in academic, government, and military institutions, and to establish and maintain high standards of training for students and residents in obstetrics and gynecology, so that they can provide evidence-based, cutting-edge treatments to couples with infertility. Program graduates have become assistant, associate, tenured professors, and departmental chairs.
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Intracytoplasmic sperm injection
Fellows in the program rotate on clinical services of NICHD–supported intramural graduate medical programs in Medical and Pediatric Endocrinology, as well as in Medical Genetics. The clinical training is robust. Thus, within the unique environment of the NIH, fellows participate in evaluation and management of rare and challenging endocrine conditions on the NIH Reproductive Endocrine Teaching Service. Clinical and surgical rotations take place at WRNMMC and the Shady Grove Fertility Center. Research is strongly emphasized. Trainees in the program must complete a thesis project and may choose among any research laboratory in the Institute’s intramural research program. To complete the research project, fellows are given 20 months of protected research time. The curriculum includes two university-based graduate courses, one in biostatistics, the other in reproduction. In the past year, faculty and fellows published 70 peer-reviewed articles. Over the past five years, each graduate of the program published an average of five peer-reviewed manuscripts associated with the training program, and several trainees received national recognition for excellence in research.
The three-year training program is structured to capitalize on the particular strengths and resources of each participating institution. Specifically, infertility services and operative care are provided by the busy clinical services at Walter Reed Bethesda Hospital, the NIH Clinical Center, and the Shady Grove Fertility Center. Experience in Assisted Reproductive Technologies (ART) is provided by rotation in the newly renovated, state-of-the-art Walter Reed Bethesda ART facility and in the Shady Grove Fertility Center. Fellows also obtain medical endocrine, pediatric endocrine, and genetic clinical training through rotations on the active inpatient services at the NIH Clinical Center. The program staff and fellows see 1,500 patients in the NIH Clinical Center, in addition to conducting 40 surgeries and 50 oocyte retrievals, per year. Outstanding research training is available either through NIH intramural laboratories or at USUHS. The program is intended to achieve synergism between the four sponsoring institutions and to provide fellows with an experience and resources not available from a single institution.
Requirements for enrollment include graduation from a residency in Obstetrics and Gynecology in the United States that is accredited by the ACGME and an active medical license in the United States. Selection is competitive, and prospective candidates must register with the National Resident Matching Program (NRMP). Three positions per year are approved for a complement of nine fellow trainees. Trainees may meet criteria for the NIH Loan Repayment Program (LRP) for outstanding educational debt.
Didactic instruction
Structured training includes a series of introductory seminars geared to first-year fellows, which take place from July to September of the first year. The introductory seminars provide a historical perspective and basic understanding of the practice of Reproductive Endocrinology. In weekly NIH teaching-rounds conferences, fellows review and discuss challenging cases with faculty and fellows. In addition, all faculty and fellows of all years are expected to attend the weekly Preoperative and Fellows’ conferences. Fellows also attend weekly research conferences sponsored by the NICHD, and they present updates on thesis work at the weekly “Research in Progress Conference.” Core training objectives of the ACGME are covered in special NIH grand rounds and by courses at the NIH or the WRNMMC in Bethesda. NIH Endocrine Grand Rounds provide additional training in medical, pediatric, and reproductive endocrine conditions. Regular attendance at a monthly journal club is expected. Fellows regularly attend ART clinical meetings, during which management of patients pursing ART is discussed and outcomes are reviewed. In addition to larger groups, mentors of individual laboratories to which the fellow is affiliated generally meet on a weekly basis to review research progress. Furthermore, fellows are encouraged to participate in didactic training offered at national meetings, such as those of the American Society for Reproductive Medicine, the Society for Reproductive Investigation, and the Society for the Study of Reproduction. Moreover, fellows are encouraged to attend specialty meetings in their chosen interest areas.
Publications
- Tong ZB, Otsuka N, Tu W, Wei Q, DeCherney AH. P450 side-chain cleavage enzyme (P450-SCC) is an ovarian autoantigen in a mouse model for autoimmune oophoritis. Reprod Sci 2022 29(8):2391–2400.
- Doyle N, Jahandideh S, Hill MJ, Widra EA, Levy M, Devine K. Effect of timing by endometrial receptivity testing vs standard timing of frozen embryo transfer on live birth in patients undergoing in vitro fertilization: a randomized clinical trial. JAMA 2022 328:2117–2125.
- Devine K, Dolitsky S, Ludwin I, Ludwin A. Modern assessment of the uterine cavity and fallopian tubes in the era of high-efficacy assisted reproductive technology. Fertil Steril 2022 118:19–28.
- Hewitt SC, Wu SP, Wang T, Ray M, Brolinson M, Young SL, Spencer TE, DeCherney A, DeMayo FJ. The estrogen receptor α cistrome in human endometrium and epithelial organoids. Endocrinology 2022 163:bqac116.
- Eubanks AA, Nobles CJ, Mumford SL, Kim K, Hill MJ, Decherney AH, Sjaarda LA, Ye A, Radoc JG, Perkins NJ, Silver RM, Schisterman EF. The safety of low-dose aspirin on the mode of delivery: secondary analysis of the effect of aspirin in gestation and reproduction randomized controlled trial. Am J Perinatol 2022 39(6):658–665.
Collaborators
- William H. Catherino, MD, PhD, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Bethesda, MD
- Kate M. Devine, MD, Shady Grove Fertility, Washington, DC
- Saioa Torrealday, MD, Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, Bethesda, MD
- Eric A. Widra, MD, Shady Grove Fertility, Washington, DC
Contact
Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility Training Program
NICHD, NIH
Building 10, Room 8N248
10 Center Drive
Bethesda, MD 20892-1840
Phone: 301-402-2141
Program Director: Micah J. Hill, DO; hillmicah@mail.nih.gov
Program Coordinator: Marilyn Minor; minormar@mail.nih.gov
Program website: https://www.cc.nih.gov/training/gme/programs/reproductive_endocrinology.html
Online application: https://students-residents.aamc.org/applying-fellowships-eras/applying-fellowships-eras
