Nicole Ducharme DO

Dr. Nicole Ducharme was born in Warwick, Rhode Island, to a close-knit Portuguese/Italian family. She spent a lot of time with her grandmother, who had emigrated from the Azores and did not speak English. With the help of her grandmother and other family members who only spoke Portuguese, Dr. Ducharme learned to speak the language fluently at a very young age. In fact, from the time she was two years old until she was six, Dr. Ducharme would spend summers in Portugal with her grandmother and extended family.

Dr. Ducharme also had the opportunity to live in Taiwan for several years and travel throughout the Far East, as her father transcended the corporate ladder. Dr. Ducharme was able to learn about different cultures and interact with individuals from various backgrounds. This experience and having to relocate several times throughout her childhood served to play an integral part in her ability to communicate effectively with those of all races and nationalities. When her family returned to the United States, they settled in Maple Valley, Washington, where she went to high school. She played varsity tennis and played clarinet in her school’s marching band.

Dr. Ducharme graduated from Muhlenberg College in Allentown, Pennsylvania, her father’s Alma Mater. She earned a BS in Biology and went on to medical school at the University of Medicine and Biosciences in Kansas City, Missouri. Dr. Ducharme then completed an Internal Medicine residency at the University of Illinois-Christ Hospital in Chicago, Illinois. During her residency, she developed a love for Endocrinology, especially because she had a strong family history of diabetes. Dr. Ducharme completed a chief residency at Caritas Carney Hospital, an affiliate of Tufts University, in Dorchester, Massachusetts. She enjoyed teaching medical students and residents and was awarded best teacher.

In 2007, Dr. Ducharme began her fellowship in Endocrinology at Saint Louis University (SLU). After graduating from SLU, Dr. Ducharme took a position at a community hospital in Festus, Missouri. She was there for three years before taking a position at Washington University. During her three years, she was able to make the center an approved thyroid center of excellence, create evidence-based insulin drip protocols, and deliver lectures on various endocrine topics to the nursing staff and other physicians.