Fellowship in Clinical Nutrition

History:

The University of Chicago Training Program 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.

Duration:

The Fellowship in Clinical Nutrition and Small Bowel Disease is closely associated with the fully accredited three-year fellowship leading to Board Eligibility for Gastroenterology. The duration of training will be 12-24 months.

Pre-requisite Training/Selection Criteria:

Completion of training in Internal Medicine at ACGME 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)

Appropriate Visa requirements and ECFMG if non-U.S. citizen

The University of Chicago is an equal opportunity, affirmative action employer and applications are encouraged from minority groups and physically disadvantaged individuals.

Goals and Objectives for Training:

The Fellowship in Clinical Nutrition and Small Bowel Disease will consist of an individualized clinical program designed for trainees interested in additional training towards an academic appointment. The Clinical Nutrition and Small Bowel Disease program at The University of Chicago includes faculty, registered dieticians, pharmacists and clinical research nurses engaged in related areas to clinical nutrition. During this period, he/she will become proficient in the field of clinical nutrition and small bowel disease, via direct interaction with a supervising GI/Nutrition faculty member.

The fellow will be proficient in normal and stress metabolism, nutritional assessments, risks and benefits of specialized nutrition support, determining caloric requirements by calculation and indirect calorimetry, designing a formula for parenteral or enteral nutrition, monitoring for complications of nutrition support, central catheters, enteral tubes, endoscopic tube placement, deep enteroscopy, outpatient management of TPN, obesity, celiac disease and other small bowel diseases, other nutritional problems and enteral access and small bowel endoscopy for fellows trained in Gastroenterology. The fellow will have participated in a clinical research project.

Resources

Teaching Staff:

Malabsorption and Home Nutrition Support Clinic

Carol Semrad, MD, Professor of Medicine; Program Director

Edwin McDonald, MD, Assistant Professor of Medicine

Dejan Micic, MD, Assistant Professor of Medicine

Beth Wall, RD

Obesity Clinic

Edwin McDonald, MD, Assistant Professor of Medicine

John Alverdy, MD, Professor of Surgery

Diabetes Clinic

David Ehrmann, MD, Professor of Medicine

Metabolic Bone Disease Clinic

Tamara Vokes, MD, Professor of Clinical Medicine

Enteral Access and Small Bowel Endoscopy

Carol Semrad, MD, Professor of Medicine

Edwin McDonald, MD, Assistant Professor of Medicine

Dejan Micic, MD, Assistant Professor of Medicine

Facilities:

All activities will be performed at the University of Chicago Medicine main campus location at address listed below. No off-site clinical or research activities are anticipated.

Educational Program

Training will consist of the following components:

Eight months of experience on the inpatient Adult GI/Nutrition Support Service. This is an established part of the training of all fellows in the Gastroenterology/Nutrition program, and the goals, objectives, and methods of evaluation are outlined in the attached documents.

2) Outpatient Nutrition Clinics:

The fellow will participate in outpatient clinics. In the clinic, the fellow will be directly supervised by a faculty member. The various clinics include malabsorption and home nutrition support clinic, obesity clinic, metabolic bone disease clinic, and diabetes clinic.

Clinical Research

Participation in ongoing clinical research projects.

4) Program Extension

The program allows extension to 2 years for those engaged in research.

Educational Program – Basic Curriculum

Proper nutrition is important in the prevention of disease and for recovery from medical and surgical illnesses. Education in clinical nutrition is poorly represented in medical school curriculum and residency training. This fellowship provides focused training in clinical nutrition and small bowel disease or research work in nutrition. Training in endoscopic Enteral Access and Small Bowel Endoscopy training will be given to fellows trained in Gastroenterology. It is meant to train physicians who wish to establish nutrition and small bowel disease programs.

Research Activities:

Weekly GI Clinical Conference

Monthly Nutrition Journal Club

Submit research abstract at the American Gastroenterological Association, American College of Gastroenterology, or the Association for Parenteral and Enteral Nutrition

Participate in preparation of manuscript for publication

Supervision and Evaluation:

The fellow’s training program will be supervised by Dr. Carol Semrad, who directs the Adult Clinical Nutrition and Small Bowel Disease Program and is a member of the Committee on Molecular Metabolism and Nutrition.

Each month, the Attending Physician will prepare a written evaluation of the applicants’ performance, discuss the evaluation with the fellow and forward it to Dr. Semrad. Dr. Semrad will meet with the fellow to discuss the evaluations.

At the end of the training period, the applicant will be eligible to sit for the National Board of Nutrition Support Certification.

Program Demographics:

University of Chicago Medicine

Section of Gastroenterology, Hepatology & Nutrition

5841 S. Maryland Avenue, MC 4080

Chicago, IL 60637

773 702-6921

773 702-5790

Website: https://medicine.uchicago.edu/gast/non_nutrition.html

Program Director:
Carol Semrad, M.D.
Professor of Medicine
Director, Adult Clinical Nutrition
csemrad@medicine.bsd.uchicago.edu
FAX: (773) 702-5790

*Application Deadline for 2025-2026 is December 15, 2024.

How to Apply:

Please complete the application form: FellowshipApplication_Nutrition 25-26 and send to:

Celina Canchola
Fellowship Coordinator
University of Chicago Medical Center
5841 S. Maryland Avenue, MC 4070
Chicago, IL 60637

ccanchola@medicine.bsd.uchicago.edu