Gastroenterology Fellowship

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Thank you for considering the UPMC Children’s Hospital Pediatric Gastroenterology Fellowship Program.

The mission of our fellowship program is to educate, support, and facilitate our diverse fellows’ pursuit of their passions in pediatric gastroenterology, hepatology, and nutrition.

Our Divisions’ team of over 15 gastroenterologists (including pancreatologists and hepatologists), psychologist, dietician, and PhD research faculty are committed to clinical care, research and education. Additionally, US News & World Report has consistently ranked our division among the top 10 in the country.

Our 3 year ACGME-accredited program provides comprehensive training for future leaders in our field. Educational opportunities are accordingly tailored to suit the interests of each fellow. We accept two fellows per year, with the option to apply for a transplant hepatology fellowship after pediatric gastroenterology fellowship completion.

The first year of fellowship is devoted to clinical training. Each fellow will have extensive experience in the diagnosis and management of both inpatient and outpatient pediatric gastrointestinal and liver disorders. We also provide complete training in procedures, including diagnostic and therapeutic endoscopy. In addition to these opportunities, experience in the care of liver and small bowel transplant patients will be provided. Along with informal bedside teaching, formal didactic sessions covering a variety of topics provide our fellows with a broad knowledge base in pediatric gastroenterology. Additional conferences attended by faculty and fellows include a Division Conference, a Pathology Conference, a Radiology Conference and a Journal Club.

During the second and third years, our fellows have ample opportunity to conduct scholarly work under the guidance of faculty in the Division of Pediatric Gastroenterology or appropriate faculty in the School of Medicine, including members of the adult Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology. To provide a full and productive research experience, the clinical responsibilities of the second and third year fellows is minimal, primarily one half-day of outpatient clinic a week.

Overall, the combination of immense opportunities with extensive mentorship gives our program a flavor similar to the city of Pittsburgh – a big city with a small town feel.

Program Highlights

• Expert Faculty: Our division is comprised of world-renowned faculty in namely Inflammatory Bowel Disease, Hepatology, Intestinal Failure, Pancreatic Disorders. All our faculty are easily accessible to fellows and are extensively involved in fellow training and mentoring. Further, we have recently augmented our division faculty expertise with a Motility specialist.
• Research Opportunities: Our program offers Clinical, Translational, Basic Science, and Quality Improvement research opportunities in all fields of gastroenterology through our faculty expertise, the infrastructure of the University of Pittsburgh (ranked among the top five universities nationwide in total NIH funding) and University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. Fellows additionally have opportunities to enhance their research skills through the Clinical Translational Science Institute and its integral component, the Institute for Clinical Research Education – which research services (individual guidance on projects/grants), courses, and funding opportunities.
• Clinical Variety: Our fellows care for a variety of gastrointestinal conditions – ranging from common to complex with no exceptions. This care is afforded by UPMC Children’s provided virtually all of the tertiary care within a 100-mile radius.
• Mentoring: Fellows in the program receive formal mentorship. From a career standpoint, fellows work closely with Dr. Sandra Kim (nationally recognized for her mentorship skills) and I to foster their career development, and facilitate faculty networking locally, regionally, and nationally. These mentorship meetings occur several times per year, and cover clinical, research, career, and wellness standpoints. Further, to facilitate their scholarly project development, fellows have the opportunity to work with research mentors within and outside the division to pursue their scholarly work during the latter years of fellowship.
• Leadership Opportunities: Fellows have numerous leadership opportunities within our division, department, and nationally. Third year fellows hone their leadership skills through their roles as Chief Fellows within our division. Further, our fellows have the opportunity to participate in the UPMC Children’s Fellows Council and act as liaisons to program leadership. Locally, our fellows have the opportunities to participate and advocate in several UPMC Graduate Medical Education Committees. From a national standpoint, thanks namely to incredible faculty mentorship and networking capabilities, fellows have opportunities to get involved in national organization committees.
• Innovative Education: Led by our unique and effective flipped classroom board review series, our educational opportunities are several-fold and constantly evolving based on fellow and faculty feedback. In addition to collaborative sessions across divisions and departments, we have curricula in: Quality Improvement, Hepatology, Intestinal Care, Nutrition, and Evidence-Based Medicine.
• Career Development: Through our extensive mentorship, the Department of Pediatrics Unified Fellows Course (a year long curriculum designed to facilitate career development), and the course/degree/research opportunities offered by the Clinical Translational Science Institute, our fellowship provides outstanding career development.
• Strong Partnerships: Clinical, research, and educational collaboration across divisions (including General Surgery) and with our expert adult colleagues, facilitates a wealth of fellow training in collaborative and transitional care.

We invite you to learn more about our program, and hope you will consider applying to become a part of our incredible team!

Arvind Srinath, MD, MS
Associate Professor of Pediatrics
Associate Vice Chair for Education for Fellowship Training
Pediatric Gastroenterology Fellowship Director

UPMC Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh
4401 Penn Avenue
Pittsburgh, PA 15224
P: 412-692-5180 F: 412-692-7355
Arvind.Srinath@chp.edu