Pediatric Gastroenterology Fellowship

Saint Louis University's gastroenterology training program is designed to train pediatricians to be excellent clinicians, educators, and scholars in pediatric gastroenterology, hepatology and nutrition.

As a fellow, you will provide direct and supervisory care for pediatric inpatients, serve as a consultant to pediatricians at SSM Health Cardinal Glennon Children's Hospital as well as in the surrounding region, and develop skills conduct clinical, translational and/or bench research setting.

Learn More About SLU's Division of Pediatric Gastroenterology and Hepatology

From the Program Director

Welcome to our pediatric gastroenterology fellowship program. We are dedicated to nurturing the next generation of pediatric gastroenterologists who will make a meaningful impact in the field. Our foremost goal is to create well-rounded physicians who are equipped with the knowledge and skills to excel in all facets of pediatric gastroenterology, hepatology and nutrition.

We understand that each fellow brings unique experiences and aspirations. Therefore, our program is designed to be flexible, allowing us to tailor your training to meet your individual needs and goals. As part of a nationally ranked pediatric GI division, you will work closely with our renowned faculty and dedicated staff who are committed to your success and well-being.

At our program, your growth as a pediatric gastroenterologist is our priority. We provide a supportive and collaborative environment to ensure your professional development. We look forward to embarking on this transformative journey with you.

Sincerely,
Nisha Mangalat, M.D.
Associate professor of pediatrics

Clinical Training

Fellows receive training in clinical gastroenterology, hepatology and nutrition, in gastrointestinal endoscopy and liver biopsies, and have ample opportunities for mentored research. We care for patients with significant complex disease and have excellent collaborative relationships with pediatric surgeons, transplant surgeons, GI pathologists, psychologists, radiologists, dietitians, nursing, pharmacists, and social workers to help us provide world-class care.

The primary clinical site for the program is the SSM Health Cardinal Glennon Children’s Hospital.

Take a Virtual Tour of the Hopsital

Our fellows also have opportunities to rotate with our adult gastroenterology group at Saint Louis University for additional didactic and endoscopy experiences.

Fellowship Training

The fellowship spans three years. The applicant must be board-certified or board-eligible in pediatrics. Our training program is flexible and will be tailored to the needs of the individual trainee.

SSM Health Cardinal Glennon Children's Hospital is the primary site for the training of the fellowship and is the primary pediatric teaching program of the Saint Louis University School of Medicine

Cardinal Glennon is a free-standing 190-bed children's hospital across the street from the SLU School of Medicine. The hospital includes Level I Pediatric Trauma Center, Level III NICU and an active liver transplant program.

Curriculum

(Can be tailored to meet individual fellow needs)

Fifteen to eighteen months of direct patient care in inpatient and outpatient settings. The majority of the clinical experience occurs during the first year of fellowship.
Pediatric gastroenterology inpatient service
- The fellow leads a primary gastroenterology/hepatology service team with progressive autonomy under supervision of a gastroenterology attending physician
- The fellow provides direct consultative services for pediatric inpatients
- The fellow is the first-line consultant through the Cardinal Glennon Access Line, a direct-to-specialist consultant phone line available to pediatricians around the region.
Roughly 18 months devoted to research
- Opportunities for scholarly activity with mentorship by national leaders in pediatric gastroenterology
- Elective rotation opportunities with adult endoscopy, pediatric nutrition, hepatology, radiology

Conferences

There are multiple conferences available for fellows to attend. They include:

Fellows Lecture Series

Held from 9 to 10 a.m every Wednesday with the aim to cover core content in pediatric gastroenterology. Medical students and pediatric residents rotating on the GI service also attend this lecture series.

Pathology Conference

This is a weekly multidisciplinary conference held with pediatric pathologists to review and discuss GI histopathology clinical cases.

GI-Pathology Fellow Lecture

Monthly lecture by pediatric pathologist to cover core GI histopathology learning topics.

Patient Safety and Quality Conference

Bi-annual conference led by fellows to highlight patient safety and quality.

IBD Roundtable

Quarterly conference led by IBD Medical Directors to review quality and outcomes data in our robust pediatric IBD practice as well as an opportunity for case discussion.

Radiology Conference

Monthly conference led by pediatric radiologists to review interesting GI radiographic findings and learn rationale for specific radiographic tests and techniques

Application Process

You may apply for our GI fellowship position through the Electronic Residency Application Service (ERAS). We accept applications July 1-31 for each interview season. We review applications in early August and invite applicants to interview from September to October. All our positions will be filled through the National Residency Match Program (NRMP). We sponsor both H-1B1 and J-1 visas. All application requirements are listed with ERAS

Our Graduates

Fellow	Graduation Year	Scholarly Work During Fellowship	Current Position
Pavithra Saikumar, M.D.	2024	A Gastroenterologist's Guide to Care Transitions in Cystic Fibrosis from Pediatrics to Adult Care	Pediatric Gastroenterologist, Multicare Mary Bridge Children's Hospital
Anandini Suri, M.D.	2023	Increased Liver Biopsy Fibrosis and Other Markers Are Associated with Adverse Liver Outcomes in Adults with alpha-1-AT deficiency. Mentor: Jeff Teckman, M.D.	Pediatric Transplant Hepatology Fellowship, Children’s Hospital of Atlanta
Albert Shan, M.D.	2022	Colonic Manometry in Pediatric Patients with Spina Bifida: Results from a Retrospective Cohort Study Mentor: Dhiren Patel, M.D.	Pediatric Gastroenterologist, Doerbecher Children’s Hospital Assistant Professor of Pediatrics Oregon Health & Science University
Sara Henen, M.D.	2021	Can Early MRE improve IBD Remission Rates at 1 Year in Pediatric Patients with Crohn’s Disease Mentor: Helen Pappa, M.D.	Pediatric Gastroenterologist, Cardinal Glennon Children’s Hospital
Christine Denton, M.D.	2020	Broad Spectrum Enteral Antibiotics Drive Clonal Expansion of Gut Inflammatory Microbiota and Significant Hepatic Cholestasis in Animals on Parenteral Nutrition Mentor: Ajay Jain, M.D.	Pediatric Gastroenterologist, Children's Hospital at Erlagner Assistant Professor of Pediatrics University of Tennessee Health Science Center
Thomas Ratchford, M.D.	2019	Diagnostic accuracy of non-contrast MRE in detecting bowel inflammation in pediatric patients with diagnosed or suspected IBD to determine necessity of gadolinium-based contrast agents Mentors: Jeff Teckman, M.D.; Shannon Farmakis, M.D.	Assistant Professor of Pediatrics University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Medicine

More Information

FREIDA Online, the AMA residency and fellowship database, provides detailed information on the fellowship program. Copy and paste our ten-digit code, 332-283-2066, into the search engine at the bottom of the page.