The award will have a tremendous impact on the ability of HSS to continue to educate trainees in the field which highly skilled practitioners are critically needed now more than ever. Through the program, trainees gain the knowledge and research skills necessary to build successful careers in metabolic bone disease. HSS is now uniquely positioned to continue providing training utilizing the comprehensive curriculum that is currently in place.

Alena Competello, MS, Director, Office of Education Development and Alumni Affairs in the HSS Education Institute, led this remarkable achievement in partnership with Matthew Drake, MD, Ph.D., Chief, Metabolic Bone Disease Service at HSS, Nathanaelle Raymond, Metabolic Bone, Endocrinology Fellowship Program Coordinator along with The Office of Academic Training within the Education Institute. Together, their efforts have secured critical resources that will significantly enhance the hospital’s ability to train future specialists in an area of growing clinical need.

"Through its academic programs, for more than 150 years, HSS has trained the minds, hearts, and hands of some of the finest clinicians dedicated to advancing musculoskeletal health.  A steadfast commitment to excellence in education dates to the Hospital’s earliest traditions and continues to influence its mission and vision,” said James W. Schroeder, Jr., MD, MBA, Chief Academic Officer at HSS. “We are honored to receive this grant which will help shape the next generation of leaders in metabolic bone disease.”

The conferences and forums trainees attend serve as invaluable platforms for continuous learning and collaboration, featuring monthly journal clubs that foster in-depth discussions on the latest research and advancements in the field. During their training, fellows learn how to evaluate laboratory, radiographic and histologic analyses of metabolic bone diseases.

“The Metabolic Bone Disease Program is truly unique. Trainees receive hands-on training and insights that simply aren’t available anywhere else. Our fellows complete the program prepared to make an immediate impact in a dynamic and growing field,” Competello said. “Receiving this recognition from Amgen further demonstrates the credibility of both HSS and this program. I am proud to be a part of this team, I look forward to seeing what this talented group will accomplish next.”

Dr. Drake has been a consultant in the Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes, Metabolism, and Nutrition at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota since 2007. He assumed a dual role as a consultant in Mayo Clinic’s Division of Hematology in 2017. He has been an Associate Professor of Medicine at the Mayo Clinic College of Medicine and Science since 2015.

Dr. Drake will ensure the continued excellence of the clinical, educational and investigative programs in the Division of Endocrinology and the Metabolic Bone Service. He will work with HSS physicians and staff to optimize quality, the patient experience and outcomes. His role will include collaboration with internists and orthopedic surgeons at HSS, particularly those focused on joint replacement, sports medicine and spine, to identify and address risk factors related to bone health that could affect surgical outcomes.

“Dr. Drake is a world-renowned endocrinologist with clinical and research expertise on age related bone loss, and we enthusiastically welcome him to HSS,” said S. Louis Bridges, Jr., MD, PhD, physician-in-chief and chair of the Department of Medicine at HSS. “His impressive background and considerable experience are vital assets that will enable us to maintain our role as a leader in the diagnosis, treatment and research in endocrine and metabolic bone diseases.”

“With its outstanding reputation for providing the highest standards of care, passion for excellence and innovation, and strong commitment to improving the lives of patients everywhere, it is an honor and a privilege to join HSS,” said Dr. Drake. “I look forward to working closely with the clinical and research staff and collaborating with a highly motivated team of specialized faculty to achieve our best musculoskeletal health outcomes.”

The recipient of numerous research grants from the National Institutes of Health, Dr. Drake will play a key role in the internationally recognized research programs at HSS, collaborating with leaders of the HSS Research Institute, the Department of Orthopedics and the Division of Rheumatology, to define priorities for investigation.

Dr. Drake’s own research has focused on the underlying mechanisms and skeletal changes related to age-related bone loss. He has also sought to better understand how cancer affects bone health. Dr. Drake believes that unraveling the mysteries of how normal aging or the presence of malignancies leads to the softening or destruction of bone mass could ultimately lead to new or improved methods to prevent and treat bone loss.

Dr. Drake’s dedication to his field includes a long list of professional activities. He has served as an independent content reviewer on the Task Force on Cell-Based Therapies for the American Society for Bone and Mineral Research (ASMBR); as a member of the Task Force on Managing Osteoporosis Patients after Long-Term Bisphosphonate Treatment for the ASBMR; and on the scientific advisory boards of the Rare Bone Disease Alliance, Fibrous Dysplasia Foundation, and the Soft Bones Foundation.

His research has been featured in 125 peer-reviewed articles, and he has written 11 book chapters on topics that include the pathogenesis of osteoporosis, myeloma bone disease, and disorders of calcium and bone metabolism.

Dr. Drake graduated Magna Cum Laude from Harvard College, where he received an AB degree in Biology. He attended Washington University earning his MD degree in addition to a PhD in Molecular and Cell Biology. He went on to an Internal Medicine/Endocrinology residency at Duke University Medical Center, where he also completed a clinical research fellowship. His academic accomplishments include a second clinical research fellowship in Endocrinology at the Mayo Clinic College of Medicine.

“The advancement of patient care practices at HSS is demonstrated through our commitment to recruiting outstanding physician leaders in our clinical specialties,” said Douglas E. Padgett, MD, surgeon-in-chief and medical director at HSS. “Drs. Drake’s and Stein’s dedication and expertise in the field of endocrinology demonstrates our relentless focus on high-quality and high-value healthcare for our patients.”