Gastroenterology Fellowship

Overview

The Gastroenterology Fellowship Program at ETSU is a three-year clinical/research fellowship. Two first-year Fellows are accepted to the program each year. Each Fellow will have a basic core curriculum involving rotations at each of the affiliated facilities. In preparing the gastroenterologist for the next millennium, the training must move beyond that of simply providing a general Gastroenterology experience.

Fellows are expected to participate in clinical research, basic research, or other scholarly activities which include publication(s) in peer reviewed journals.  At the conclusion of the three-year fellowship training, the fellow will be a fully trained gastroenterologist who will be able to diagnose, treat, and manage all forms of gastrointestinal and liver disease.

Applications for fellows accepted through ERAS.
Contact Carla at (423) 439-8048 or email hillc@etsu.edu  

Why ETSU? GME Training Facilities Application Requirements

• Video Transcript: ETSU Quillen College of Medicine Gastroenterology Fellowship Program Director: Mark Young

  [Speaker: Dr. Mark young]
  Good day.

  My name is Dr. Mark young, and I'm chief of gastroenterology and program director for the Gastroenterology Fellowship Training program at ETSU Quillen College of Medicine.

  I'd like to describe our program and the opportunities it presents for our learners in the field of gastroenterology.

  ETSU Quillen College of Medicine and its residency programs were founded in 1974 with a mission to train primary care physicians.

  The gastroenterology training program dates back to the late 70s, with the institution of the program in 2010.

  We are located in Johnson City, Tennessee, in the Appalachian Mountains, in a town of approximately 75,000 people.

  Johnson City is well known for multiple outdoor activities, including hiking on the beautiful Appalachian Trail, fishing and boating, and multiple TVA created lakes and a large public access to golf courses, tennis courts, and pickleball.

  Our program is fully accredited by the ACGME.

  We presently have six gastroenterology fellows and accept two new trainees per year.

  Funding for our program is split equally between the Veterans Administration Medical Center and Ballad Health Care System.

  We are honored to care for those that served our country at the VA, at Mountain Home.

  Learners have the opportunity to develop a strong clinical base and an inpatient and outpatient consult service.

  Our particular VA has a very large inflammatory bowel disease population, and also high exposure to both acute and chronic liver disease and biliary malignancy.

  Our fellows are offered the opportunity to learn endoscopy, both in outpatient screening and also endoscopic interventions in emergencies.

  Johnson City Medical Center, Ballad Health is a community hospital with a very strong university affiliation and a broad referral base from Kentucky, Southwest Virginia, and outlying communities in Tennessee.

  The fellows learn endoscopy in both the outpatient setting and interventional endoscopy, involving control of gastrointestinal bleeding. Biliary decompression and foreign body removal.

  Outpatient clinics give exposure to a community gastroenterology practice.

  All of our fellows are involved in clinical research and quality improvement projects, and all are well-represented at our national meetings.

  We are fortunate to have an attending staff that enjoy clinical practice and teaching, and a very supportive department of internal medicine.

  Most of our graduates go into clinical practice and some have pursued interventional fellowships upon graduation.

  Our mission statement is clear in wanting to produce outstanding clinical gastroenterologists.

  They are lifelong learners that we hope will stay in the area and serve those in need in the Appalachian region.

  I feel Johnson City is one of the nicest places to live in the country.

  Based on the beauty of the area and the quality of the people that live here, I love Johnson City and I love ETSU.

  Both have helped me achieve all of my dreams and goals, and I'm sure it can for you.

  Thank you for taking the time to review this video and we're always happy to answer any questions.

  Have a good day!

  [Music]

• Video Transcript: ETSU Quillen College of Medicine Gastroenterology Fellowship Testimonial

  [Speaker: Dr Arwa Zakaria]
  Hello, my name is Dr Arwa Zakaria and I'm a current PGY six fellow in the Gastroenterology Fellowship here at East Tennessee State University I'd like to speak to you about our program.

  Our campus is nestled in the beautiful mountains of East Tennessee. We spend most of our training at the Johnson City Medical Center, which is a large tertiary referral center with approximately 455 beds.

  In addition to the Veterans Affairs Medical Center, where we can serve and learn from our veterans. We're exposed to a wide variety of pathology.

  With our bread and butter cases of managing cirrhosis, hepatitis, GI bleeders, variceal bleeds, food impaction in addition to IBD pathology.

  We also have early exposure to hands on endoscopy. From day one, of fellowship.

  Our program is a very close knit group consisting of a total of six fellows. Two fellows in each class.

  One of the many benefits of our program is the direct one on one relationship that you have with the attending.

  Whether it's on endoscopy, month in patient rounds or clinic months. The attending faculty really have our best interests at heart.

  Our program director is second to none.

  Dr. Young is extremely supportive of the fellows, and it is evident from day one. Learning happens both passively and actively.

  You're exposed to different teaching styles and techniques to use the endo suite. Rounds are a time for discussion and dialog.

  We have a strong GI presence at the VA medical center, with strong support and guidance from the chief gastroenterologists and staff, gastroenterologists.

  We have dedicated weekly didactics in addition to twice monthly hepatocellular carcinoma conferences,where we review imaging of our liver clinic patients and discuss treatment options with interventional radiology and radiation oncology colleagues.

  We work with the ETSU medical students and medicine residents to expose them to the world of gastroenterology.

  As I've mentioned earlier, from day one, you have hands on exposure to endoscopy. I'm well on my way to having at least 900 EGDs and 500 colonoscopy procedures, with a variety of interventions under my belt.

  We also have the opportunity to perform ERCP procedures with different interventions in addition to learning about EUS.

  This exposure helps guide the fellows into the practice they hope to see themselves in the future.

  There is a lot to be said about our program, but ultimately it is the people that make it such a great experience.

  From day one, you are family and even beyond the three years of fellowship training, the bond of family is forever.

  This program will help shape you into becoming a strong general gastroenterologist with very robust endoscopy skills.

  We are very proud of our program and love to showcase that to everyone.

  [Music]

Training

• Hospital environments at the Johnson City Medical Center and Mountain Home VA Medical Center
• Basic endoscopy procedures including EGD and Colonoscopy
• Therapeutic procedures like dilatation, variceal band ligation, hemoclip placement, etc.
• Emergent cases such as food impaction, hematemesis, etc.
• ERCP
• Gastroenterology and liver cases - consultation cases
• On call five days each month

Conferences

• Pathology Conference: Review of GI and liver pathology by members of the Department of Pathology at the Mountain Home VA Medical Center. The conference is conducted on a monthly basis.
• Radiology Conference: Interesting cases will be reviewed with members of the Department of Radiology at the Mountain Home VA Medical Center. The conference is conducted on a monthly basis.
• Journal Club: is conducted monthly. Current literature is reviewed and discussed.
• Case Conference: GI fellow present interesting GI cases that they are challenged with during their clinical rotation. This conference is conducted biweekly.