Advancing gastroenterology care

The Gastroenterology Fellowship is a 3-year program with a multitude of opportunities to develop clinical skills with regard to the latest diagnostic and management approaches to gastroenterological and hepatic disorders. The program’s urban location and the culturally diverse population served by Maimonides Health weaves together a broad array of clinical presentations, complex diagnoses, and healthcare delivery challenges. Our program attracts socially conscious trainees, committed to providing empathic, person-centered care. Our fellows share our mission to advance gastroenterology care, by working on initiatives to improve the patient experience, participating in clinical research, resolving quality improvement and safety issues, or engaging future generations by teaching.

The fellowship program is led by Division Director Aaron Tokayer, MD (neurogastroenterology and GI motility), and Fellowship Program Director Yuriy Tsirlin, MD (Small bowel capsule endoscopy and deep enteroscopy).

Fellowship curriculum overview

The fellowship consists of rotations arranged in blocks that will typically last 2 to 3 months, conducted over a three-year period. The first year consists of clinical rotations on the inpatient service, subspecialty rotations, and dedicated endoscopy time. With each subsequent year of training, more months are dedicated to subspecialty rotations, endoscopy and electives designed around each fellow’s particular interests. There is flexibility to tailor a curriculum that meets each fellow’s specific educational goals, whether they be in general gastroenterology, GI motility, Inflammatory bowel disease, Liver disease, or therapeutic endoscopy. A large volume of patients with liver and pancreaticobiliary disease exposes our fellows to a wide array of diagnostic and therapeutic endoscopy procedures and the opportunity to participate in multidisciplinary care at its best. In addition, each fellow is required to attend a continuity clinic, precepted by a faculty member, throughout their three years of training.

Weekly conferences include GI Grand Rounds, GI Journal Club, Morbidity & Mortality Conference, GI Fellows’ Didactics, biweekly Hepatology conference and monthly Radiology and Pathology conferences. Other conferences that GI Fellows may attend are the multi-disciplinary GI Tumor Board and Hepatobiliary Tumor Board.

Fellowship research opportunities

Fellows are expected to participate in research and/or quality improvement projects during their fellowship training. Training in research activities and resources exist within the Department of Medicine and the MMC Office of Academic Affairs to support these activities. The projects are supervised by members of the GI Faculty or faculty in other divisions or departments.

How to apply

Our program strives to provide the best educational experience in an environment that assures a balance between academic and clinical activities. We take great pride in our success in preparing residents to become the next generation of expert practitioners. Interested applicants should apply through ERAS. For more information, contact Siu Pik Lau, Academic Coordinator, at (718) 283-5910.