Fellows actively participate in outpatient surgical clinics, always under the supervision of an attending surgeon who retains responsibility for the patient’s evaluation and ongoing care.

• General Surgery Clinic: University of Illinois Hospital.
• Bariatric Surgery Clinic: University of Illinois Hospital.

Fellows rotate call duties and provide primary care for emergency cases under the supervision of attending staff, either by phone or in person. The surgical service is on call approximately 7 days per month covering all emergency cases. The on-call shift lasts 24 hours.

The fellow will learn how to safely carry out advanced GI surgical operations by first assisting, and then as the primary surgeon being assisted by the faculties. The fellow will be taught the fundamentals of flexible endoscopy. The fellow will also learn how to design and implement new curricula for teaching advanced GI surgery, as well as how to test for and assess competency of learning new technical skills.

The University of Illinois at Chicago offers robust research infrastructure, including a dedicated Minimally Invasive and Robotic Surgery Lab for fellows, residents, and students.

• Fellows are encouraged to participate in ongoing projects.
• Each fellow typically completes at least five research projects over two years.
• Abstracts are frequently presented at local, national, and international meetings.
• On average, 8–10 papers and abstracts are published annually by division faculty and fellows.

Teaching Responsibilities of the Fellow

One of the core goals of this fellowship is to develop the ability to teach surgical techniques effectively. Fellows will:

• Instruct residents and medical students in the OR, clinics, and surgical labs.
• Present formal lectures on advanced GI topics.
• Lead monthly basic surgical skills labs for residents.
• Participate in all departmental didactic activities.

Educational Activities Include

• Bi-monthly Morbidity & Mortality Conferences
• Research meetings
• Conjoint GI-Surgery conferences
• Monthly Radiology Rounds

Meetings and Conferences

Each fellow receives support to attend two major surgical symposia per year. Additional opportunities for local and regional meetings are available. Fellows are encouraged to submit research for presentation, and the department provides time and funding to attend conferences when abstracts are accepted.

Fellows are evaluated semi-annually by the Program Director and Co-Director using detailed criteria across all six core competencies:

1. Patient care
2. Medical knowledge
3. Interpersonal and communication skills
4. Practice-based learning and improvement
5. Professionalism
6. Systems-based practice

Fellows also evaluate faculty every six months. Evaluations are conducted in an open, transparent manner, and feedback is shared through structured discussions.