Gastroenterology and Hepatology Fellowship

Education and research

The three-year Gastroenterology Fellowship Program at Virginia Commonwealth University is designed to provide the best training in the subspecialty of gastroenterology. The fellowship program, started under the direction of Arun J. Sanyal, M.D., allows its participants hands-on preparation for proficiency in invasive and non-invasive gastroenterology procedures. For more detailed information about the program, visit the Gastroenterology Fellowship Program Web site.

Clinical training

Residents and fourth-year medical students are encouraged to spend a month in either general gastroenterology or the hepatology consult service or both, during which time they can assist in the outpatient evaluation and treatment of patients with acute or chronic GI or liver diseases, assist in management of hospitalized patients with complicated GI or liver disorders, and care for patients awaiting and following hepatic transplantation or patients with complex biliary or nutritional problems. Residents are encouraged to participate in the weekly conferences, the weekly liver transplant committee meetings and the biweekly viral hepatitis study group luncheons.

For those interested in research, the division has a long-standing training pathway, funded by the National Institutes of Health, for a career in research-oriented academic gastroenterology and hepatology.

Research

Research projects under way in the division include, among others:

basic and clinical studies on the effects of bile salts on membrane lipids,
effects of bile acids on calcium and iron absorption,
effects of gastroinestinal peptides on smooth muscle contraction,
mechanism of mucin production and its role in the pathogenesis of gallstones,
mechanisms of regulation of gastric acid secretion,
pathogenesis of cholesterol and calcium bilirubinate stones,
regulation of cholesterol and bile acid synthesis,
studies of hepatic and lipoprotien cholesterol and phospholipid metabolism,
studies of the natural history of pancreatitis and biliary tract diseases and
trials of the effects of ursodeoxycholic acid on primary biliary cirrhosis and sclerosing cholangitis.

Fellowship contact information

Program director

R. Todd Stravitz, M.D.
Phone: (804) 828-4060
E-mail: rstravit@vcu.edu

Program coordinator

Amy Jones
P.O. Box 980341
Richmond, Virginia 23298-0341
Phone: (804) 828-4060
E-mail: ajones@vcu.edu

Application

For the application and deadline information, visit the Fellowship Program’s Web page.

Faculty

For more information about the faculty involved in this fellowship program, visit the Division’s Web site.