What is your fondest memory of fellowship at Temple Endocrinology?
“My fondest memories of Temple were the one on one interactions with the attendings. Each one practiced evidence based medicine and were always open to discussing their cases. I think one of the things that made the program unique is that we were able to see multiple approaches to clinical scenarios which I think is key when practicing after training” – Mobeen Ahmad, Class of 2026
“My fondest memories are the friendships I made with my co-fellows. Whether we were in clinic or on consults, having everyone in the same office space gave us plenty of opportunities to share a good laugh. Outside of the hospital, we enjoyed playing pickleball, board games, going out for dinner, and spending time together. Most of all, it was rewarding to see each other grow both personally and professionally throughout fellowship.” – Ashen Fernando, Class of 2026
“My fondest memory of fellowship at Temple Endocrinology is my patients and their kind words.” – Mariya Khan, Class of 2025
“My fondest memory of fellowship at Temple is a combination of the time spent with my attendings and co-fellows. It was always a pleasant and positive atmosphere, with focus on learning medicine but also a collegial environment where wellbeing and comradery was very important. Whether it was in the hospital, clinic, at noon conferences, meeting up at national conferences, going to see the Phillies baseball game or having a get together dinner in the evening - it was always a comforting and warm experience. It was like being with a second family and that has left some wonderful memories to remember. It was a year when I got married and finally signed up for my first job, and all of this was made more special by all the people I was able to share this with at work. “ – Brihant Sharma, Class of 2025
“My fondest memory of the fellowship was the Temple Endocrine Phillies game in 2023. I had a great time with the attendings and my co-fellows.” – Samantha Sokoloff, Class of 2024
“My fondest memories I would say are the people, I loved that the Attendings were very approachable and easy to work with. Everyone was very invested in teaching and would take out time to send you articles on the most recent guidelines or literature. “ – Raluchukwu Attah, Class of 2024
"My most cherished memories of my Temple experience are of the times spent with my exceptional co-fellows, and the invaluable teaching from our diverse faculty. Each attending brought forth a fresh perspective on each clinical case and displayed innovative problem-solving approaches .” – Sanah Sadiq, Class of 2023
“My fondest memory of my endocrinology fellowship at Temple was the unwavering support I received from both the faculty and my fellow peers. Their encouragement and guidance were instrumental in helping me prepare and confidently deliver my first national presentation at the ENDO meeting, a moment I will always cherish. It was a testament to the strong sense of community and collaboration within the program.”-Rachel Abramczyk, Class of 2023
“Despite starting off my training amidst Covid-19 pandemic, I never felt like an outsider because of the most welcoming faculty I had at Temple. I always enjoyed the time spent with my co-fellows and faculty during our case conferences. One of the fondest memories was the annual picnic where we got to know each other outside of work.” - Manasa Veluru, Class of 2022
"Getting to work, learn, and grow with my co-fellows was invaluable. Our training was not without its challenges with the COVID-19 pandemic, but I always felt supported and knew we could count on each other to keep our spirits up." - Preethi Gogineni, Class of 2021
"My fondest memory of the fellowship is definitely the personalities of the division. I felt like my co-fellows were some of the best in the world and the mentorship I received from our faculty really, really helped me grow and develop. Each faculty member had a unique style that I could learn from and my co-fellows had a spirit of collegiality that I don't know could be replicated at other programs." - Kunal Shah, Class of 2021
"I look back fondly at the relationships I built at Temple. The department as a whole is incredibly nurturing and kind. I am especially grateful to my co-fellows, who continue to be sources of support and levity." - Remy Mimms, Class of 2021
What do you think the biggest strengths of the fellowship program are?
“I think the biggest strengths of the program are the excellent clinical training the program provides and research opportunities if fellows are interested. At Temple we saw a wide variety of different pathologies which gave me confidence going into independent practice. Additionally, I was able to be a part of multiple research projects which gave me a better appreciation of the research process.” - Mobeen Ahmad, Class of 2026
“One of the biggest strengths of Temple’s fellowship is the complexity and diversity of the patient population. As a high volume transplant center, Temple provides fellows with valuable experience managing complex endocrine issues, including post-transplant diabetes and osteoporosis. The volume of pituitary disease, including patients undergoing pituitary surgery, also provides excellent exposure to challenging cases.
Another major strength is the supportive and approachable environment. Everyone is friendly and easy to talk to, which creates an environment where fellows feel comfortable asking questions and learning from one another. Dr. Sirisena and Dr. Guido are very receptive to fellow feedback and have implemented several changes based on our suggestions. One example is “Bring Your Own Case Tuesdays,” which replaced a traditional case conference and provides an opportunity to discuss complex cases encountered in our own clinics.
