Pediatric Gastroenterology
The goal of the Pediatric Gastroenterology fellowship training program at Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago and Northwestern University’s McGaw Medical Center is to provide trainees with the experiences necessary to become academic pediatric gastroenterologists or hepatologists. To do this, we focus on a comprehensive clinical, procedural, research and educational experience that will allow the trainee to develop the necessary skills to define career paths and goals and to become a leader in the field. This three-year fellowship is fully accredited through the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education and meets the training requirements of the American Board of Pediatrics for subspecialty certification in Pediatric Gastroenterology. We accept two fellows per year of training, and there is an additional opportunity at the completion of the three-year program for advanced training in transplant hepatology.
Education
The fellowship curriculum provides diverse educational experience, including core didactic teaching sessions, fellow-driven learning sessions and divisional conferences, which include journal club, clinical subject review, outcomes review and interdisciplinary conferences with pathology and radiology. Fellows are freed from clinical duties during these conference to enhance the educational experience. Divisional conferences are supplemented by a department-wide fellow’s college, which provides programs on quality improvement and career development, as well as an ethics curriculum. Additionally, fellows have the opportunity to pursue additional educational endeavors through Northwestern Memorial Hospital, Northwestern Feinberg School of Medicine and the Feinberg Academy of Medical Educators, including small-group teaching sessions, focused small-group lectures and certificate and degree programs (certificate in Medical Education, master of science degrees).
Diversity & Inclusion
Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine seeks to attract inquisitive, motivated fellows and is committed to providing them with every opportunity for success. We encourage a diverse and inclusive work environment that allows each trainee to achieve their personal goals.
For more information on Northwestern’s commitment to diversity, please see the McGaw Diversity & Inclusion page, the Northwestern McGaw Underrepresented Residents & Fellows Forum and Feinberg School of Medicine Office of Diversity and Inclusion.
Research
During the second and third years of fellowship, the emphasis of training transitions from clinical to research experiences. Significant research infrastructure and resources are available to support our fellows’ research, and there are opportunities for clinical, translational and basic science research within the division and through collaboration with colleagues at Northwestern. Goals are set for each stage of the fellow’s experience from identifying a research mentor and developing a research plan through submission of the manuscript. All fellows have a faculty research mentor who provides guidance in developing the design of the study, writing the proposal, overseeing the data collection and analysis and helping with the preparation of abstracts, posters, presentations and the final manuscript. During these research years, fellows are also mentored through a quality improvement project under the guidance of Lee Bass, MD. In this research-focused time, fellows have the opportunity to pursue advance degree programs, including master’s programs in clinical investigation, public health, health quality and patient safety and health services and outcomes research.
Clinical Experience
The fellowship training provides a broad exposure to prepare fellows for an academic career. Fellows acquire clinical proficiency in both inpatient and outpatient aspects of pediatric gastroenterology, hepatology and nutrition as well as proficiency in common procedures, including diagnostic and interventional upper endoscopy and colonoscopy and percutaneous liver biopsies. In addition to inpatient, consult and procedural rotations, fellows participate in a longitudinal continuity clinic and have opportunities to rotate through core subspecialty clinics. These include specialty clinics in hepatology, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, intestinal rehabilitation, inflammatory bowel diseases, motility, aerodigestive disorders, eosinophilic disease and feeding disorders. Many of the programs are regional referral centers for management of these complex diseases. There are currently 22 faculty within the division who have a broad variety of clinical interests and expertise, which further enriches the clinical experience.
