Small by design; expansive in training, mentorship, and opportunity.
Overview
The Reproductive Endocrinology & Infertility (REI) Fellowship at the University of Vermont (UVM) offers a comprehensive, high-volume clinical experience within a close-knit, collaborative division. With one fellow per year, dedicated protected research time, and broad exposure across the full spectrum of REI, our program is designed to develop clinicians who are both technically skilled and deeply thoughtful in their approach to patient care. Fellows are immersed in all aspects of reproductive medicine, from ovulation induction and IVF to complex endocrine disorders, ovarian insufficiency, Müllerian anomalies, menopause care, and reproductive surgery, all while gaining the procedural experience and clinical judgment needed to practice independently. At the same time, the structure of our program allows for close faculty mentorship, progressive autonomy, and meaningful engagement in research and academic development. The result is a training experience that offers both volume and depth, preparing fellows not only to do the work, but to understand it, challenge it, and ultimately shape the future of reproductive medicine.
Letter from the Program Director
Dear Applicants,
Thank you for your interest in the Reproductive Endocrinology & Infertility Fellowship at the University of Vermont. We are delighted that you are considering joining us.
Choosing a fellowship is, in many ways, choosing the environment in which you will grow into the REI physician and colleague you hope to become. Our goal is to create a program that is not only rigorous and comprehensive, but also intentional; one that recognizes that excellent training is built through mentorship, curiosity, and meaningful clinical experience.
At UVM, we train one fellow per year, which allows us to provide highly individualized training, close faculty mentorship, and the opportunity for fellows to take true ownership of both their clinical and academic development. While we recognize that many REI fellows will go on to practices that specialize primarily in infertility, we also believe passionately in training you for the full breadth of the specialty, because the complex cases will find you regardless of where and you practice, and they will require your reproductive endocrinology, not just your infertility, skills. (You will also need to pass your boards, and we take that seriously too!) You will be deeply involved in patient care across the full spectrum of reproductive endocrinology and infertility, from ovulation induction and IVF to complex endocrine disorders, recurrent pregnancy loss to primary ovarian insufficiency, Müllerian anomalies to fertility preservation, and third-party reproduction to reproductive surgery, all while developing the judgment and communication skills that define excellent clinicians. You will be a partner in the full complexity of the patient journey, including those that don't fit neatly into a protocol. You will see cases that challenge you, cases that move you, and cases that remind you why you chose this field.
We are not looking for one "type" of fellow. After training, our graduates will go on to academic medicine, private practice, or something in between, and we will prepare you for all of it. We care not where you land but how you think and how you show up. Our “ideal” fellow is someone who engages with curiosity, kindness, and collegiality; who asks hard questions even when the answers are not obvious; who is invested in their own growth and genuinely interested in the success of those around them; who is motivated to contribute to the future of reproductive medicine in their own way.
I joined the REI faculty at UVM in December 2022, drawn by something I hadn't quite been able to name until I found it: a place where the culture matched the mission. When I interviewed, I left with the distinct feeling that I had just been on a first date, in the best possible way. It felt easy and natural, like a place I could see myself belonging. I remember driving home with the mountains in the distance, thinking that this already felt like home, and that the people I had just met felt like a team I wanted to be part of: smart, kind, and genuinely excited about the work. UVM, to me, did not feel like a place focused on outpacing one another, but about building something together. That sense has only deepened since. Our culture is perhaps best reflected in the fact that our fellows refer to us (their REI attendings) as their “IVF moms.” This phrasing speaks to the closeness of our mentorship, the trust that develops, and the way we show up for one another, including equal parts guidance, advocacy, and the occasional gentle nudge in the right direction. We take our work seriously, but we also take care of our people.
Finally, but no less importantly: the fact is that REI is changing. Practicing in Vermont means practicing in a state that is deeply committed to reproductive autonomy and access. We are able to offer the full depth and breadth of REI care, including care that physicians in other states are increasingly unable to provide. Our fellows learn to practice with ethical clarity, to hold complexity with grace, and to be advocates as well as clinicians. Our culture values inclusiveness and patient-centered care, and is grounded in the belief that excellent medicine and genuine compassion are not competing values; rather, they are the same thing.
The program you choose will shape not just your training, but who you become as a physician and as a person. We hope you will consider spending that time with us. If you are seeking a program where you will be known, mentored, and supported, where you will be challenged and cared for in equal measure, and where you will be part of a team that genuinely shows up for one another, we would be very excited to learn more about you.
All the best,
Amanda N. Kallen, MD
Division Chief and Program Director, UVM REI
Burlington and Beyond
Burlington offers something that is increasingly rare: a place where you can work hard, think deeply, and also build a full life.
Burlington itself punches well above its size in terms of food and culture. The restaurant scene reflects Vermont's agricultural identity: exceptional cheese, local farms, James Beard-recognized chefs, and an arts and music culture that draws people from across the country. Church Street is a year-round gathering place, and the shores of Lake Champlain - frozen and alive in winter, glittering in summer - are never far. And when you want a city, you are not far from one: Montreal is ninety minutes north, Boston is three hours south, and New York City is about four and a half hours away. The access to world-class museums, airports, and cultural institutions is real, without requiring you to live inside them.
Furthermore, the outdoor life here is not a cliché; rather, it is the texture of daily existence. Stowe, Mad River Glen, and Bolton Valley are within easy reach for skiing and snowboarding. The Long Trail and Appalachian Trail traverse the Green Mountains. Lake Champlain is a destination for sailing, paddling, and swimming. And the light in Vermont in October…we will leave that for you to experience yourself!
If you are coming with a family, you will find a community designed for it. Vermont consistently ranks among the best states for children's wellbeing and education. The pace of life here is intentional: there is time for school pickups, for weekends in the mountains, for dinners that aren't eaten standing up. The cost of living is meaningfully lower than in major coastal cities, and the quality of life is genuinely high. Neighborhoods are walkable, schools are strong, and the outdoor culture means that kids grow up with room to roam.
If you are coming with a partner, Burlington's size works in your favor. It is large enough to have a real arts scene, a thriving restaurant community, and a sense of energy, but small enough that you actually feel part of it. Partners find careers here across medicine, technology, education, the arts, and more. The city has a strong LGBTQ+ community and a deeply progressive culture. You will not feel like you landed somewhere that requires explanation.
If you are coming solo, this may be one of the best decisions you make! Fellows who arrive alone almost universally describe Burlington as one of the most socially welcoming places they have ever lived. The fellowship community is close-knit, and the broader city (with its farmers markets, live music, independent bookstores, climbing gyms, and lakefront) makes it genuinely easy to build a life outside of medicine. You will not be short of things to do or people to do them with.
