Gastroenterology
A World-Class Education. A Singular Opportunity.
Norwalk Hospital’s Gastroenterology Fellowship is designed for physicians interested in a high-quality, clinically focused training program in Gastroenterology and Hepatology, delivered in a broad-based, academic setting. In fact, the combination of our expert staff, history of clinical excellence and Yale affiliation make our program a world-class educational and career opportunity, one exclusive to gastroenterology fellows at Norwalk Hospital.
All fellows receive intensive training in research methods, techniques and ethics during the course of their fellowship. Presentation of research findings at national meetings and publication in peer-reviewed journals are requirements for a successful completion of the Gastroenterology Fellowship.
Overview
Norwalk Hospital-Yale Affiliation
Our Gastroenterology Fellowship is a Yale University School of Medicine level II affiliated, three-year program leading to ABIM certification in Gastroenterology. Training occurs primarily at Norwalk Hospital, a progressive, 300-bed community hospital academically affiliated with Yale University School of Medicine. First- and second-year fellows spend a total of six months on the Klatskin liver service, the inpatient hepatology consultation rotation and the liver transplant service at Yale-New Haven Hospital, the primary teaching hospital of Yale. Norwalk Hospital fellows also participate in clinical and research conferences at Yale.
Clinical Training
The Norwalk Hospital Digestive Disease Center has a long history of clinical excellence and has sponsored a fellowship program for more than 30 years. Fellows receive training in all aspects of diagnostic and therapeutic upper endoscopy, colonoscopy, ERCP and EUS as well as double balloon enteroscopy, enteral stent placement and tissue ablation techniques in a state-of-the-art endoscopy unit where 11,000 procedures are performed annually. In addition, fellows receive intensive training in the management of digestive diseases in both the inpatient and ambulatory settings. A full schedule of conferences provides each fellow with a strong background in nutritional support, pathology and the interpretation of radiology imaging studies.
The training program at Norwalk Hospital is coordinated by six key clinical faculty members, all with extensive experience in the teaching of gastroenterology fellows. Daily didactic, topic-based teaching rounds are supplemented by an intensive conference schedule. Fellows also participate in the weekly GI conference at Yale featuring case presentations and clinical reviews.
Research
By integrating our comprehensive training experience with opportunities to engage in clinically oriented research, our fellows are prepared to combine excellent patient care with clinical investigation. All fellows participate in research studies involving general gastroenterology and hepatology, cancer screening and outcomes-based studies in quality improvement.
Current areas of interest include an analysis of the effect of anesthesia choice on adenoma detection rate, participation in a multicenter study of differing EUS-FNA needles, a pilot study on the use of EUS-FNA for routine liver biopsy, an evaluation of vaccination practices in patients receiving steroids and immunosuppressive medications, and a correlation of adequacy of pathology specimens with the number of passes during the EUS-FNA.