Curriculum | Physician-Scientist Pathway | Clinician-Teacher Pathway
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Program Selection Policy

The gastroenterology fellowship at the University of Washington has been providing training in research, clinical gastroenterology, and teaching since 1950. Our division is composed of faculty members who have clinical responsibilities and research operations in five hospitals in the Seattle area (University of Washington Medical Center, Harborview Medical Center, Seattle VA Puget Sound Health Care System, Pacific Medical Centers, and the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center/Seattle Cancer Care Alliance). We have also established a rotation for Senior Fellows at Virginia Mason Medical Center. Our major endeavor is to train fellows for careers in academic medicine. Two pathways of training are offered: the Physician-Scientist Pathway and the Clinician-Teacher Pathway. We are also pleased to offer a one-year ACGME-accredited fellowship in Transplant Hepatology.

The mission of the University of Washington GI Fellowship Program is to educate trainees to become:

• Compassionate gastroenterologists with the necessary cognitive, technical and interpersonal skills to provide outstanding care to patients with gastrointestinal and liver diseases;
  
• Engaging teachers with the ability and enthusiasm to educate future trainees and colleagues about gastroenterology and hepatology; and
  
• Inquisitive and dedicated investigators with the skills to advance the underlying scientific basis for the care of patients with gastrointestinal and liver diseases.

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The faculty of the Division of Gastroenterology are committed to the training of physicians and scientists in the specialty fields of Gastroenterology and Hepatology. This commitment encompasses education of medical students, residents, fellows, and fully trained physicians in practice. Our curriculum covers fellowship, that period of training which follows residency in internal medicine, for physician trainees. [The Division also offers training to holders of advanced degrees in the sciences (usually Ph.D. degrees in biologic sciences) who wish to pursue research that is relevant to gastrointestinal, pancreatic, and hepatobiliary medicine.]

Our training program comprises two categories of fellowship: Physician-Scientist and Clinician-Teacher. These pathways cover the following six basic skills that are to be mastered by trainees:

1. Knowledge base of anatomy, physiology, nutrition, biochemistry, cell biology, genetics, and pharmacology that is relevant to the specialty;
2. Clinical care of hospitalized patients with disease;
3. Technical aspects of gastroenterology/hepatology practice; including endoscopic procedures and liver and other tissue biopsies;
4. Ambulatory care skills (including disease prevention and screening);
5. Research training; and
6. Ancillary skills geared to each trainee’s career plans.

All trainees will participate in clinical research training to understand the process of generating new knowledge in Medicine. Trainees will work with one or more mentor(s) through their 3 to 5 year program to achieve a good grasp of addressing clinically relevant questions with scientific rigor, and have first hand experience in analyzing and presenting scientific data. The program is committed to providing the trainee with protected time to focus on a selected topic of special training on a rotational basis in all of our teaching institutions. Specialized areas of training embedded within the fellowship include:

• GI Pathology – where trainees will learn the techniques of preparing tissue sections, special histochemical and immunocytochemical staining methods, as well as interpretation of morphological structures in various disease states.
• GI Radiology – where trainees will learn the principles and methods of imaging including abdominal plain films, ultrasonography, CT scan, MRI and PET. They will be able to study how to interpret imaging results with expert GI radiologists.
• Specialized Clinics - where patients presenting with a defined disorders are cared for by a focused and concentrated effort and expertise. These training scenarios afford unique opportunities to benefit the trainees in the following areas: Hepatology Liver Transplantation, Barrett’s Esophagus, Inflammatory Bowel Disease, Esophageal Motility Disorders, and Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation.

Physicians who enter fellowship already have substantial knowledge in most of these areas that serves as a base for further learning. The fellowship in Gastroenterology has two levels of training, level I for general gastroenterology and hepatology, and level II for more complex and difficult diagnoses and procedures. Fellows progress to level II training after demonstrating competence in general gastroenterology and hepatology.

Our curriculum is largely based upon the Gastroenterology Core Curriculum, developed by the major gastroenterology societies. The Third Edition of this Core Curriculum was published in May 2007, and our curriculum has been updated to reflect these changes. The fellowship adheres to the program requirements of the ACGME as specified by the RRC for gastroenterology.

The Physician-Scientist Pathway is intended for fellows who wish to develop skills that will enable them to become independent research investigators. This pathway requires a commitment to an extended period of fellowship, the majority of which will be spent learning research techniques. We offer training in five fields: Carcinogenesis and molecular genetics; molecular biology and gene therapy; cell biology and biochemistry; molecular microbiology; and epidemiology and outcomes research. Trainees in the latter field will be jointly sponsored by the Division of Gastroenterology and the University's School of Public Health. Fellows on the Physician-Scientist pathway will rotate through our core hospitals and have longitudinal outpatient clinic training, to enable them to be fully trained as gastroenterology and hepatology consultants.


This pathway is congruent with the Basic Science Research track of the National Resident Matching Program (NRMP) and is funded by a T32 training grant from the National Institutes of Health.

The Clinician-Teacher Pathway is a three-year program in clinical gastroenterology and hepatology. The emphasis is on excellence in patient care, teaching, and clinical research. All fellows on this pathway will have both general gastroenterology rotations in our core hospitals and clinical rotations in advanced hepatology, liver transplantation, management of GI and hepatic issues in hematopoietic cell transplant patients, and an introduction to interventional endoscopy. Fellows will attend weekly outpatient clinics in general gastroenterology and in several specialty areas. All fellows must choose a faculty preceptor for longitudinal clinical research projects that continue through the third year. It has been our experience that fellows on the Clinician-Teacher pathway often diverge in their interests after the start of fellowship. The faculty will offer selected fellows advanced training in hepatology and therapeutic endoscopy, endoscopic ultrasound, laser endoscopy, and other specialized endoscopic techniques. The faculty will also make available a curriculum designed to prepare fellows for careers in medical education. This curriculum involves instruction in clinical research, study design, oral presentation, academic writing, and teaching methods. Selection for advanced training is based on mutuality of interest and performance early in fellowship.

This pathway is congruent with the Clinical Track of the National Resident Matching Program (NRMP).

There are currently 5 Positions Available for 2013.
Two of these could be Physician-Scientist positions
Clinician-Teacher Pathway: 3-5 Positions Available for 2013
Physician-Scientist Pathway: Up to 2 Positions Available for 2012
Deadline for Applications through ERAS: August 24, 2012
Submit Application: ERAS Website » | Download Program Selection Policy »

The 5 available positions WILL BE part of the Electronic Residency Application Service (ERAS), and will be part of the National Resident Matching Program (NRMP). Please provide all information requested by ERAS, including the following:

• At least three letters of recommendation from faculty or professional staff of your medical school or hospitals where you have worked (one of which should include the Chief of Medicine or Residency Program Director in the hospital of your internship and/or residency).
• Medical School Dean’s letter of reference.
• Medical School Transcript.
• USMLE Score Sheets.

All applications are processed through ERAS. No paper applications or supplemental material will be accepted outside of ERAS.

Applicants who are not US citizens, and who do not have US green cards, are welcome to apply, with the realization that we will consider such candidates only if they have outstanding credentials.

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact:

Stephanie Schulz
Fellowship Coordinator
University of Washington
Division of Gastroenterology
gifellowship@medicine.washington.edu