Endocrine Explained

10/28/2025

Hi, all!
I am mentoring a high school student who is working on a project exploring the impact of a thyroid condition on adolescents' social-emotional health. If you and your tween-teen would be willing to participate, please read below, click the link, and follow the directions.
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Hello, my name is Abby Levine.

I spent the past year researching the thyroid gland and its various conditions.

My study is titled Social Emotional Impact of Thyroid Conditions on Adolescents. The study aims to explore a potential correlation between thyroid conditions and social emotional impact, and to investigate how the stigma surrounding thyroid conditions can be removed.

My study is IRB (internal review board) approved.

I ask adolescents aged 12-19 with or without a thyroid condition to please fill out a survey. The survey contains questions regarding demographics, medical history, personal perception, and physical, mental, social, and cognitive health symptoms.

Consent forms must be filled out in order to participate.
https://drive.google.com/.../1cquczT3m1l9SIROn01z.../view...

Thank you for your time, it is much appreciated!
Abby Levine

03/27/2024

Happy National Physicians Week!

It's a time to look back on how we came to be healers, to recall the rigor of our training, the honing of our skills, and our striving to help those in need.

As one of only a thousand pediatric endocrinologists in North America, I solve medical puzzles, collaborate with parents, and optimize children's health in conditions that affect growth, development, and well-being.

I can provide this quality of care as a physician and scientist with curiosity about my patients and their symptoms, a deep understanding of the scientific principles that shape health and illness, and decades of clinical experience.

Recognizing patterns within their medical history, signs and symptoms they describe, and my findings on physical examination allow me to provide true holistic care.

It is my honor to do so, both on an ongoing basis, and to provide a one-time second opinion for parents who have questions even after they've met with their endocrine care team.

And if YOU have questions, then please reach out so I can support and help you!

Shulamit Lerner MD is a board certified Pediatrician and Pediatric Endocrinologist who works with children and their families to answer their questions about stature and growth, pubertal development, weight management, adrenal and thyroid health. Dr. Lerner cares about each child as a unique person....

06/15/2023

All of this. It’s why I’m grateful to be able to provide - in my solo, low overhead practice - a means to spend time with children and their families who are seeking answers. Not for life-saving care, but for life-changing care.

Questions and worries regarding a child’s growth and development requires a meaningful conversation that includes nutrition, family context, and medical science, broached with respect and time.

Metrics need to be successful care, rather than profit.
Get rid of the unnecessary layers of administrators, and get back to the business of helping people.

The corporatization of health care has changed the practice of medicine, causing many physicians to feel alienated from their work.

10/16/2022

I founded Endocrine Explained because there are only about 1000 board certified pediatric endocrinologists in North America, and many families waiting months to meet with one.

Endocrine Explained helps families navigate their child's evaluation and options for treatment so that they can receive their best care - with an hours-long appointment, and without a months-long wait.

Dr. Shulamit Lerner is a board-certified Pediatric Endocrinologist with decades of experience evaluating and treating children and teens with endocrine diagnoses. She brings her knowledge to teach you what you need to know about your child's diagnosis, so you don't have to worry about their care.

08/29/2022

I founded Endocrine Explained because there are only about 1000 board certified pediatric endocrinologists in North America, and many families waiting months to meet with one.

In order to meet the demand, many hospitals have hired "physician extenders" to evaluate and treat children in a timely fashion. While nurse practitioners and physician assistants can provide excellent care - it is only for a limited scope of practice in which they have been trained.

The problem is that growth failure, atypical puberty, and menstrual irregularity are not straightforward diagnoses. A broad medical knowledge base is needed to be an effective medical detective - and understanding nuances in diagnosis and treatment are essential to quality care.

Endocrine Explained helps families navigate their child's evaluation and options for treatment so that they can receive their best care.

Your child is worth it!

07/22/2022

The conclusion to Endocrine Explained: Insulin Resistance. Enjoy!

The science behind the symptoms

06/30/2022

More on Insulin Resistance. Why does it matter?

The science behind the symptoms

06/28/2022

Insulin Resistance? What does THAT mean?

The science behind the symptoms

06/20/2022

The thyroid gland. Want to know more?
You are invited to my free Webinar this Wednesday, June 22nd, at 11AM.
I'll be teaching about the thyroid: what it is, what it does, and why someone would need their - or their child's - thyroid evaluated.
Then, I'll answer questions from people like you - who want to know more.
See you soon! (Or send your friend....)
https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_BiBxKczpTdeoLuVCUvhB3A

06/15/2022

For an endocrinologist, this is a classic story: enlarging jaw, hands and feet, and developing a more prominent nose and brow. As others observed, finding a board-certified endocrinologist is key for appropriate care, and not jumping to fix the obvious issue without a broader evaluation.

But key to access is having a primary care physician who partners with qualified, caring, and knowledgeable specialists - those who will see you urgently just because your physician says it's important. I treasure the teamwork I have with my referring pediatricians, knowing that we will be working together for the sake of our patients.

In the pediatric population, growth hormone excess isn't so common, but short stature and the worry about growth hormone deficiency is! With only about 1000 of us pediatric endocrinologists, it's not so easy to find one close to home with availability!!

That's a story for another day....

The patient had the full suite of symptoms — and a jaw that somehow moved out of alignment. That was the clue something was wrong.