Fellows conferences are each Tuesday and Wednesday for one hour each. These conferences serve as the backbone of the fellow’s curriculum. The conferences are organ-based and cover every GI and liver organ system over the course of 1.5 years. Fellows present the majority of these conferences, as we believe this is the best way to learn. Attendings and invited experts in the field are also invited to speak. Fellows conferences are mandatory and both fellows and attendings are expected to attend. The material is in depth and up to date and geared towards preparing our fellows for the GI board exam upon graduation. We also review all GI society guidelines and integrate case conferences, journal club, research project discussions, and DDSEP board practice questions into our biweekly conferences.
Interdisciplinary conferences are an important part of our fellows curriculum as the management of GI and liver diseases involves a multi-disciplinary approach. These conferences include a GI pathology conference every 3 months with dedicated teaching from a GI pathologist; GI oncology conference every 3 months with participation from GI, medical oncology, radiation oncology, and surgery; and Hepatobiliary conference once a month with participation from advanced endoscopists, GI, medical oncology, and surgery. Conferences enhance fellows’ education as well as provide opportunities for collaborative research and work with other departments.