The Primary Care Diabetology Fellowship at Kent Hospital is designed to train primary care physicians to be experts in the clinical management of patients with complex diabetes. Through our affiliation with the Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University, Kent Hospital, and our parent organization, the Care New England health system, our fellows will be able to care for patients across the state and in various delivery settings. This will allow for our trainees to be educated in diabetic prevention, glycemic management in both the outpatient and inpatient setting, management and prevention of diabetic complications, and gestational diabetic care.
With this training, fellows will be able to deliver care to all people with diabetes as a diabetologist (a diabetes care specialist) across the care continuum. Fellows gain proficiency with diabetes medications, insulin management and diabetes care technology including insulin pumps and sensors. Fellows who complete the program are eligible for board certification in diabetology.
Program Curriculum
Fellows spend time each week training in diabetes technology and ancillary services, including telemedicine, remote monitoring, nutrition and diabetes education, insulin pumps and continuous glucose monitoring systems. They attend weekly didactic lectures, participate in journal club sessions, and attend the Primary Care Innovation Series lectures held monthly at the Family Care Center in Pawtucket, RI. The fellows conduct research and complete scholarly activities, including quality improvement projects. In addition, the fellows attend the Obesity: Etiology, Prevention, and Treatment continuing medical education course through Columbia University, and sit for the Obesity Certification exam. This further strengthens their ability to manage obesity in diabetic patients.
Tentative Schedule:
Monday: Hospital-based Diabetes Management Center; inpatient consults
Tuesday: Outpatient DM continuity clinic all day
Wednesday: Hospital-based DM clinic and/or subspecialty clinics on a rotating basis
Thursday: Research and Didactics and/or subspecialty clinics on a rotating basis
Friday: Hospital-based DM clinic all day
In addition, fellows spend one half day per month with Ob-Gyn/Maternal Fetal Medicine and Obesity Clinic
Specialty clinic rotations include:
- Diabetes education
- Bariatrics
- Wound Care
- Endocrinology
- Nephrology
- Cardiology
- Pediatric diabetes management, if applicable (Family Medicine-trained physicians only)
- Podiatry
- Ophthalmology
- Lipidology
- Elective
This training includes diabetes management of hospitalized patients.
Eligibility Requirements
- Graduate of an accredited family or internal medicine residency program in the United States
- Able to work within the United States; at this time, our program is not able to sponsor visas
- Excellent academic and clinical record
- Commitment to the care of underserved populations
For more information, please contact Program Director Leonard Bertheau, DO.