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UW Pediatrics

Gastroenterology Fellowship

Overview

Situated in the beautiful Pacific Northwest, we are an academic pediatric gastroenterology group with a strong international reputation for high quality research, education and patient care. As the only academic pediatric gastroenterology group in the region, we serve a broad geographic area with a diverse and large patient population with chronic gastrointestinal and liver diseases.

Our group has clinical specialty programs in inflammatory bowel disease, motility disorders, hepatology, liver transplantation, and one of the few intestinal rehabilitation and transplantation programs in the country. Seattle Children’s, the University of Washington and Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center combine to lead the nation in National Institutes of Health research funding, making Seattle’s research opportunities among the best in the world.


Message to Prospective Residents from Dr. Walker-Harding

message for applicants from the Program Director

Prospective Residents & Fellows

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Photo of members of the Gastroenterology Division standing outside.

 

First Year

During the first year, our fellows have an intensive exposure to inpatient and outpatient gastroenterology, hepatology and nutrition. Time is spent on the inpatient gastroenterology service, consult service, and the liver and intestinal failure service which includes time with the liver and intestinal transplant teams. They develop procedural skills and are exposed to a wide variety of acute and chronic gastrointestinal diseases.. In addition to inpatient service time, first year fellows spend time in our subspecialty clinics (inflammatory bowel disease, hepatology, motility, celiac, intestinal rehabilitation, and liver/intestinal transplant clinic). Interested fellows can also gain exposure to therapeutic and specialized endoscopy procedures such as ERCP and motility procedures. There are also three weeks of research during the first year. In partnership with our colleagues in gastroenterology at the University of Washington, our first year fellows have the opportunity to spend three weeks teaching second year medical students in lectures and small group discussions. 

Second and Third Year

In their second and third years, fellows focus on an academic research pursuit (basic science, translational, or clinical), allowing them to prepare a unique research project and see it through to fruition. Fellows are encouraged and supported in presenting their research at national and international meetings. We work with fellows to determine their career goals and focus their training to provide  the skills necessary to become independent academic pediatric gastroenterologists. Each fellows has a scholarly oversite committee composed of at least two members from within the division and one external member to help give feedback and provide guidance during this process.

Fellowship Tracks

Clinical Track

The clinical track is designed for fellows who wish to pursue a career as an academic clinician or clinician educator. Fellows within this track will conduct a clinical research project and have the opportunity to focus their training in various aspects of pediatric gastroenterology such as inflammatory bowel disease, hepatology, nutrition, motility, intestinal rehabilitation, and cystic fibrosis.

Research Track

The research track is intended for fellows interested in pursuing a career as a physician-scientist. In conjunction with the University of Washington, training is available through an NIH T32 training grant to support our fellows in their basic science research with research mentorship and guidance from a scholarly oversight committee.   Read more about Seattle Children's UW Pediatrics GI Research (pdf).

Continuity Clinic

All fellows participate in a longitudinal, weekly, continuity clinic experience. Fellows are paired with two continuity clinic mentors, one who focuses on general gastroenterology and the other within a subspecialty. With guidance from their mentor, fellows are primarily responsible for the care of their patients.

Educational Opportunities

The comprehensive educational opportunities in our division focus on the intersection of clinical practice, research, and the critical evaluation of literature. Together these opportunities make up the Fellows’ Educational Series covering the pediatric gastroenterology board content in a three-year cycle. The following didactic sessions are included in the Fellows’ Educational Series: clinical case conference, journal club, research conference, pathology conference, radiology conference, morbidity and mortality conference, joint gastroenterology-surgery conference, University of Washington Frontiers Lecture Series, and team meetings (IBD, general gastroenterology, hepatology, intestinal rehabilitation). 

Other Educational Opportunities

Fellows have the opportunity to participate in additional training through the University of Washington including an MPH in epidemiology, Graduate Certificate in Maternal and Child Health, Teaching Scholars Program, and a Health Services and Quality of Care Research Fellowship.

At the University of Washington, diversity is integral to excellence. We value and honor diverse experiences and perspectives, strive to create welcoming and respectful learning environments, and promote access, opportunity and justice for all.

Please find more information and resources related to the Department’s commitment and work for Justice, Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion.

All pediatric gastroenterology fellowship interviews for Seattle Children's Hospital will be conducted virtually for the 2024-2025 interview season.

Prerequisites/post-medical school requirements

Fellows must have graduated from an accredited medical school and have completed a pediatric residency program at an accredited institution. The individual must be board eligible/certified in General Pediatrics.

Applications

We accept applications via ERAS (Fall Application Cycle) We ask for the ERAS Application, a current CV, a personal statement, 3+ LORs, a photo, and USMLE step scores to complete a file. Our application deadline is September 30th.

