Teaching, research, and clinical activities in gastroenterology and gastrointestinal oncology at The University of Texas Houston Health Science Center (UTHHSC), The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center (UTMDACC), and their affiliated hospitals are coordinated through the Division of Gastroenterology, Hepatology, and Nutrition at The University of Texas Medical School at Houston. These affiliations provide the GI Fellow with exposure not only to a large and diverse patient population, but also to a faculty renowned in most areas of gastrointestinal, gastrointestinal oncology, and liver diseases.

The Combined Gastroenterology Fellowship Program at UTHHSC and UTMDACC is a three year clinical/research fellowship. Two or three first-year fellows are accepted to the program each year. Each fellow will have a basic core curriculum involving rotations at each of the affiliated facilities. In preparing the gastroenterologist for the next millennium, the training must move beyond that of simply providing a general Gastroenterology experience. Therefore, each fellow, in consultation with faculty members, will track into a sub-subspeciality which will provide them with specific expertise beyond that of a general gastroenterologist. The tracks available are: GI Oncology, Transplant Medicine, Therapeutic Endoscopy, Endoscopic Ultrasound, Outcomes Research/Epidemiology, GI Motility, Nutrition, and Basic Research. Each of these tracks will be individualized in consultation with faculty mentors.

While rotating on the GI consult services, Fellows will evaluate patients on Medicine, Surgery, Ob-Gyn and Neurology services. Rounds are made daily with the GI attending. On rounds, teaching objectives include formulating a differential diagnosis and evaluating possible diagnostic possibilities and therapeutic options. Attention is given to an understanding of the underlying physiology and pathophysiology. Procedures, when necessary and appropriate, are performed by the fellow under the supervision of the attending.

The clinical teaching is supplemented by conferences, including:

Sample Grand Rounds Topics

Memorial Hermann Hospital is the primary teaching facility for The University of Texas Medical School at Houston. Hermann is a 650-bed tertiary care facility and the receiving hospital for referral patients from throughout Southeast Texas and Western Louisiana. Hermann is nationally and internationally known for may of its programs, including a comprehensive gastroenterology service, progressive organ transplantation service, state of the art cardiology service, Memorial Hermann Children's Hospital, and the Turner Neonatal Intensive Care Unit. Hermann is one of two state designated Level I trauma centers in the region, and Hermann Life Flight was one of the first emergency medical air transport services in the nation. Approximately 41 percent of Hermann's 650 beds are dedicated to critical care.

Lyndon Baines Johnson General Hospital is a member of the Harris County Hospital district and is also one of the primary teaching facilities for The University of
Texas Medical School at Houston. Monthly rotations at LBJ provide the fellow with exposure to the diverse health care needs of a mostly under-insured patient
population. The diagnosis, treatment and follow-up care may be especially challenging. This rotation not only gives the fellow experience with many different disease
processes, it also enables them to use their problem-solving skills while working with the many financial, cultural, and social problems that this patient population may
offer.

MD Anderson Cancer Center, one of the most comprehensive cancer centers in the world, is a 518-bed specialty facility dedicated exclusively to the care and treatment of cancer patients. Gastroenterology fellows at UTMDACC have an opportunity to learn about both the presentation, diagnosis and treatment of gastrointestinal malignancies, and the GI complications associated with the spectrum of oncologic therapies. Fellows have rotations on the inpatient consult service and at the outpatient clinics.

The Digestive Disease Center at Memorial Hermann Hospital is designed to provide outpatient/ambulatory care to patients with various diseases and illnesses of the
gastrointestinal system. Emphasis is placed on the role of consultant in a managed care environment, diagnosis, treatment, treatment of outpatient GI problems, and
management of chronic GI conditions. In this technologically advanced facility, Gastroenterology Fellows have the opportunity to work with faculty members who are
leaders in the field of diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of gastrointestinal disease. The Digestive Disease Center is equipped to accommodate any and all gastrointestinal diagnostic procedures. Along with a specially trained support staff and faculty members, GI Fellows will obtain their knowledge and expertise in the performance of indicated procedures.

Helen K. Tanner
Fellowship Program Coordinator
The University of Texas - Houston Health Science Center
6431 Fannin, MSB 4.234
Houston, TX 77030
Phone (713) 500-6672
Fax (713) 500-6699
e-mail: Helen.Tanner@uth.tmc.edu

Gene LeSage, M.D.
Professor and Interim Director
of the Gasteroenterology Fellowship Program
Division of Gasteroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition
Department of Internal Medicine
The University of Texas Medical School at Houston
6431 Fannin, MSB 4.234
Houston TX 77030
Phone (713)-500-6677
FAX (713)-500-6699
e-mail: Gene.LeSage@uth.tmc.edu