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Rady Children's Specialists

Fellowships

General Fellowship

The UC San Diego Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology, and Nutrition Fellowship at Rady Children’s Hospital-San Diego seeks to train residents to become tomorrow’s leaders in the field of pediatric gastroenterology, hepatology and nutrition as clinicians, scientists, advocates and leaders.

Our three-year ACGME-accredited program combines both clinical and research training, and we accept up to two fellows each academic year. We approach training with an emphasis on excellence in patient care, critical thinking and medical decision-making, advanced technical procedural skills, professional development and lifelong learning.

Our fellows participate in a variety of programs for continued intellectual growth. Multiple didactic and educational opportunities are incorporated into the curriculum to enhance fellow development and training. We have a strong track record in graduating academic pediatric gastroenterologists with the skills necessary to contribute to the field in the areas of basic scientific and/or clinical research, clinical care and education.

Our clinical programs provide exposure to a diverse patient population from not only the local San Diego region but also from other nations (Mexico, the Pacific Rim countries, and Arab countries). We are the ONLY pediatric gastroenterology referral center in the greater San Diego area. Our 14 faculty and three clinician extenders provide care to 12,000 outpatients and 4,500 inpatients each year, performing a total of 2,500 procedures a year.

The Division also leads and participates in dedicated subspecialty care centers, including the Celiac Disease Clinic, Weight and Wellness Center, Cystic Fibrosis/Gastroenterology Clinic, and Eosinophilic Gastrointestinal Disorders Clinic. Our faculty head research programs in the areas of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, eosinophilic esophagitis, inflammatory bowel disease, mucosal immunology, celiac disease, human milk oligosaccharides, weight management and obesity prevention, stem cell biology, and intestinal failure; seven division faculty members have active grant support from the National Institutes of Health.

During the first year, fellows gain an in-depth clinical experience in gastroenterology, hepatology and nutrition. Subspecialty residents spend their time providing clinical consultations in the outpatient and inpatient arenas, directly providing and supervising GI patient care in the inpatient setting, and performing endoscopic and other gastrointestinal procedures. Clinical experience is supplemented by didactic and participatory learning at scheduled pediatric GI conferences and lectures, as well as at general pediatric and adult GI conferences.

Years two and three provide time for focused development of research interests. A research agenda is developed by the fellow with the aid of the designated research mentor. The fellow attends journal clubs, lab meetings, research symposia and curriculum under the direction of the mentor. Research salary is funded via a T-32 training grant. Depending on the interest of the fellow, elective time may also be scheduled during the second or third year for clinical rotations in adult GI, radiology, pathology, pediatric surgery or liver transplantation.

Application Procedure

We participate in the pediatric gastroenterology fellowship match administered through the NRMP, and accept the common ERAS application. We follow the Fall match schedule.

Select interview candidates for the fellowship positions are invited to visit us here in San Diego for a site visit after review of completed fellowship applications (typically in June/July with interviews in September through October).

For all questions regarding our fellowship program or the application process, please contact our fellowship program coordinator Eduardo Chavez at 858-966-8509 or echavez4@rchsd.org.