Minimally Invasive Hepato Pancreato Biliary Fellowship Program Curriculum

Curriculum

The HPB Surgery trainee will gain a rich experience and will take away the skills to be able to provide comprehensive, state-of-the-art medical & surgical care to patients with surgical diseases/disorders of the liver, pancreas, biliary tract and duodenum.

A minimum of 12 months of clinical training is required for training in HPB surgery. At the completion of the fellowship, the HPB fellow may be eligible to apply for additional training in minimally invasive surgery.

The trainee will rotate between several sites in addition to St. Elizabeth’s Medical Center, including: Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Hawthorn Medical Center and Good Samaritan Medical Center.

The curriculum for the Hepato-Pancreatic & Biliary Surgery Fellowship describes the following goals and objectives in the framework of the ACGME core competencies including:

Clinical and research components

• Each HPB surgery fellow will participate in the critical or key portions of major HPB operative procedures. At the completion of the fellowship the HPB fellow will be able to perform major HPB operations independently.
• Frequent feedback will be provided.
• The fellowship will provide exposure to and experience in the multidisciplinary management of HPB disease.
• The fellowship will provide opportunities to participate in multidisciplinary clinics, tumor boards, or conferences. Specialists involved in these opportunities include interventional and diagnostic radiologists, pancreatobiliary endoscopists, gastroenterologists, hepatologists, medical oncologists, radiation oncologists and pathologists.
• Clinical research is included in the training program. HPB fellows will have opportunities to design and implement clinical research protocols, and each HPB fellow will initiate or participate in an investigative project and gain an appreciation for  statistical methods to properly evaluate research results. Training in basic methodology for conducting clinical trials, including biostatistics, clinical research design, ethics, and implementation of computerized databases is provided.
• Presentation and peer- reviewed publication of at least one research project is expected.
• Each HPB fellow must complete a course on clinical research on human subjects. Online courses approved by national research bodies are acceptable. Ethics of research on human subjects is included in the curriculum.
• Laboratory research is optional. Fellows who desire this experience are encouraged to work with basic science research faculty mentors on or off-site and as time and funding allows.

Trainee’s supervisory and patient care responsibilities

• Duty hours are defined as all clinical and academic activities related to the fellowship program, i.e., patient care (both inpatient and outpatient), administrative duties related to patient care, the provision for transfer of patient care, time spent in‐house during call activities, and scheduled academic activities such as conferences. Adequate time rest and personal activities is provided.

At the conclusion of the fellowship in HPB Surgery, the fellow will be able to provide comprehensive, state-of-the-art medical & surgical care to patients with surgical diseases/disorders of the liver, pancreas, biliary tract and duodenum.

This will include the ability to investigate, diagnose, recommend appropriate treatment options, perform operative procedures, and provide the pre-, peri-, and late postoperative care.