The Gastroenterology Fellowship only accepts US Citizens, H-1B visa, or J-1 visa.

Additional Information

Please contact the Program Coordinator if you have any further questions.

Timeline

  • Registration begins August 21, 2024 for academic year 2025-2026
  • Interview start and end dates (interviews will be held virtually): September- October, 2024
  • Match date: December 4, 2024
  • All applications must be submitted via Electronic Residency Application Service (ERAS).

“The UW School of Medicine is committed to building and sustaining a multicultural community that fosters equity, diversity and inclusion. Our objective is to create a community that encourages participation and connection, and that values each individual's unique contribution, regardless of socioeconomic status, race, ethnicity, language, nationality, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, spiritual practice, geography, mental and physical status and age.” 

Seattle Children's Hospital

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Seattle Children's Hospital

Seattle Children's Hospital is both a community hospital for greater Seattle and the pediatric referral center for the Northwest providing excellent pediatric care to meet the medical, surgical and developmental needs of children in the WWAMI region. Serving as the main clinical training site for pediatric residents, this 407-bed hospital is conveniently located one and one-half miles from the University of Washington campus in an attractive, residential neighborhood of Seattle. The staff consists of University faculty and Seattle Children's full-time physicians.

Additional Information: Message to Prospective Pediatric Residents and Fellows from Dr. Walker-Harding (YouTube); Resident Tour of Seattle Children’s Hospital (YouTube).

University of Washington Medical Center (UWMC - Montlake)

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UWMC - Gastroenterology

 

UWMC is a 450-bed teaching and research hospital offering comprehensive care including complete medical, surgical, ob-gyn, and psychiatric services and is rated as one of the top-10 hospitals in the U.S. Patients are referred from the UW Medicine sites and from community practitioners from the WWAMI region. The nearly 400 attending physicians on staff are full-time faculty members of the highly regarded UW School of Medicine.

The University of Washington Department of Medicine, Division of Gastroenterology, serves as an outstanding site for learning key concepts of adult gastroenterology and furthering procedural skills. Our fellows work alongside adult gastroenterology and hepatology providers, fellows of the UW GI fellowship program, and UW medical students. Due to the University's GI programs, the emphasis is on tertiary and quaternary care, and furthering procedural experience.

GI specific educational collaborations between our group at Seattle Children's and the UW GI groups include weekly lectures, GI Grand Rounds, Mortality and Morbidity, Journal Club, and multiple other educational opportunities.

Seattle Children's Research Institute (SCRI)

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Seattle Children's Research Institute (SCRI)

As one of the nation's top five pediatric research centers, Seattle Children's Research Institute is dedicated to making breakthrough discoveries that help prevent, treat and cure childhood disease. SCRI has more than 350 investigators researching hundreds of diseases and disorders, and over $138 million in federal research funding for the 2021 fiscal year. The research institute is organized into nine centers, each one specializing in areas that include immunotherapy, tissue and immune transplantation, outcomes research, clinical and translational research, and child health and behavior. Researchers in the centers work in close collaboration with one another, their colleagues at partner institutions including the University of Washington and Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, and with our health care providers at Seattle Children's Hospital. This collaboration is one of our key strengths, allowing our faculty to draw on a variety of disciplines and techniques as they pursue solutions to some of medicine's most complex problems.

Fellowship Leadership

Fellowship Program Director

Evelyn K. Hsu, MD

Professor Division Chief, Division of Gastroenterology

Faculty

Lusine Ambartsumyan, MD

Associate Professor Director, Gastrointestinal Motility

Niviann M Blondet, MD

Assistant Professor Program Director, Transplant Hepatology Fellowship Director, Fatty Liver Program

Kendra Francis, MD

Clinician Researcher

Nicole Green, MD

Assistant Professor

Evelyn K. Hsu, MD

Professor Division Chief, Division of Gastroenterology

Nayab Hussain, PAC

Physician Assistant C

Dale Y Lee, MD, MSCE

Associate Professor of Gastroenterology; Director of the Celiac Disease Program

Mary K. Len, MD

Clinical Professor

Kyle Lewis, PAC

Physician Assistant C

Marina Panopoulos, MD

Clinical Assistant Professor; Director, Feeding Program

Nicole Pattamanuch, MD

Assistant Professor; Director, General Gastroenterology Assistant Director, Gastroenterology Fellowship Program

Hannibal Person, MD

Assistant Professor

Michael Pickens, DO

Clinical Associate Professor

Travis Piester, MD

Clinical Associate Professor Endoscopy Director

Katelyn Saarela, DO

Assistant Professor

David Suskind, MD

Professor of Gastroenterology; Director, Quality Improvement

Pamela Valentino, MD

Associate Professor Medical Director, Liver Transplant Program Liver and Intestinal Failure Clinical Center Director

Ghassan Wahbeh, MD

Professor of Gastroenterology Director, Inflammatory Bowel Disease Program

Betty Zheng, MD

Assistant Professor

Established in 2008, the University of Washington program is distinguishing itself as producing leaders in Gastroenterology and Hepatology care, research, and education among academic pediatric Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition groups.

