Curriculum & Training

The REI Fellowship Training Program is designed to provide advanced, comprehensive subspecialty training that prepares fellows to become expert clinicians, proceduralists, and consultants in reproductive endocrinology and infertility. Training is delivered through a combination of structured didactics, graduated procedural experience, scholarship, and supervised patient care with expert faculty in the Division of Reproductive Endocrinology and Infertility. Our curriculum is built on the ACGME REI Milestones, (https://www.acgme.org/globalassets/pdfs/milestones/reproductiveendocrinologyandinfertilitymilestones.pdf)  which provide a developmental framework for assessing fellows’ growth across the core competencies of the specialty. Fellows receive regular assessment and feedback as they progress toward increasing autonomy, clinical sophistication, and readiness for independent practice.

All clinical training takes place at the University of Vermont Medical Center, the teaching hospital of the University of Vermont. UVMMC is a tertiary academic medical center serving Vermont, northern New York, and New Hampshire, providing fellows with broad exposure to the full spectrum of reproductive endocrinology and infertility. Together, these experiences create a rigorous and supportive training environment designed to prepare fellows for board eligibility and successful careers in academic medicine, clinical practice, or both.

Clinical and Procedural Training

Fellows gain experience across the breadth of REI, including infertility evaluation and management, ovulation induction, assisted reproductive technology, male infertility, reproductive endocrinology, menopause, fertility preservation, and reproductive surgery. Training emphasizes progressive responsibility, thoughtful clinical judgment, and clear communication with patients and multidisciplinary teams.

Areas of clinical training include but are not limited to:

• infertility evaluation and treatment planning
• ovulation induction (OI), intrauterine insemination (IUI), and cycle management
• in vitro fertilization (IVF), egg retrievals, and embryo transfers
• ultrasounds and ultrasound-based procedures
• uterine cavity and fallopian tube evaluations (e.g. sonohysterogams, hysterosalpingo-contast sonography, hysterosalpingograms
• early pregnancy evaluation
• male infertility and andrology
• menopause, primary ovarian insufficiency, and diminished ovarian reserve
• endometriosis and complex reproductive endocrinology
• surgical management of pelvic pain, uterine fibroids, endometriosis, uterine pathology, and other conditions
• fertility preservation and third-party reproduction

Sample Weekly Schedule

While each week varies based on clinical rotation, operative cases, research needs, and call responsibilities, the overall structure of fellowship evolves over the three years to support progressive growth in clinical expertise, scholarship, and leadership.

Year 1: Clinical Immersion and Foundation-Building

Year 1 Focus: Building fluency in infertility evaluation, reproductive endocrinology, ultrasound, office procedures, IVF fundamentals, and surgical care. First-year fellows gain early hands-on procedural experience, including office hysteroscopy, while developing confidence in the daily clinical practice of REI.

Year 2: Dedicated Scholarship with Longitudinal Clinical Continuity

 Year 2 Focus: The second year is centered on research, writing, data analysis, and project development, with the majority of time protected for scholarship. Longitudinal clinical continuity keeps fellows connected to patient care, preserves procedural skills, and helps ensure that research remains grounded in meaningful clinical questions

Year 3: Advanced Clinical Training (including IVF) with Progressive Autonomy & Leadership Roles

Year 3 focus: senior fellows return to a high-volume clinical role with increasing independence in patient care, IVF management, procedures, and teaching. By the end of fellowship, trainees have typically performed almost 100 embryo transfers independently, including difficult transfers, with success rates comparable to those of attending physicians.

Didactics and Conferences

The fellowship includes a structured educational curriculum aligned with ACGME and ABOG expectations. Regular learning experiences include:

• Weekly core curriculum
  A structured series covering the breadth of reproductive endocrinology and infertility, including ovarian physiology, infertility evaluation and treatment, IVF and ART, reproductive surgery, fertility preservation, reproductive genetics, male infertility, endocrine disorders, recurrent pregnancy loss, and menopause.

• Journal club
  Faculty- and fellow-led discussions focused on critical appraisal of landmark and emerging literature in REI, helping fellows build skills in evidence-based practice, study design interpretation, and application of new research to patient care.

• Ultrasound conference
  Case-based review of reproductive ultrasound with attention to follicular monitoring, uterine and adnexal pathology, Müllerian anomalies, early pregnancy assessment, and the use of imaging in procedural planning and clinical decision-making.

• Departmental and multidisciplinary conferences
  Educational conferences that connect fellows with colleagues across obstetrics and gynecology and related specialties, including complex case review, grand rounds, reproductive surgery discussions, fertility preservation collaboration, and interdisciplinary learning with maternal-fetal medicine, gynecologic surgery, oncology, pathology, radiology, and laboratory teams.

• Regional and national meetings
  Opportunities to attend and present at major meetings in reproductive medicine and science (e.g. American Society for Reproductive Medicine, Society for Reproductive Investigation, Pacific Coast Reproductive Society), engage with the broader REI community, share scholarly work, and build professional networks that support career development in academic medicine and clinical practice. 

Research and Scholarship

Research is a central part of fellowship training, with approximately 12 months of protected research time across the REI fellowship. Fellows work closely with faculty mentors to develop and complete a meaningful scholarly project, with the goal of national presentation and peer-reviewed publication. Research opportunities may include basic, translational, clinical, outcomes, and health services research.

Evaluation and Feedback

Fellows receive regular formative feedback in both clinical and research settings, with semi-annual review of progress by program leadership. Assessment is aligned with the ACGME competency framework and REI Milestones, supporting progressive autonomy and readiness for independent practice.