Esophageal Research Fellowship in the Swallowing Center
About the Swallowing Center:
Director: Brant K. Oelschlager, MD
The University of Washington Swallowing Center is a Center of Excellence for study, research, and clinical care of esophageal diseases. The mission of the Center is to provide leadership in diagnostic innovation, training and education, and the clinical practice of esophageal surgery. Key elements of the Center include a dedicated faculty, the Esophageal Research fellow, the CVES Fellows, an administrator, and a dedicated, state-of-the-art esophageal physiology laboratory for study of esophageal diseases. We are fortunate to receive support for this fellowship from Sandhill Scientific.
The UW Swallowing Center and Department of Surgery have significant interest and wealth of experience in esophageal diseases. As a result we are committed to investigating the physiology, pathophysiology, and surgical outcomes of the esophagus and its related diseases. We have a very large esophageal physiology lab in which we perform both motility (manometry and impedance) and reflux (pH, wireless monitoring, and impedance). There are about 1000 patients referred to this lab per year, making it one of the highest volume labs in the US. Moreover, many of these patients are evaluated for surgical intervention; therefore we have a wealth of data on outcomes of esophageal surgery.
About the Esophageal Research Fellowship:
Currently, we have one one-year position; there is an opportunity for an additional year.
Requirements:
Requirement for this fellowship position is a level of surgical maturity in a training program that will permit the Fellow to participate effectively in the clinical, research, administrative, and educational goals of the Center. Most fellows have completed a general surgical training program, and seek to gain clinical research experience that will be useful in furthering an academic career in esophageal surgery. We welcome the physician with interest and training in gastrointestinal diseases.
The role of the Fellow includes:
- Assisting in the coordination of daily activities for the Swallowing Center experimental surgical laboratory.
- Assisting in the design, conduct, evaluation, and presentation of studies dealing with training techniques and measurement of surgical skills in videoendoscopic surgery.
- Assisting in supervised clinical care in the Swallowing Center.
The fellowship position provides the trainee with an extensive experience in research methodology, writing, and outcomes research. This is meant for the fellow who is interested in an academic career, and will provide that person will a strong base to become a leader in academic surgery.
Curriculum:
- Weekly educational review session with the fellowship director on esophageal physiology and motility interpretation.
- Weekly review of research development and progress review.
- Review and interpretation of 12-18 esophageal function studies per week.
- Attend a course in esophageal function testing and interpretation (manometry, pH monitoring, and impedance).
- Attend National Meetings to present research (Up to five per year) - All expensive will be paid to present research that the fellow has done and is presenting.
- Introduction and participation in grant writing.
- Participate in hypothesis generation and testing, data collection and study management, statistical analysis, and scientific writing and presentation.
- Participation in at least five research studies would be expected.
Objective of the Fellowship:
We would expect the fellow to be very involved in the esophageal function laboratory, analyzing and interpreting esophageal function studies. They would not be solely responsible for these studies, but partially shared with other fellows and faculty members. The fellow would also be expected organize and complete several research studies in the area of esophageal physiology and esophageal surgery.
Salary and Benefits:
The base salary for this fellow position is $37,500 for a 12 month period. In addition, benefits including medical insurance would be provided and represent additional costs to the Department above the base salary.
Application Requirements:
- Interest and demonstrated aptitude in esophageal physiology and clinical investigation.
- Three letters of reference from physicians taking part in the applicant's training and/or practice.
- A personal statement detailing specific educational goals and interests, to reflect desired achievements through the course of this program.
- Current Curriculum Vitae.
To Apply:
Send materials to:
Mailing Address:
Esophageal Fellowship
c/o Sarah Lawrence
Box 356410
1959 NE Pacific St.
Seattle, WA 98195-6410
Email:
Applications are due by November 1st for the fellowship academic year beginning July 1st. Selection for fellowship in the Swallowing Center is by competitive application. Selected applicants will be invited to visit Seattle for an interview and tour. In certain exceptions this interview process will be conducted by phone.
International applicants are welcome. The candidate must be conversationally fluent in spoken and written English, and eligible for J-1 visa status. He/she must have satisfactorily completed ECFMG examinations and hold a current, unexpired certificate. Please refer to their website at http://ecfmg.org for further information.
The candidates will be notified by January 31 st of the decision of their application.
If you have any questions about the fellowship, please feel free to contact Dr. Brant Oelschlager by e-mail at brant@u.washington.edu , or phone (206) 543-3518.
Further info about areas of research interest in the Swallowing Center:
Esophageal Impedance (Non-acid reflux): This new technology has many potential uses as a clinical and research tool. We are working to determine it usefulness in predicting the best candidates for antireflux surgery and other interventions, its role in microaspiration and reflux related airway disease, and elucidating the affect of nonacid reflux on the natural history of Barrett's esophagus to name a few.
Esophageal Impedance (motility and esophageal clearance): Impedance also allows for the precise and objective measurement of the clearance of swallowed material from the esophagus. This is likely to better characterize esophageal motility in patients with GERD and other esophageal diseases.
Outcomes of Laparoscopic Antireflux Surgery: We perform between 100-200 antireflux procedures a year and are interested in all aspects of its outcomes.
Achalasia: We have one of the largest referral bases for this disease in the world, and, in fact, patients from all over the world come to the University of Washington for operations. We are involved in a multi-center randomized trial to determine which antireflux procedure should be done with a Heller myotomy. We also have many other studies involving this disease.
Paraesophageal Hernias: We have a large clinical volume and are the principal investigators for multi-center randomized trial to determine the utility of biologic mesh materials to reduce the recurrence rate.
We also have a strong interest in all other areas of esophageal diseases and surgery including esophageal cancer, diverticulum, etc. Our clinical volume for all these diseases creates a ripe environment for the fellow to pursue almost any avenue of investigation into esophageal diseases.