Advanced Fellowship in Inflammatory Bowel Disease – University of Chicago

Advanced Training in Inflammatory Bowel Disease

Overview

The University of Chicago Advanced IBD Fellowship provides a broad practical and scholarly exposure to clinical problems of gastroenterology as well as in-depth investigative training. The program has a long and consistent history of graduating physicians that are scholarly clinicians as well as prominent laboratory and clinical investigators. Direct and continuous contact with a large, full-time faculty including senior and junior members offers a personal approach to the trainee’s educational, clinical and scientific development. The training program utilizes the extensive clinical and laboratory facilities found at the University of Chicago Medical Center. Because of the University of Chicago’s reputation as a top- rated referral center and our location in the heart of the city of Chicago, there is a broad exposure to common gastrointestinal conditions, as well as unusual and difficult to manage clinical cases. The duration of the training will be over a twelve to twenty four month period.

The advanced fellowship will consist of an individualized clinical, basic, or translational research program designed for gastroenterologist or trainees interested in a subsequent academic appointment. The Inflammatory Bowel Disease Research Center at the University of Chicago includes faculty, research associates and clinical research nurses engaged in projects related to epithelial cell interactions and protection, mucosal immunology, genetics, clinical pharmacology, clinical trials, and outcomes research. During this period, he/she will become proficient in a selected field of clinical, basic or translational research via direct interaction with a supervising IBD faculty member. Advanced fellows with valid Illinois licenses will participate in patient care in both outpatient and inpatient settings. The University of Chicago is an equal opportunity, affirmative action employer and applications are encourage from minority groups and physically disadvantaged individuals. Please note that applicants must have passed the ECFMG to apply.

Resources

Program Directors:

Russell D. Cohen, MD
Professor of Medicine
Director, Inflammatory Bowel Disease Center

David T. Rubin, MD
Chief, Section of Gastroenterology, Hepatology, and Nutrition
Joseph B. Kirsner Professor of Medicine

Affiliated Faculty:

Eugene Chang, MD, Professor of Medicine and Cell Biology

Marc Bissonnette, MD, Associate Professor of Medicine

Joel Pekow, MD, Assistant Professor of Medicine

Tenzin Choden, MD, Assistant Professor of Medicine

Noa Krugliak Cleveland, MD, Assistant Professor of Medicine

Sushila Dalal, MD, Clinical Instructor

Venue: All activities will be performed at the University of Chicago Medicine campus.

Education Program

Prerequisites for the program:

Completion of training in internal medicine at ACCME accredited institution (or equivalent if non-US trained). Completion of training in gastroenterology at ACCME accredited institution (or equivalent if non-US trained). License to practice medicine in Illinois (application may be pending at time of application, but will be required to start fellowship). All non-US citizen/Canadian citizen applicants must obtain appropriate VISA requirements and ECFMG certification in advance of application.

Educational Goals:

The Advanced Fellowship in Inflammatory Bowel Disease affords the applicant focused training in clinical care and/or clinical, translational, or basic research in inflammatory bowel disease. This training is intended to further the sub-specialty training in gastroenterology and serve as a fourth year (additional training) educational experience for GI fellows intending to focus careers related to inflammatory bowel disease. It is anticipated that applicants will spend their time between clinical inpatient and outpatient IBD patient care, clinical, translational, and/or basic science research, as well as participation in other scholarly activities, such as contributing to case reports, review articles, and book chapters.

Educational Activities:

Education activities will be adapted to individual trainees’ backgrounds and interests. For those with primarily clinical or clinical research experience and aspirations, most of the year will be spent with supervised clinical responsibilities. The activities will include participation in outpatient and inpatient service (evaluation and management of patients with inflammatory bowel disease) under the supervision of Drs. Cohen, Rubin, and affiliated faculty. Trainees will be expected to attend multiple half day outpatient clinics a week, and to be actively involved in the continuing care of the outpatients that they see or are otherwise assigned.

Advanced fellows will also participate on inpatient IBD service on various months throughout the year. Inpatient service will involve daily attending faculty ward rounds and thorough documentation of clinical decision making and management plans. The University of Chicago is a large quaternary referral center for inflammatory bowel disease patients, many of whom have complex disease that requires thorough but prudent investigation, careful attention to detail, and close collaboration with consulting medical and surgical units. Advanced fellows will perform supervised endoscopic procedures pertaining to the diagnosis or treatment of IBD. Advanced fellows will review pathology material pertaining to cases with GI pathology faculty, review radiographic procedures with radiology faculty and participate in co-management of surgical patients with faculty from the department of surgery. Advanced fellows will be expected to follow, longitudinally, with faculty supervision, patients who are evaluated in outpatient clinics and after hospitalization.

Advanced fellows will also organize the bi-monthly multidisciplinary IBD conference, where they will be responsible for preparing focused patient-based cases with colleagues from the Pathology, Radiology, and Surgical departments. Attendance is also expected at the GI clinical conference, GI research conference, and Journal Club where on occasion they will be expected to present cases, review literature, and present research proposals and research in progress. Throughout the year, advance fellows will also be expected to complete a research project pertaining to IBD during the year, which will then be submitted for presentation at national/international meetings and for publication in peer-reviewed journals.

After completion of the advanced IBD fellowship, trainees should be capable of evaluating and managing complicated patients with ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease to determine: diagnosis, indications for endoscopy/radiography, indications for medical therapy and appropriate therapeutic monitoring, indications for surgery and post-surgical management, management of IBD during pregnancy, and other specialized cases (see evaluation sheet for IBD rotation)

Evaluation:

Advanced fellows will be evaluated by:

Standard competency-based ABIM Evaluation Forms
Research projects will be assessed according to scientific merit with expectation for publication of original research, case reports/series, and/or systematic review.