Pediatric Gastroenterology Fellowship - Houston

The Pediatric Gastroenterology Fellowship was established in 1973 by Buford L. Nichols, M.D. The Baylor College of Medicine Division of Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition currently includes 32 faculty members and a support staff of 62.

The clinical training program is conducted under the auspices of Texas Children's Hospital and includes 26 clinical faculty members who perform more than 15,000 outpatient and more than 3,800 in-patient consultations annually. Research training draws on faculty from throughout the Texas Medical Center and benefits from abundant research resources of the center in general and of Baylor College of Medicine in particular. The division recruits four new fellows a year, for a total of 12 fellows in the program.

The goal of this training program is to educate pediatricians to become outstanding clinicians who can also compete at the cutting edge of research in academia. The program is designed around the guidelines developed by the North American Society for Pediatric Gastroenterology and Nutrition, and is intended to allow trainees to meet the requirements for certification by the Sub-Board for Pediatric Gastroenterology of the American Board of Pediatrics.

All entrants must have completed the equivalent of three years of ACGME-accredited residency training in pediatrics. The basic training program consists of 12 months of clinical training and 24 months of research training. This 36-month program provides the trainee with state-of-the-art knowledge and skills required for an academic career, which includes clinical service, teaching and research.

Second- and third-years primarily consist of research and participation in fellows’ continuity clinic and weekend coverage. The fellows participate in the teaching of medical students, residents and present at clinical case conferences. The program’s director of research helps the fellow to identify a clinical or basic science research project, which appeals to the specific interest of that individual and helps identify an appropriate mentor to guide the development, approval and execution of the scholarly activity.

During the first month of the second year, fellows are required to take the Fundamentals of Clinical Investigation course designed by the Clinical Scientist Training Program at BCM. The course provides lectures on appropriate research design, basics of biostatistics, ethical conduct of research and regulatory issues governing research.

In addition, the fellows participate actively in discussion of case reports, a lecture series by the faculty, lectures given by the fellows and a number of conferences throughout the three years of training.