Current Fellows

Biren Desai, DO

Biren Desai, DO

1st Year Fellow
Medical School: Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine
Internal Medicine/Pediatrics: Geisinger Medical Center Danville, PA

Katelynn Ho, MD

Katelynn Ho, MD

1st Year Fellow
Medical School: Tufts University School of Medicine
Residency: University of Washington - Seattle Children's Hospital Seattle, WA

Reznikov, MD

Elizabeth Reznikov DO, PhD

2nd Year Fellow
Medical School: Kansas City University
College of Osteopathic Medicine
Residency: Medstar Georgetown University Hospital

Maria Gonzalez, MD

Maria Gonzalez Echeandia, MD

2nd Year Fellow
Medical School: Ponce Health Sciences University School of Medicine
Residency: University Pediatric Hospital San Juan, PR

Adaku Adebamiji

Adaku Adebamiji, MD

3rd Year Fellow
Medical School: Meharry Medical College, Nashville, TN
Residency: Phoenix Children’s Hospital, Phoenix, AZ

Kathryn Stephenson

Kathryn Stephenson, MD

3rd Year Fellow
Medical School: Geisel School of Medicine at Dartmouth, Hanover, NH
Residency: Kaiser Permanente Northern California Pediatrics Residency Program, Oakland, CA

Recent Alumni

Jennifer Duong

Jennifer Duong, MD

2020-2023
UCSF Benioff Children's Hospital Oakland

Anne Levine

Anne Levine, MD


2020-2023
Medical Director of the Pediatric Inflammatory Bowel Disease Program at SUNY Downstate in Brooklyn, NY

Kendra Francis

Kendra Francis

2019-2022
Clinician Researcher in the Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology at Seattle Children's Hospital

Irina Gorbounova

Irina Gorbounova

2019-2022
Pediatric Gastroenterologist, Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University, Providence, RI

Tanyaporn (Katie) Kaenkumchorn, MD

Tanyaporn (Katie) Kaenkumchorn, MD

2018-2021
Pediatric Gastroenterologist, Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Children’s Hospital Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA

Tayla Miller, MD

Tayla Miller, MD

2017-2020
Pediatric Gastroenterologist, Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, UNC Children’s Hospital, Chapel Hill, NC

Nicole Green, MD

Nicole Green, MD

2016-2019

Assistant Professor of Pediatrics in the Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology at Seattle Children's Hospital

Erin Lane, MD

Erin Lane, MD

2015-2018
Pediatric Gastroenterologist, St. Luke’s Boise, ID

Noelle  Ebel, MD

2014-2017

Clinical assistant Professor of Pediatrics in the Division of Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition, Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital Stanford

Zheng, Henqi (Betty), MD

Henqi (Betty) Zheng,, MD

2013—2016

Acting Assistant Professor of Pediatrics in the Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology at Seattle Children's Hospital

Jarrad Scarlett, MD, PhD

Jarrad Scarlett, MD, PhD

2012—2015

Assistant Professor of Pediatrics in the Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology at Seattle Children's Hospital

Gupta, Rohit, MD, PhD

Rohit Gupta, MD, PhD

2011—2014

Pediatric Gastroenterologist, Mary Bridge Children's Hospital, Tacoma, WA

Singh, Namita, MD

Namita Singh, MD

2010—2013

Assistant Professor, Associate Director of IBD South Clinic in the Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology at Seattle Children's Hospital

Matthew Giefer, MD

Matthew Giefer, MD

2009—2012

Pediatric Gastroenterologist, Ochsner Hospital for Children, New Orleans, LA

Crystal Knight, MD

Crystal Knight, MD

2008—2011
Pediatric Gastroenterologist, Retired from Practice

 

 

 

 

Fellowship Program Director

Evelyn K. Hsu, MD

Professor Division Chief, Division of Gastroenterology

Email
Fellowship Program Coordinator

Monica Langsted

Fellowship Program Coordinator

206.817.9112 (phone)
206.987.2721 (fax)

Seattle Children's
PO Box 5371
M/S: OB 9.620
Seattle, WA 98145-5005

Email