The gastroenterology fellowship program at Washington University School of Medicine is a two-track program designed to comprehensively train gastroenterologists in clinical and investigative skills, putting them in best position for career opportunities that match their interests.

The program is continually modified to meet the expectations of our trainees and faculty. The administration is open to and available for evaluation from the trainees, and depends on this information to fulfill the objectives of the program.

We seek to train the future leaders in academic gastroenterology. To this end, the primary objective of our fellowship program remains one of producing outstanding academicians and clinicians with unparalleled skills in gastroenterology.

Since 2004, 75 percent of our past graduates are currently making contributions to academic gastroenterology as basic scientists, clinical investigators or educators. As the division continues to grow and broaden, the fellowship program’s dedication to academic medicine will continue.

Training at Washington University Medical Campus

Washington University Medical Campus is one of the nation’s largest clinical and biomedical research facilities. The campus includes more than 60 buildings on nearly 230 acres and is located on the eastern edge of Forest Park, the second-largest city park in the country.

In addition to the School of Medicine, the medical campus includes Barnes-Jewish HospitalSt. Louis Children’s Hospital and the Alvin J. Siteman Cancer Center at Barnes-Jewish Hospital and Washington University School of Medicine.

Barnes-Jewish and Children’s hospitals are members of BJC HealthCare, the largest academically linked health system in the country.

Consistently rated by U.S. News & World Report, Barnes-Jewish Hospital has a premier reputation in patient care, medical education, research and community service. With 1,442 beds, it is the largest hospital in the St. Louis area.

St. Louis Children’s Hospital consistently is ranked as one of the nation’s best in pediatric care. It offers a complete range of services for children and their families, including newborn medicine and the world’s largest pediatric lung transplant program.

Clinical environment

Washington University offers tremendous clinical resources and a unique training environment. In the first year, fellows serve primarily as consultants at Barnes-Jewish Hospital and the Veterans Administration Medical Center (VAMC), the two major hospitals associated with the Department of Medicine. The VAMC, located within two miles of the Medical Campus, has more than 600 beds and serves as a regional referral center for other VA hospitals.

These full-service, modern, and prominent hospitals provide ample opportunity for exposing the trainee to a wide range of diseases and interacting with other clinical departments. Additionally, a very active liver transplantation service is based at Barnes-Jewish Hospital. Although fellows do not rotate through St. Louis Children’s Hospital, interactions between the pediatric and adult gastroenterology divisions are numerous in both the clinical and research arenas.

Each hospital contains modern endoscopy facilities, fully equipped with cutting-edge technology for optimal patient care. About 10,000 gastrointestinal procedures are performed annually at the endoscopic facilities of Barnes-Jewish Hospital alone.

Other important features:

  • Completed in 1989, the Bernard Becker Medical Library houses an outstanding collection of journals and books, the media-computer center and a health information network. An extensive computer network links the Medical Campus’s clinical sites with the library to facilitate information retrieval for the busy clinical fellow.
  • The Medical Center’s Mallinckrodt Institute of Radiology is an internationally recognized center of excellence, equipped with leading-edge technology.
  • Other clinical departments in the School of Medicine also have achieved high standards of clinical excellence.
Research environment

The facilities and resources for research training at Washington University are virtually unparalleled. This is truly an exceptional training environment for gastroenterology fellows.

The Medical School conducts internationally renowned research in neuroscience, diabetes, diagnostic imaging, cardiovascular diseases, genetics, immunology and many other areas.

Nineteen Nobel laureates have been associated with the School, 14 faculty members belong to the National Academy of Sciences’ Institute of Medicine, and 22 have been elected to the National Academy of Medicine.

The Medical Campus provides a multitude of basic and clinical research opportunities. Research facilities are adjacent to Barnes-Jewish and St. Louis Children’s hospitals. Basic research fellows are encouraged to look within and outside the division for laboratory training. Clinical fellows also have many options for mentors from within and outside the division.

Research within the Division of Gastroenterology

Research interests in the division are varied.

Although each faculty member pursues his or her own projects, several topics are explored collaboratively through both laboratory and clinical research:

  • Inflammatory bowel disease
  • Related areas of gut immunity
  • Regulation of intestinal and colonic growth
  • Nutrition
  • Brain-gut interactions
  • Neurogastroenterology and motility

Additionally, the division has a strong focus on molecular regulation of intestinal gene expression, especially with regard to mechanisms of lipid and carbohydrate transport.