Specialties | DIVISION OF ENDOCRINOLOGY AND METABOLISM
Introduction
The Department of Pediatrics at Washington University School of Medicine
and St. Louis Children's Hospital has been at the forefront of
endocrinology, metabolism and diabetes research since its days under the
leadership of Dr. Alexis Hartmann beginning in the 1920s. Indeed, St.
Louis Children's Hospital was the first pediatric institution in the United
States to utilize insulin to treat children with diabetes mellitus. The
Division of Pediatric Endocrinology and Metabolism within the Department of
Pediatrics has been continuously operating as an academic division since
1967. Under the initial direction of Drs. Virginia V. Weldon and Anthony S.
Pagliara, the division was one of the first divisions of pediatric
endocrinology to combine its patient care, research and training efforts in
the area of classical endocrinology and in the areas of diabetes and
metabolism. This has now become a standard format for divisions of
pediatric endocrinology at academic medical centers across the country.
Subsequently, the division was under the co-directorship of Drs. Julio V.
Santiago and Dennis M. Bier (1985-1993) and the sole directorships of Dr.
Julio Santiago (1993-1997) and Dr. Neil H. White (1997-2004). Dr. Louis J.
Muglia, the current division director, was appointed in 2004.
The division has operated a fellowship training
program continuously since 1967. There have been nearly 50 fellowship
trainees during that time. Many of these trainees have gone on to
distinguished academic careers in pediatric endocrinology, and the majority
remain active in pediatric endocrinology practice or research. Eleven
former trainees have become division directors at academic medical centers
around the country. The division has had a long and close association with
the General Clinical Research Center (GCRC) since 1959 and the Diabetes
Research and Training Center (DRTC) since 1975 at Washington University.
The senior pediatric endocrinology faculty have held key administrative
roles in these centers for most of the last 30 years: Dr. Santiago was
director of the DRTC and associate program director of the GCRC; Dr. White
is currently associate program director of the GCRC.
The expertise of the division over its long history has been primarily in
the areas of diabetes mellitus, neuroendocrine and other growth disorders,
metabolic bone diseases, and the treatment of these diseases. This
expertise dates back to the close working relationship between Drs. Weldon
and Pagliara, and Drs. William Daughaday and David Kipnis in the Department
of Internal Medicine. This close collaboration between investigators in
Pediatrics and Internal Medicine has continued until the present day. As a
result, Washington University School of Medicine and the Division of
Pediatric Endocrinology remain at the forefront of basic and
patient-oriented research in diabetes, neuroendocrine and adrenal disorders
and metabolic bone diseases.
Much of the diabetes-related, clinical research base of the division was
developed under the leadership of the late Julio V. Santiago. Dr. Santiago
was a professor of Pediatrics and of Medicine, director of the Division of
Pediatric Endocrinology and Metabolism, director of the Diabetes Research
and Training Center and associate director of the General Clinical Research
Center. He was author or co-author of more than 150 peer-reviewed
publications and books or book chapters, was editor-in-chief of Diabetes,
and served on numerous advisory panels and special review groups for the
National Institutes of Health (NIH), the Food and Drug Administration
(FDA), and various pharmaceutical companies. He was one of the principal
investigators and a national leader for both the Diabetes Control and
Complications Trial (DCCT) and the Diabetes Prevention Program (DPP). Dr.
Santiago was an innovator at the forefront of many of the advances in
diabetes care that have occurred over the last two decades. Many of Dr.
Santiago's previous trainees are now established investigators in diabetes
and endocrine research worldwide. In recognition of his efforts, Dr.
Santiago received the award for Outstanding Physician Clinician in Diabetes
from the American Diabetes Association in 1998, and he is honored yearly by
the Santiago Lecture in the Department of Pediatrics. This tradition of
excellence remains nationally evident with the continued contributions of
Dr. White to clinical diabetes research and fellowship education, and Drs.
Muglia, Hollander, Hruz, Green and Marshall to broad aspects of
endocrinology, metabolism and diabetes mellitus basic science research and
patient care.
The division has a long-standing interest in clinical and basic research
related to metabolic bone disease and a long-standing educational and
research relationship with the Metabolic Research Unit (now called the
Center for Metabolic Bone Disease and Molecular Research) at Shriners
Hospital of St. Louis. With the addition of Dr. Rebecca Green to the
faculty we have expanded our involvement in patient-oriented research
related to bone disease.
Over the last few years, the division has continued its active and
productive involvement in patient-oriented research related to diabetes and
has expanded its research repertoire in the areas of basic research with
nationally recognized, NIH-funded programs directed by Drs. Louis Muglia
and Paul Hruz. The division was one of seven centers to receive funding for
a Research Training and Career Development in Pediatric Diabetes Program
from the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases
(NIDDK), the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF) and the American
Diabetes Association. This program provides up to two years of funding to
support training of pediatric endocrine fellows (T32) and an additional two
years of support for career development of junior faculty (K12) in
pediatric diabetes-related research.
Mission Statement
The mission of the Division of Pediatric Endocrinology and Metabolism in the
Department of Pediatrics is to provide excellence in patient care, teaching and
research in all aspects of pediatric endocrinology, metabolism and diabetology.
Patient Care
Provide comprehensive consultative services for all children with disorders
related to endocrinology, diabetes and metabolism. Maintain a multidisciplinary team of health care professionals to provide
comprehensive care for children and teenagers with general endocrinology
disorders and diabetes from the geographic area covered by BJC Healthcare
System and Washington University Medical Center. Make available state-of-the-art and innovative treatments to children with
disorders related to endocrinology, diabetes and metabolism by maintaining
active involvement in clinical trials of new therapies.
Teaching
Maintain an ACGME-accredited Pediatric Endocrinology and Metabolism Training
Program to train fellows with the goal of achieving board certification in
endocrinology and pursuing an academic career. Provide a core education in pediatric endocrinology, metabolism and diabetes
for pediatric residents and medical students.
Research
Maintain an environment conducive to performance of both basic science and
patient-oriented research. Continue to participate in clinical trials of new and innovative therapies
and make these available to our patients, as appropriate.
Division of Endocrinology and Metabolism
St. Louis Children's Hospital
11 East 10
One Children's Place
St. Louis, Mo. 63110
(314) 454-6051 (Voice)
(314) 454-6225 (Fax)
(314) 454-6051 (Voice)
(314) 454-6225 (Fax)
(888) 503-2237 (Toll-free)
(314) 454-6051 (Voice)
(314) 454-6225 (Fax)
(800) 678-4357 (Toll-free)
U.S. Mail
Washington University School of Medicine
Department of Pediatrics
Division of Endocrinology and Metabolism
Campus Box 8116
660 S. Euclid Ave.
St. Louis, MO 63110-1093
Research/Administrative Offices
(314) 286-2761 (Voice)
(314) 286-2893 (Fax)
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SCHOOL OF MEDICINE
