About the Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism Fellowship Program

Welcome to the website for Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism Fellowship Training Program at Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU). We are extremely proud of our fellows, the faculty, and the program’s comprehensive and innovative curriculum that spans both VCU Health and the Central Virginia VA Medical Health Care System. The VCU medical campus features state-of-the-art clinical, research, educational, and simulation facilities. What makes the VCU training experience so rich and the learning climate optimal is the supportive, experienced faculty who are committed to teaching and the collegiality of the fellows. We invite you to explore our website and learn more about what VCU has to offer you educationally regarding an exciting career in the field of endocrinology.

Vision

Fellows in the VCU Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism Fellowship Training Program are members of an academic medical community that spans VCU Health and the Central Virginia VA Medical Health Care System in which there is a commitment to learning the knowledge, attitudes and skills required for the practice of endocrinology while providing the highest quality medical care to a diverse patient population. 

Mission

• To train fellows to become compassionate physicians who are competent in the delivery of evidence-based, integrated, multidisciplinary healthcare for patients with both common and rare endocrine disorders, in the outpatient and inpatient settings 
• To provide a depth and breadth of training that allows fellows to successfully pursue a variety of career options including academic medicine, private practice and industry 
• To foster a collegial and supportive setting for intellectual growth that promotes lifelong learning in the dynamic field of endocrinology within the content of a rapidly changing healthcare environment 
• To partner with our fellows in contributing to the science of medicine through mentorship, research opportunities and dissemination of information

The endocrinology program director, associate program directors, division chair, faculty and staff are dedicated to supporting the professional success and health of each of the program’s trainees.

Mentorship

Each endocrinology fellow selects two mentors from either VCU or the VA to guide their professional development during their training, one serving as a research mentor and the other as the fellow’s career mentor. 

Fellows meet with their research mentor at least monthly (and more frequently during dedicated research rotations). This individual helps guide the trainee through each step of the research process including hypothesis generation, study design, grant proposal development, institutional review board (IRB) submissions, analysis, and result dissemination.  

The fellow’s career mentor serves as a resource (in addition to the program director) for advice and guidance regarding a successful career in endocrinology, professional development, teaching skills, and work-life health.

Professional Development
The program covers the cost of membership dues to the Endocrine Society for trainees during their fellowship as well as the costs of attending one scientific meeting in the field of endocrinology each academic year.

Vacation Time
Each endocrinology fellow has three weeks of vacation per year. The time is generally taken as either one of the following:

1. Three 7-day vacations
2. One 7-day vacation and one 14-day vacation.

Night Coverage
Endocrinology fellows do not take any in-house call. At night, the fellows provide at-home call for urgent clinical care questions and consults. The fellows cover night call at both VCU and the VA Medical Center. On rare occasions, fellows come in for emergent consults, staffed with the on-call attending physician. Additionally, the attending physician provides back-up, supervision, and escalation for the fellow on-call. Fellows create their own call schedule which is approved by the program director.

Weekend Coverage
Fellows cover the VCU endocrinology inpatient consult service approximately one weekend each month. When on call over a weekend, the fellows collaborate with the supervising attending to provide daily care for new and existing consults. Fellows who are not on call do not have clinical responsibilities over the weekend.

GME Resident & Fellow Well-Being
Graduate Medical Education training is not easy. With the GME Physician Well-being program, we first and foremost assert our commitment to your well-being, resilience and all aspects of a healthy lifestyle. VCU and VCU Health are dedicated to ensuring that you have the tools you need to be your best.  (Learn more)

All About VCU, VCUHealth, and RVA
First things first. We fondly refer to Richmond as RVA. People love this city because it’s awesome. And Virginia Commonwealth University is in the middle of it all.  Learn more about VCU, VCUHealth, and RVA!

• Robert Adler, MD - VAMC Section Chief of Endocrinology
• Jeffrey Colburn, MD - VAMC Fellowship Site Director
• Ranjodh S. Gill, MD
• Trang Le, MD
• Ritu Madan, MD
• Priyanka Majety, MD
• Stephanie B. Mayer, MD, MHSc
• Grace Prince, MD - Associate Program Director
• Angeliki M. Stamatouli, MD
• Mary Stevenson, MD
• Morgan Vargo, MD - VAMC
• Edmond P. Wickham III, MD MPH - Fellowship Program Director & Interim Division Chief

Class of 2026

Ann Forrest, DO 
Medical School: Edward Via College of Osteopathic Medicine – Virginia Campus
Residency: Virginia Commonwealth University 

Ameeta Kumar, MD 
Medical School: Virginia Commonwealth University School of Medicine 
Residency: INOVA Internal Medicine Residency Program

Class of 2025

Dinesh Poudyal, MBBS, MPH
Medical School:   Kathmandu University School of Medical Sciences 
Residency:   University of Tennessee College of Medicine

Eligibility Requirements

All applicants to this subspecialty training program must be graduates of an ACGME-accredited internal medicine training program. VCUHS can only support J-1 visas. 

How To Apply

The VCU Endocrinology, Diabetes and Metabolism fellowship program is a participant in the NRMP match. All applications will be accepted through ERAS and follow ERAS deadlines. 

Required Documentation

• Application 
• Curriculum Vitae 
• USMLE score reports 
• Medical school transcripts 
• MSPE 
• A personal statement 
• 4 letters of recommendation, including one from your program director dated after June 1st 
• A photograph

If applicable, please provide the following:

• ECFMG certificate 
• Medical School Diploma (with translation if necessary)

Interviews

Application Timeline

We will review applications from July 15 to August 31.

Interview dates for 2024 are:  

Wednesdays, 10am – 4:30pm 

• August 28, 2024 
• September 11, 2024 
• September 18, 2024 
• October 2, 2024 
• October 9, 2024  

The Endocrine fellowship training program at VCU is a participant in the NRMP Match. All applications will be accepted through Electronic Residency Application Service (ERAS) and follow ERAS deadlines.

Interview Day Information

Our interview day begins at 10:00 AM and ends around 3:30 PM.  In addition to interviews with several faculty members, applicants will be provided with a detailed overview of the program, observe a didactic conference, take a virtual tour of VCU Health System facilities as well as the facilities at VA Medical Center, and meet with our current Endocrinology fellows. 

Here you will find a sample itinerary for the Interview Day.

Attention:   We anticipate conducting all Endocrinology Fellowship interviews virtually in 2024.

Program Director

Edmond Wickham, MD, MPH
Email: edmond.wickham@vcuhealth.org

Associate Program Directors

Grace Prince, MD 
Email: grace.prince@vcuhealth.org

Jeffrey Colburn, MD
Email:   jeffrey.colburn@va.gov 

Fellowship Coordinator

Leslie Aitken, DEdMin
VCU School of Medicine
Department of Internal Medicine
Box 980509
Richmond, Virginia 23298-0509
Phone: (804) 828-3510
Fax: (804) 828-4926
Email: imfellowships@vcuhealth.org

For training verification requests, please visit us at https://intmed.vcu.edu/education/verification/