Second- and Third-Year Program for GI Fellows
In the second and third years, fellows in the Division of Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition at Cincinnati Childen's Hospital Medical Center spend the major part of their effort on hypothesis-driven investigation that will provide the basis for their academic careers as well as meeting requirements of the American Board of Pediatrics for certification in pediatric gastroenterology, hepatology and nutrition.
Pursuing a Research Project
Each GI fellow works closely with a mentor or mentors to carry out a 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. Many GI fellows who are pursing clinical research enroll in master's degree programs in epidemiology and biostatistics, molecular epidemiology, public health, adult education, or other disciplines, for formal training in methods relevant to clinical research.
Continued Development of Clinical Skills
During the second and third years, clinical responsibilities are limited so that research can be the primary focus. Upper level fellows hone their clinical skills in a variety of settings.
Fellows spend one-half day per week in the care of outpatients, with various faculty members in their clinics at the base Pediatric Gastroenterology Center, and with a single faculty member each year in their bimonthly or monthly clinics at off-campus sites in the region. Fellows gain progressive responsibility in managing their own panel of patients in this year-long continuity experience. Fellows also continue to develop their endoscopy skills, particular on patients that they see in the outpatient clinics. They also rotate through an endoscopy elective with the UC GI service to gain advanced skills in colonoscopy and therapeutic endoscopy. The clinical experience is rounded out with a limited amount of weekend call and opportunities for clinical electives.
Teaching Opportunities
Teaching is an important skill for academic pediatric gastroenterologists. Upper level fellows continue to have opportunities to gain teaching experience through formal and informal teaching of residents and medical students and presentations at various conferences.
Monitoring of Academic Progress
All pediatric gastroenterology fellows are required to form an individual Scholarship Oversight Committee (SOC) from among relevant faculty members in and out of the division in order to meet the requirements of the American Board of Pediatrics.
The purview of each SOC includes:
- Close monitoring of academic progress
- Providing career guidance
- Certifying the trainee to sit for the pediatric gastroenterology board examination
Fellows meet formally with their committee at approximately six-month intervals. These committee meetings are run much like a PhD thesis committee, with a mixture of thoughtful probing by the faculty to determine the progress of the trainee and suggestions by the faculty to ensure proper guidance. In addition to presentations to their SOC, fellows present their research at divisional conferences and in institutional venues such as Fellows' Grand Rounds.
Scientific and Clinical Meetings
Fellows are provided a budget for academic needs, including attending and participating in national meetings. Fellows are encouraged to submit abstracts and prepare poster or platform presentations of their work in these venues. Practice sessions are scheduled in advance of major national meetings to allow clinical and research fellows and faculty members who are giving presentations to practice and receive feedback from division members.
NIH Training Grant
Most second- and third-year fellows are supported by our National Institutes of Health training grant (T32 DK 007727). The primary objective of the program is to give intensive, mentored research training to pediatricians with clinical training in gastroenterology and nutrition that is essential to prepare clinician-scientists for productive and independent careers in academic and investigative medicine.
The entire training grant faculty remains thematically related in the broad research categories of Immunobiology of the Digestive Organs, Absorption and Secretion and Development of the Digestive Organs, and / or Clinical Research.
