Message from the Program Director

The Dr. Henry D. Janowitz Division of Gastroenterology administers a premier training program that is committed to excellence in patient care and safety, education, and research. The training of fellows is central to all activities of the Division. The overarching goal of the training program is to equip our trainees with the skills, knowledge and motivation to become future leaders in academic gastroenterology. Toward this end, the program is designed to expose fellows to training environments in the inpatient and outpatient settings that deal not only with general digestive disorders, but also with subspecialty areas of gastroenterology. Subspecialty services include inflammatory bowel disease, hepatology, GI motility and nutrition, hereditary GI cancers, and pancreaticobiliary diseases, where the fellow is supervised and trained by expert faculty in each field. With each year of training, there is graduated responsibility designed to prepare the fellow to function independently as a faculty member upon graduation.

The fellow is exposed to patient populations that are extremely diverse with respect to age, gender, ethnicity, socioeconomic status, language, and country of origin. The training program is based at The Mount Sinai Hospital which exposes fellows to patients in our local East Harlem community, as well as those from the greater New York City metropolitan area and beyond. The broad base of referrals to The Mount Sinai Hospital provides fellows with experience in rare digestive disorders. Fellows rotate at the James J. Peters Veterans Administration Hospital where they manage digestive disorders in this important patient population. Interested fellows may choose to do electives at one of the affiliate campuses in the Mount Sinai Health System.

The first year of training, and half of the second year, is devoted to clinical care with a focus on developing comprehensive differential diagnoses and clinical decision making to develop a management plan based on current guidelines and practice. Fellows are closely supervised in the performance of endoscopic procedures and in the ambulatory clinic setting. Each fellow attends a weekly half-day GI Continuity Clinic at The Mount Sinai Hospital where they develop a stable panel of patients who they follow while in training. In all aspects of clinical care, emphasis is placed on patient safety and quality assurance/improvement.

In order to develop the academic skills necessary for a successful career in medical inquiry, half of the 36-month fellowship is devoted to closely mentoring each fellow in scholarly pursuits. Scholarship can take the form of research (basic, translational or clinical), quality improvement/patient safety, or medical education. With direction from Program leadership, fellows in their first year choose a faculty mentor and develop an individualized development plan for their scholarly activity which they follow and update as they progress through their training Fellows are expected to present their work at local, regional and national meetings, and to publish their findings in high quality peer-reviewed journals. Fellows will have an opportunity to pursue additional training in research through a T32 training program entitled, “Training in Investigative Gastroenterology and Hepatology”. Fellows can apply for the T32 program during their 2nd/3rd year.

A very strong emphasis is placed on teaching at all levels. Fellows are expected to participate in the education of house staff and students, and play an integral role in all conferences.