The fellowship also offers a variety of educational experiences, including monthly guideline reviews, thyroid tumor conferences, and pituitary conferences. These complement the clinical experience and encourage fellows to stay up to date with the latest guidelines and advances in endocrinology.” - Ashen Fernando, Class of 2026
“The biggest strength of the fellowship program was the focus on academic conferences.” - Mariya Khan, Class of 2025
“The biggest strength of the fellowship is the staff, and their desire to passionately mentor and guide our fellows. They are always thinking of the fellows and their education, and not ever about taking advantage of them as a service. The teaching was done to a high standard by every member of staff, and their attitude to help you grow made coming to work always a pleasure. There is a brilliant balance between academia and clinical teaching as well and there is room to adjust this as per the learners goals. Our leadership was always so flexible, willing to listen to any feedback and worked tirelessly to make this fellowship the best it can. This team environment makes this a strong fellowship as you are always confident you will graduate as a confident and knowledgeable physician.” – Brihant Sharma, Class of 2025
“The biggest strengths of the program are the welcoming and supportive faculty and the wide scope of pathology that we are exposed to at Temple.” – Samantha Sokoloff, Class of 2024
“The diversity of the patient population which exposes you to different pathologies. I also like that we got a feel for different types of practices (community vs academic) because we went to different sites.” – Raluchukwu Attah, Class of 2024
“The program's paramount strength is its warm and inclusive faculty, whose unwavering commitment to our professional growth has been an inspiration. It is also exceedingly easy to find mentorship in any aspect of medicine and endocrinology at Temple.” – Sanah Sadiq, Class of 2023
“The biggest strengths of Temple's program are the diversity of cases and accessibility of faculty. It was a lot of fun being able to work so closely with the core faculty on a daily basis. The faculty were always super approachable and willing to teach at all times." – Rachel Abramczyk, Class of 2023
“I think the biggest strength of the fellowship program is its diverse clinical training with multiple clinic locations which maximizes our exposure to different patient populations and a broad pathology. Program has a well balanced schedule between two years which helped me keep up to date with both inpatient and outpatient endocrine management. The faculty is always open to feedback, very approachable and heavily invested in teaching.” – Manasa Veluru, Class of 2022
"Temple Endocrine is well balanced between the two years and any specific interest you may have is supported. All the faculty are eager to teach and it is hard to find the diversity and complexity of the Temple patient population. Multiple clinic sites outside of the main campus allow for a variety of experiences." – Preethi Gogineni, Class of 2021
"The biggest strengths of the fellowship program is the excellent balance that the program has. There is a great mix of inpatient endocrinology, clinic and professional development, academic conferences, multidisciplinary conferences and time built in for research or other projects. This is done in a way that maximizes our exposure to all aspects of the field but does not become overwhelming. It is something that I think is really hard to do but Temple Endocrinology nails it." – Kunal Shah, Class of 2021
"I would consider Temple's greatest strengths being its faculty and clinical experience. The faculty come from diverse backgrounds and offer particular skills, interests and knowledge that contributed greatly to my learning. Moreover, they are all extremely approachable. The clinical experience at Temple is exceptional. As a fellow, you have the opportunity to rotate through a variety of clinical sites, each serving distinct patient populations with various gradations of endocrine disease." – Remy Mimms, Class of 2021
What made you choose Temple for your fellowship? Are there any unique or special features of Temple’s fellowship program?
“ I wanted to train at a place where I knew I would receive excellent clinical training. Temple is one of the busiest hospitals in Philadelphia and because of this fellows see unique pathologies that often are not seen at other programs. I think what makes the program unique is you are exposed to all aspects of endocrinology whether it is seeing cases in diabetes clinic, osteoporosis clinic at the lung center, or thyroid cancer cases at Fox Chase Cancer Center. The training at Temple ensures fellows are well versed in all facets of endocrinology.” – Mobeen Ahmad, Class of 2026
“I chose Temple because of the combination of a diverse and complex patient population and a strong, supportive learning environment. The high-volume transplant center provides fellows with a unique opportunity to gain experience managing complex post-transplant endocrine conditions.
