Domenic Filingeri, DO MS
I am a third-year pediatric endocrinology fellow at UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh and am in my second year of T32-supported basic science research in diabetes. Originally from New Jersey in the USA, it’s always been incredible for me looking back at my journey through medicine and how it has taken me through different parts of the country and different subspecialties ultimately leading me here. What’s important to me is that if I had the chance to do it all again, I would do nothing different. My academic journey first took me to Boston, Massachusetts to earn a dual bachelor’s degree in biochemistry and molecular biology at Boston University followed by working as a research technician at Boston Children’s Hospital. Following this fundamental exposure to basic science research which included authorship in a high-impact journal for my research in lymphatic malformations using zebrafish, I earned my master’s in medical science at Boston University School of Medicine before starting medical school back in NJ at Rowan-Inspira School of Osteopathic Medicine.
Looking back at my time in fellowship at Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh, I am thankful for the wonderful mentorship from our wide range of faculty here in our Division. I had the opportunity to learn from world-renowned Pediatric Endocrinologists from a vast variety of backgrounds and treatment styles, which has been pivotal in developing my own style of practice. I want to give a special mention to our program director Dr. Krishna, who is a wonderful physician and has always been a strong advocate for our learning and well-being.
With a T32 grant supporting my research, I spend the majority of my time under the mentorship of Dr. Vijay Yechoor, who is Chair of the Diabetes Center at the University of Pittsburgh. He is both a successful physician-scientist and is both my Principal Investigator and mentor. My research project focuses on RIMOC1, a relatively new protein that is highly expressed in pancreatic beta-cells and explores its potential role in beta-cell survival. My long-term career goal is to continue my research with the support of an early career K award, ultimately continuing to independent research as a physician-scientist.
To close, I want to share a little about my personal “why Pediatric Endocrinology” story. I was first truly exposed to pediatric endocrinology during Residency at Thomas Jefferson/ Nemours Children’s Hospital in Wilmington Delaware, where I was drawn to the complexities of endocrinopathies and of diabetes. My fascination with feedback loops and their intricacies in diagnosis was nurtured by my attendings who loved to teach and share their passions in Endocrinology. At its core, I chose pediatric endocrinology because I gravitated towards the fact that “diabetes never truly is just diabetes”, and that it truly “takes a village” of support staff and familial buy-in to provide exceptional care for a child with diabetes. While I’ll never truly understand how hard it must be for all the children with new onset diabetes and their families I’ve met in the Emergency Room, I cherish the moments where I can impart some tools for success and assist my families in feeling comfortable and capable to take on these new changes to their lives following a new diagnosis of diabetes in their family.