Curriculum

A comprehensive three-year curriculum is offered, based on the Gastroenterology Leadership Council's recently published Core Curriculum in Gastroenterology. This consists of 30 months of clinical training and six months of research training.

First year

The fellowship is devoted to clinical training emphasizing cognitive consultative skills and basic endoscopic procedures (EGD, colonoscopy, flexible sigmoidoscopy, and therapeutic endoscopy).

Second year

• usually consists of three months of research
• two months of elective
• one month of pediatric gastroenterology
• six months of clinical rotations, including a liver transplant rotation

During the second and third years, the trainee learns more complex procedural skills (ERCP, EUS, and endoscopic therapy for polypectomy, and stopping GI bleeding).

Third year 

• usually consists of three months devoted to research
• two months assigned to a liver transplant service
• one month of radiologic imaging
• two months of elective
• four months of clinical rotations

An active outpatient gastroenterology continuity clinic is held once per week per fellow.

Didactics

• GI clinical conference - GI clinical primary teaching conference for the division. It is attended by attending staff, gastroenterology fellows, rotating residents, and students. Presenters include outside speakers (regional and national), in-house faculty, and fellows. Rotating residents present cases once during their rotation. The format for this conference varies from didactic topic discussions, research, and case presentations

• Clinical teaching conference - The program director, Dr. Mitchell Cappell, meets with all the house officers rotating on the GI service and some of the GI fellows for one or two clinical GI conferences per week.

• Chief's rounds - Each Friday, fellows, rotating residents and medical students meet with Drs. Laith Jamil, Mitchell Cappell, and Mike Duffy to review current cases in the hospital. Case presentations are followed by a discussion of a pertinent clinical topic. Emphasis is placed on clinical decision-making and differential diagnosis.

• Journal club - The entire division meets monthly during which current articles from the medical literature are reviewed. The articles for review are distributed in advance of the conference. Each fellow presents one article and one attending is assigned to present at each conference.

• Pathology conference - Once each month, attending pathologists from the Pathology Department conducts a review of histology slides from cases selected by the fellows. Fellows, selected attendings, and rotating residents attend.