Launched in 1981, our sought-after fellowship training program continuously supports six fellows. Two positions are offered per academic year and candidates are selected through the National Residency Matching Program (NRMP).

We strive for collegiality in a friendly and intellectually curious atmosphere. Our program is designed to prepare fellows for an academic career. It's our philosophy that investigative and clinical skills acquired during training should distinguish the fellow for an academic faculty position, be it as a basic scientist, clinical investigator, or educator. We expect our graduates to be outstanding in clinical competence, highly competitive for research funding, and to excel as educators. 

Fellowship training in Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology, and Nutrition at Monroe Carell Jr. Children's Hospital at Vanderbilt provides an excellent opportunity for a broad-based, comprehensive clinical and research experience. This is based on exposure to a large tertiary/quaternary practice as well as the rich research environment that exists at Vanderbilt University.

In addition to a very rich longitudinal outpatient clinical experience, our three-year training is designed such that fellows are expected to spend approximately one-third of the three-year training program in inpatient clinical training – the bulk being in the first year – and two-thirds in research. Opportunities exist for extending training for additional research or clinical experience. Many of our fellows have also taken advantage of the MPH advanced degree program offered during fellowship. The fellowship program is supported by an NIH T32 training grant held jointly with Adult Gastroenterology.

The research setting in both our program and at Vanderbilt University Medical Center is rich and varied, as well as recognized internationally as a hub for state-of-the-art clinical, translational, and basic research. Our fellows have access to many experienced senior mentors in various disciplines and departments. Several of our trainees have received young investigator awards from national specialty societies, such as the North American Society of Pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition (NASPGHAN), and many have obtained supplemental funding from the Vanderbilt NIH-funded Digestive Disease Center and Clinical and the NIH-funded Clinical Translational Science Awards (CTSA) Program.

Our outpatient service sees over 20,000 patient visits per year, and our inpatient service cares for over 750 admissions per year with an average daily census of 10 patients.

The outpatient clinical experience is such that our trainees have the robust longitudinal experience across the three years of training in outpatient general gastroenterology and hepatology necessary to prepare for clinical practice through their continuity clinics, as well as through routine involvement in various multidisciplinary clinical programs throughout their training. This is combined with a rich experience in endoscopy and other procedural testing, including acquiring basic motility testing skills (e.g., ARM, esophageal motility, etc.), as well as exposure to more complex motility testing, and other non-invasive testing experiences.

The inpatient clinical experience runs the spectrum of complexity and includes care of patients with IBD and post-liver transplant care, as well as broad consult experience.

We invite you to learn more about our fellowship through the additional information on this site. Please do not hesitate to contact us if we can provide additional information.

Sincerely,

Michael R. Dole, MD
Fellowship Director
Assistant Professor of Pediatrics

Sarah J. Kemme, MD, MSCS
Associate Fellowship Director
Assistant Professor of Pediatrics

Anita K. Pai, MD
Associate Fellowship Director
Assistant Professor of Pediatrics