Gastroenterology and Hepatology Fellowship

I am delighted to welcome you to UT MD Anderson Cancer Center gastroenterology or GI fellowship program, which was developed under the purview of the UT Medical Branch Department of Internal Medicine.

As the program director, I have the honor of introducing you to our esteemed fellowship program, which seeks to train the next generation of gastroenterologists and hepatologists, with a goal of fostering the fellow’s future career in academic medicine.

Our program is distinguished by its active involvement in weekly educational conferences of different varieties, such as conferences related to trainee or faculty research, multidisciplinary didactics, pathology, motility disorders and of immune-oncology toxicity conferences. Patient care truly involves multidisciplinary care, by interfacing with hematologists/oncologists and oncologic surgical teams; the expertise from each department and its care team members is essential to provide comprehensive and personalized treatment plans.

Our fellowship provides exposure to a broad range of diseases that include but not limited to: hepatology, complex pancreaticobiliary disease, inflammatory bowel disease (including those related to immunotherapy-associated GI toxicities), motility disorders, esophageal disorders, diseases associated with post-surgical GI anatomy and rare oncologic diseases that intersect with the care provided by GI/hepatology.

Each academic year, fellows are assigned to three primary categories of rotations: inpatient care (including consultations/endoscopy), outpatient ambulatory care in the clinic, and outpatient endoscopy/research. In addition to immersion in clinical training, our program places a strong emphasis on research and academic development. Each year offers equivalent time for research to provide optimal opportunities for our fellows to engage in academic work; our fellows work closely with mentors in the area of interest. A wide range of resources are available, including assistance with data extraction, data analysis, database management and the IRB process. Fellows are expected to submit abstracts/manuscripts for publication or presentation at conferences. The curriculum also incorporates monthly fellows case conferences within the department to provide an opportunity to build depth in understanding a clinical case and the surrounding medical literature.

Because gastroenterology includes the practice of endoscopy, it is paramount that we exceed the standards of teaching towards building our fellows’ skills in endoscopic evaluation and interventions. Simulation-based training is built into each month of the fellows’ outpatient rotation. Our Simulation Center provides many modules that help build foundations of techniques. The simulation modules also include upper endoscopy and colonoscopy scenarios that help build critical understanding of visual inspection and decisions regarding interventions. Our endoscopy rooms are also equipped with the ability for video-recording endoscopies, such that these videos can be saved and reviewed afterwards to help enhance the learning process.

Our program values the feedback of fellows to help shape the experience in ways that can continue to allow the program to evolve. Especially during the second and third years of fellowship, our program is able to consider opportunities to customize the experience and allow for special electives to match each fellow’s areas of interest (both for research and clinical work). We wish to cultivate an environment of learning conducive to both the wellness of fellows and provide a pathway to advancing one’s career.

I thank you for your interest in applying to our GI fellowship program at UT MD Anderson Cancer Center. Wishing you all the best in the Match!