Clinical Fellowship in Endocrine Surgery

Endocrine Surgery Fellowship Training

UCLA Endocrine Surgery is currently offering one position per year for this 75% clinical, 25% research training experience. Current general surgery chief residents interested in the  position may apply at this time through the AAES Fellowship Match Program(Link is external).

General Program Information

Case Volume

The current annual case volume is approximately 800 per year.  The fellow is expected to be involved in about half of these cases. Sample Fellowship Case Log:

  • Thyroid: 125
  • Parathyroid: 125
  • Neck dissection: 20
  • Adrenal: 40
  • Pancreas/other: 5

Objectives

To train the next generation of academic endocrine surgeons, who will lead and advance the field as technically outstanding clinical surgeons, skilled scientific investigators, and stewards of high-quality health care delivery.

UCLA Endocrine Surgery Fellowship Training

Qualifications and Application Process

Positions will be filled through the AAES match program and are available to chief residents in general surgery who will become board-eligible upon completion of residency training.  Strong scientific writing skills are essential to success during the fellowship.  Though not a requirement, priority will be given to applicants with a track record of peer-reviewed publication and/or to those who hold an advanced degree in clinical research, public health, or biostatistics. Applicants are encouraged to submit a writing sample in addition to the materials required for the AAES match.  Select applicants will be invited for an in-person interview at UCLA during the months of July and August.

Weekly Schedule

The fellow will operate two full days per week and attend clinic one-half day per week.  The remaining time will be devoted to research, educational conferences, and career development.

Ceremonial transfer of the UCLA Endocrine Surgery surfboard
Ceremonial transfer of the UCLA Endocrine Surgery surfboard from Oliver Fackelmayer (2020 fellow) to Vivek Sant (2021 fellow).

Program Highlights

UCLA Endocrine Surgery is the leading center for the treatment of endocrine diseases in the Southern California region.  The population of our immediate service area is 15 million, and that of our extended service area is 30 million (roughly 1 in 10 Americans).  As a referral center for complex and/or reoperative cases, advanced endocrine malignancies, and familial endocrine syndromes, we manage patients from across the United States and abroad through our Distance Surgery Program(Link opens in new window).  The fellow will be exposed to a high volume of cases spanning the entire spectrum of complexity.

Our active, extramurally-funded research program regularly produces high-impact original research publications that influence the practice of endocrine surgery. Supported by strong mentoring, full-time statistical expertise, and outstanding medical students, the diligent fellow can expect to publish in journals such as The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism, The Annals of Surgery, JAMA-Surgery, Thyroid, and Surgery.  View publications from past and present trainees.

PubMed Publications

PubMed, a service of the National Library of Medicine, includes over 14 million citations for biomedical articles back to the 1950's. These citations are from MEDLINE and additional life science journals. PubMed includes links to many sites providing full text articles and other related resources. View PubMed publications(Link is external) (Link opens in new window)

We invite qualified applicants to join our Endocrine Surgery family here in beautiful West Los Angeles, where we will foster your development into an expert endocrine surgeon in an environment that is rigorous, intellectually robust, fast-paced, nurturing, and fun.

The UCLA Endocrine Surgery research group presented 2 original research podium presentations at the 2019 American Association of Endocrine Surgeons annual meeting in Los Angeles, CA. From left: Kyle Zanocco (2015 Fellow), Lauren Orr (2018 Fellow), Lina Hu, Catherine Zhu, Adi Shirali, Joana Ochoa (2019 Fellow).
The UCLA Endocrine Surgery research group presented 2 original research podium presentations at the 2019 American Association of Endocrine Surgeons annual meeting in Los Angeles, CA. From left: Kyle Zanocco (2015 Fellow), Lauren Orr (2018 Fellow), Lina Hu
From left: Kyle Zanocco (2015 Fellow), Masha Livhits (2014 Fellow), Lauren Orr (2018 Fellow), Yasmine Assadipour (2017 Fellow) and Dr. Michael Yeh.
From left: Kyle Zanocco (2015 Fellow), Masha Livhits (2014 Fellow), Lauren Orr (2018 Fellow), Yasmine Assadipour (2017 Fellow) and Dr. Michael Yeh.

Fellows Hall of Fame

Brian C. Ruhle, MD

Brian C. Ruhle, MD

2023-2024 Fellow
  • Endocrine Surgeon 
  • Stanford Health Care Tri-Valley 
  • Stanford, CA 
     
Na Eun Kim MD Headshot

Na Eun Kim, MD, MSc

2022-2023 Fellow
  • Endocrine Surgeon 
  • Kaiser Permanente 
  • Riverside, CA 
Vivek Sant MD Headshot

Vivek R. Sant, MD

2021-2022 Fellow
  • Assistant Professor of Surgery 
  • UT Southwestern Medical Center 
  • Dallas, TX 
Oliver Fackelmayer, MD

Oliver Fackelmayer, MD

2020-21 Fellow
Joana Ochoa, MD

Joana Ochoa, MD

2019-20 Fellow
Lauren Orr, MD

Lauren Orr, MD

2018-19 Fellow
Yasmine Assadipour, MD

Yasmine Assadipour, MD

2017-18 Fellow
Feibi Zheng, MD

Feibi Zheng, MD

2016-17 Fellow
Kyle A. Zanocco, MD

Kyle A. Zanocco, MD

2015-16 Fellow
Masha Livhits, MD

Masha Livhits, MD

2014-15 Fellow