Profiles of the Endocrine Clinic: the Mayo Clinic.

It is evident that clinical endocrinology, as a discipline, is entering a particularly exciting period in its evolution. Knowledge gained from basic and clinical research is being translated at the bedside for the benefit of our patients. The emergence of new drugs and novel treatment strategies has equipped clinical endocrinologists with the tools to more successfully combat many old enemies, such as diabetes and osteoporosis. Realization of full benefit from these exciting new tools requires a practice model in which the clinical endocrinologist's role is preeminent and is coordinated and integrated with those of practitioners drawn from other disciplines. The Mayo Division of Endocrinology, Metabolism, and Nutrition provides one such model of highly integrated care. We believe that as the pace of knowledge regarding basic mechanisms of disease and their treatment quickens, such integrated divisions will prove well suited to deliver the highest quality care to people with endocrine disorders.