Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition
Curriculum

Curriculum

Our fellowship curriculum prepares fellows to pursue their career paths, whether in clinical or research fields, by emphasizing hands-on experience and increasing responsibility over the course of the three-year program.

In the clinical environment, fellows diagnose and manage a wide range of acute and chronic, major and minor conditions that characterize our specialty. In research, fellows explore their interests in first-year electives and then identify a basic research project that can serve as a stepping stone for career development. Along both sides of the program, faculty mentors guide fellows, giving them increasing responsibility as their skills advance.
In the first year, fellows immerse themselves in clinical pediatric gastroenterology, hepatology and nutrition, establishing a base for future learning. Fellows spend three separate months each on the gastroenterology inpatient (“lumen”) service, hepatology inpatient (“liver”) service, gastroenterology consult service and research / clinical electives. During this year, they also work with assigned faculty members, treating outpatients in the Pediatric Gastroenterology Center and learning endoscopic and other procedural skills in both inpatient and outpatient settings.
In the second and third years, fellows spend the major part of their efforts on hypothesis-driven investigation. Along with providing the basis for their academic careers, this work meets the requirements of the American Board of Pediatrics for certification in pediatric gastroenterology, hepatology and nutrition.

Each fellow works closely with a mentor or mentors to carry out his or her hypothesis-driven research project and to learn relevant academic skills, including time management, oral presentations, and manuscript and grant writing. Divisional conferences provide venues for presenting their latest research findings and their future directions. Research projects may involve basic science or clinical research, but they must pursue the rigorous testing of a hypothesis. Fellows may enroll in coursework at the University of Cincinnati that is relevant to their research project and career goals.

First-year fellows have a wide range of options for fulfilling their research elective requirements. The electives, each presented in four-week sessions, expose fellows to standards and practices of lab work, and give them hands-on experience working on basic science related to our areas of focus.

Research elective options include:

  • Several Basic Science Research Laboratories in Liver Disease, including Cholestatic Liver Disorders, Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease and Hepatic Malignancy
  • Several Basic Science Research Laboratories in Gastroenterology, including Inflammatory Bowel Disease, Diarrheal Disorders and Development of the Digestive System
  • Quality Improvement
  • Clinical Research in Numerous Areas of Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition, including Eosinophilic Disorders and Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease

Clinical electives for fellows range from two weeks to three months and give budding clinicians the opportunity to explore the broad range of specialties within gastroenterology, hepatology and nutrition. Second- and third-year fellows receive about half of their outpatient clinic experience attending and participating in clinics at Cincinnati Children’s satellite locations with a single faculty member for the entire year.

Clinical elective options include:

  • Advanced Endoscopy
  • Aerodigestive and Sleep Center
  • Clinical Obesity
  • Eosinophilic Disorders
  • GI Motility Disorders
  • Inflammatory Bowel Disease
  • Interdisciplinary Feeding team
  • Intestinal Failure
  • Liver Consultation Clinic
  • Longitudinal Elective: “Rural GI” in Portsmouth, OH
  • Nutrition
  • Pancreas
Along both sides of the program, faculty mentors guide fellows, giving them increasing responsibility as their skills advance.
  

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