Requirements & Eligibility
Fellowship applicants must have completed an ACGME-accredited pediatric residency program prior to the start of the fellowship training. Applicants must be board-certified by the American Board of Pediatrics or board-eligible to sit for the licensing exam during the first year of fellowship training,
Application Process
• Online application form
• Recent photograph
• Curriculum vitae (where applicable, please include education, post-graduate training, additional training, work experience, honors or awards, research experience, publications and presentations)
• Personal statement outlining your career goals in pediatric gastroenterology
• Three letters of recommendation (one from the pediatric department chair, residency program director or chief of staff from your residency training hospital; if letters are being submitted electronically, they should be sent in PDF format, signed electronically and sent directly from the author’s email address)
• USMLE scores for Steps 1, 2 and 3
• Medical school transcripts
• ECFMG (required for foreign medical graduates)
Advocacy
Discover the many ways our faculty are impacting children's health beyond the hospital.
Global Health
Each year, as many as 20 third-year pediatric residents travel to Bugando Medical Center in Mwanza, Tanzania, to participate in an educational initiative that provides exposure to the management of complex pediatric diseases in a low-resource setting. Learn more about this extraordinary opportunity.
Why Northwestern?
Housestaff training through McGaw Medical Center of Northwestern University provides diverse and challenging clinical experiences and world-class education located in the heart of the beautiful city of Chicago. Learn more via the links to the McGaw website below.
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Video Gallery
Meet Dr. Barry Wershil, Head of Gastroenterology, Hepatology & Nutrition at Lurie Children's
Dr. Barry Wershil is a pediatric gastroenterologist and Head of the Division of Gastroenterology, Hepatology & Nutrition (Digestive Disorders) at Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago. His special interests include Eosinophilic esophagitis and inflammatory bowel disease.
All for Zariah
Zariah’s lifesaving triple-organ transplant led to a life-long friendship.
Meet Dr. Lee Bass, Pediatric Gastroenterologist at Lurie Children's
Dr. Lee Bass is a pediatric specialist in the Division of Gastroenterology, Hepatology & Nutrition and the Director of Endoscopy at Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago. His special interests include: gastroesophageal reflux, cholestatic liver disease, primary sclerosing cholangitis with inflammatory bowel disease, autoimmune liver disease and liver transplantation.
Meet John E. Fortunato, Jr, MD, Director of Neurointestinal & Motility Program at Lurie Children’s
Dr. John E. Fortunato, Jr is the Director of Neurointestinal & Motility Program at Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago. His clinical interests include, neurogastroenterology and motility disorders.
Meet Dr. Estella Alonso, Medical Director, Liver Transplant Program at Lurie Children's
Dr. Estella Alonso is the Medical Director of the Liver Transplant Program at Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children's Hospital of Chicago. Her special interests include: Liver transplantation, liver disease, fulminant hepatitic failure, neonatal cholestasis, outcomes research.
The Aerodigestive Program at Lurie Children's
The Aerodigestive Program at Lurie Children’s serves children with complex airway disorders, requiring pulmonary, upper digestive tract, sleep, voice, and swallowing evaluations. Building on the tradition of innovation and invention pioneered by four generations of airway surgeons, the Aerodigestive Program has grown out of the hospital’s historic airway experience, most recently from Lauren Holinger, MD. The program focuses on the needs of the family, by providing coordinated, safe, and compassionate care. As leaders in pediatric aerodigestive healthcare, we aim to serve local, national and international populations with an emphasis on personalized care.
Fellowship Life
Contact Us
Jennifer Strople, MD
Program Director, Pediatric Gastroenterology Fellowship
Gastroenterology, Hepatology, and Nutrition
Maria E. Perez, DO
Associate Program Director, Pediatric Gastroenterology Fellowship
Gastroenterology, Hepatology, and Nutrition
Iveanna Albarez
Medical Education Coordinator, Pediatric Gastroenterology Fellowship
Gastroenterology, Hepatology, and Nutrition
312-227-4577
More Information
Further program details, including the housestaff manual and a sample training contract, are available on the McGaw Medical Center of Northwestern University site.
Physician-Scientist Training & Resources
We offer a wide range of resources, mentorship opportunities and formal training programs to help our residents and fellows excel as physician-scientists. Explore all of the resources and hear from housestaff who are making research a major part of their career development plans.