Advanced ERCP/EUS Fellowship Program

Degree or Accreditation conferred upon completion: Advanced Endoscopy Fellow, University of Minnesota (University of Minnesota GME-approved program)

Number of fellows in program per year: One (1)

Prerequisites: Completion of a three-year Gastroenterology fellowship in the United States or the equivalent abroad.

Program Overview: Fellow will be brought in at the level of Instructor, at the University of Minnesota Medical Center.

Clinical Curriculum: The fellow will be expected to perform at least 700 procedures, including 350 ERCP and 350 EUS along with other advanced endoscopic procedures. In addition, Instructors will spend approximately one day/week in the performance of upper endoscopies and colonoscopies at the University of Minnesota-Fairview, where they will assist in the training of GI fellows and residents. Instructors will participate on the consult attending schedule in conjunction with the pancreas/biliary services at UMMC-Fairview.

Research Goals and Objectives: Fellow will participate in clinical research to include both a prospective research project and case studies, under the guidance of one of the faculty proctors. Fellow will be expected to submit at least one abstract for presentation for Digestive Disease Week, and submit a minimum of two papers for publications, to include at least one original report and/or a review article. The fellows will present cases at the weekly Pancreatobiliary working conference and at local conferences.

Program Rationale: The rationale for this fellowship is that advanced training beyond the three-year fellowship is necessary to achieve competence at advanced interventional endoscopic procedures, including ERCP and endoscopic ultrasound. This fourth year advanced tier training program will allow fellows to concentrate on a full year of ERCP and endoscopic ultrasound along with other advanced techniques such that at the end of that fourth year they should be competent to seek a junior faculty position or join a practice at an advanced level focused on these procedures. The research aspect of the year will allow development of clinical research skills in relation to advanced endoscopic procedures.