I also really valued the structured educational opportunities, including monthly guideline reviews, thyroid cancer conferences, and pituitary conferences. These experiences provide additional exposure to complex clinical topics and complement the day-to-day clinical training.” – Ashen Fernando, Class of 2026
“What made me choose Temple for Fellowship was the academic and interdisciplinary conferences .” – Mariya Khan, Class of 2025
“My interview with the program director, Dr Sirisena, made me choose this program. Her values and her goals came out purely in my interview with her and I had a gut feeling I would fit in here. This is a non-judgmental environment where you are not evaluated simply on your past knowledge but on how much you can grow and your desire to improve and contribute to this field. I think what makes Temple unique or special is the mission of the hospital, its staff and the drive they have to improve physician care while serving the population in Philadelphia which always needs significant support. “ – Brihant Sharma, Class of 2025
“Temple's fellowship program is unique in that it is a large academic program which offers broad exposure to the field of Endocrinology and research opportunities, but also provides great training in outpatient Endocrinology. “ – Samantha Sokoloff, Class of 2024
“I chose temple because the program is more clinically oriented, and I also liked that the Attendings all practice general endocrinology and not boxed in a specific niche.” – Raluchukwu Attah, Class of 2024
“I chose Temple for the exposure to a broad array of complex endocrine cases and I feel I received a solid foundation to head start my career as an endocrinologist." – Sanah Sadiq, Class of 2023
“I chose Temple because I wanted a supportive, tight-knit program within a larger university system. Each day at Temple presents an impressive variety of cases, both in the outpatient and inpatient settings. The faculty’s dedication to education was evident from day one, making me feel confident in my growing knowledge base and clinical skills as a budding endocrinologist. Most of all, the faculty and staff at Temple are lovely people, making it an absolute pleasure to come to work and learn each and every day.” – Rachel Abramczyk, Class of 2023
“I chose Temple for the strong clinical training it offers, for the well balanced schedule and for the excellent didactics. It has provided exposure to all aspects of endocrine training. The program has a diverse and supportive faculty who have been my great mentors.” – Manasa Veluru, Class of 2022
"Temple for Internal Medicine and always had positive experiences with the endocrine department as a resident. I knew I would have strong inpatient and outpatient training that I could count on to carry me into practice." – Preethi Gogineni, Class of 2021
"Temple offered a balance between clinical, administrative, and educational activities. I never felt like I was burdened by my schedule. The faculty were also extremely invested in my learning and very open to feedback." – Remy Mimms, Class of 2021
"I chose Temple because after interviewing with multiple programs in the area after my hospital closed down, Temple had the most welcoming feeling. It was a close knit group that, again, had an incredible academic curriculae which included multidisciplinary conferences with other specialties, multiple, unique academic conferences, and attendings that took the time to teach us." – Kunal Shah, Class of 2021
How well did your Endocrinology fellowship at Temple prepare you for your first job after training?
“My training at Temple prepared me well for independent practice. My practice is currently very busy and I often see unique pathologies due to there not being other major medical centers close by. My training at Temple has given me to confidence to approach cases using evidence based medicine and ensure patients get the best possible care.” – Mobeen Ahmad, Class of 2026
“I feel that my fellowship at Temple prepared me very well for my first job. I’m currently working in an underserved area where I see a wide variety of challenging and sometimes unique cases. The training I received at Temple gave me a strong clinical foundation and, more importantly, a framework for approaching unfamiliar and complex cases. I feel comfortable evaluating challenging patients, working through difficult clinical questions, and using current guidelines and available resources to develop an appropriate treatment plan.” – Ashen Fernando, Class of 2026
“Temple has prepared me well for my first job after training because I was exposed to a wide scope of Endocrinology cases.” – Samantha Sokoloff, MD, Class of 2024
“I feel well prepared with my training at Temple. Most of the cases I see in the clinic and hospital currently as an attending I have been exposed to at Temple which gives me some sort of confidence in my treatment plan.” – Raluchukwu Attah, MD, Class of 2024
“The diversity, complexity, and volume of cases I was exposed to at Temple helped me transition smoothly to inheriting a full patient panel in a busy private practice. I'll admit that I've already reached out to some of the Temple faculty since starting attendinghood, and they have reaffirmed my clinical decision-making skills and continue to build my confidence!“ – Rachel Abramczyk, Class of 2023
“I felt confident and prepared to manage most endocrine conditions. I believe I had a strong foundation at Temple with a good exposure to diverse and interesting cases. I also feel reassured that I can always reach out to my mentors and co-fellows for any challenging cases that I encounter moving forward.” – Manasa Veluru, Class of 2022
"I will be starting practice in under a week but I know I have a solid foundation and the tools to keep growing in my practice and career. I also know I always have the Temple faculty to turn to for any challenges." - Preethi Gogineni, Class of 2021
"Having just started my first job after fellowship, I'm still nervous about everything! But the fellowship program at Temple ensured that everything I've seen thus far as an attending is not the first time I've seen it. The fellowship program prioritized exposure to interesting and unique patients and the training I had and exposure I had makes me feel like I'm a step ahead of where I might have been had I not trained here." - Kunal Shah, Class of 2021
"While I haven't yet started seeing patients at my new position, I feel confident that my training at Temple has helped prepare me for clinical practice. I am also reassured that I may reach out to my former fellows and faculty if I ever have a clinical (or practical) conundrum." - Remy Mimms, Class of 2021