A lifelong passion for training and mentoring generations of endocrinologists has culminated in an endowment to support a new endocrinology fellowship in the Department of Medicine’s Division of Diabetes, Endocrinology and Metabolism.
This is the result of an estate gift from the late Lawrence (Larry) Wolfe, MD, a Vanderbilt University School of Medicine alumnus and former faculty member, and his wife, Sarah (Sally) Wolfe.
Endocrinology, a field of science and medicine dedicated to endocrine system disorders, is essential for diagnosing and managing complex health conditions such as diabetes, thyroid disorders and hormonal imbalances.
“Nationally, the number of fellows being trained in clinical endocrinology is much less than needed, especially with the increasing rates of diabetes and obesity,” said Alvin C. Powers, MD, Joe C. Davis Professor of Biomedical Science and professor of Medicine and of Molecular Physiology and Biophysics. “Vanderbilt has a long history of fellowship training in endocrinology, beginning in the 1950s when Dr. Grant Liddle was the director of Endocrinology. Dr. Wolfe was himself a fellow in endocrinology at Vanderbilt in the 1960s.
“Vanderbilt has trained more than 250 fellows in endocrinology who are now providing care and conducting research in the U.S. and all over the world. This gift is so important as it will allow Vanderbilt to enroll an additional fellow each year, for a total of four. Training the next generation of clinical endocrinologists was a passion of Dr. Wolfe. He mentored many fellows during his career, and this gift will continue his impact on training clinical endocrinologists.”
Dr. Wolfe graduated from Vanderbilt University in 1957 and received his medical degree from Vanderbilt University School of Medicine in 1960. He was the first board-certified clinical endocrinologist in private practice in Nashville. He also joined the faculty at VUSM in 1968 as a clinical instructor, rising to the rank of clinical professor in 1998. At Saint Thomas Hospital, he significantly impacted clinical care and the training of numerous physicians, including endocrinology fellows.
Following his retirement from full-time practice at Saint Thomas Hospital in 2005, Dr. Wolfe returned to Vanderbilt, where he dedicated his time to seeing patients and training medical students, residents and endocrinology fellows at the Vanderbilt Eskind Diabetes Clinic. He also mentored junior faculty and enhanced their career development.
Sally Wolfe was an active community leader for many organizations, including Senior Citizens Inc., the Girl Scouts of Middle Tennessee and the National Council of Jewish Women, Nashville Section. The Wolfes were also active members of the Canby Robinson Society, the VUSM Alumni Association and the Thomas E. Brittingham Society.
The Wolfes’ children, Lynne Wolfe and Kevin Wolfe, are glad to see their parents’ wishes realized in a manner that honors both their father’s lifelong curiosity and dedication to the mentorship of young physicians, and their mother’s altruistic spirit of giving.
“The bulk of my father’s medical career was spent as a practitioner at Saint Thomas Hospital, but in the later part of his career, he came home again and spent a lot of time working and teaching in the endocrinology program at Vanderbilt,” said Kevin Wolfe. “He and Mom had a huge soft spot for the Vanderbilt undergraduate and graduate programs. Teaching and giving back were a huge part of his life.”
Lynne Wolfe agreed and emphasized that her father’s medical school peers, particularly his 1960 graduating class, remained close friends with the couple throughout their lives. They were known for hosting numerous alumni parties at their Nashville home. VUSM classmate Phillip Gorden, MD, director emeritus of the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, and his wife, Vivian, were even Lynne’s godparents.
“Both of our parents were not just dedicated to the big picture of Vanderbilt; they had a huge loyalty to the School of Medicine,” Lynne Wolfe said. “Dad collected people — that’s really the best way to say it — because he liked to mentor them. And when Mom was involved — which was always — she liked to feed them.”
The Wolfe siblings expressed gratitude to the Division of Diabetes, Endocrinology and Metabolism for honoring their parents’ desire to support endocrinologists in training.
“We are delighted that this endowment will fulfill our parents’ plan for this money to not go for a ‘thing,’ but rather toward people,” Lynne Wolfe said. “That’s what Mom and Dad really wanted, for this money to bring another human up — to add to endocrinology education and to support people who reach out and touch other human beings.”
Lawrence Wolfe died in April 2024, and Sarah Wolfe died in March 2021.
