Advanced GI & Minimally Invasive Surgery Fellowship

Clinical experience is gained through progressive responsibility and increased autonomy over the course of the one-year fellowship. The fellow will gain exposure and experience to upper GI, bariatric, colorectal, hernia, solid organ, urologic, and thoracic procedures. They will learn techniques in robotic assisted laparoscopic and thoracoscopic operations. The fellow will also be exposed to complex open gastrointestinal and hepatopancreaticobiliary procedures.

The University at Buffalo Advanced MIS Fellowship follows the national curriculum set forth by the Fellowship Council.

In addition to the objectives provided by the Fellowship Council, our fellowship aims to:

1. Train the fellow in robotic surgery.
2. Fellow to obtain LINX credentialing.
3. Provide a dedicated teaching experience in which the fellow educates other learners.
4. Incorporate a research experience which can be presented at SAGES.

The fellow must log at least 150 cases in advanced Minimally Invasive Surgery (exclusive of basic MIS cases) by the completion of the 1-year fellowship.

Our 2021 graduate logged 637 cases and 741 procedures.

• 80 Stapled Bariatric
• 50 General Laparoscopic
• 50 Foregut
• 35 Hernia
• 25 Colorectal
• 150 Endoscopic Procedures
• 25 Bypasses
• 50 Sleeves

Regularly occurring conferences/didactics:

• First Tuesday of every month: Advanced upper GI conference 5 PM
• Every Wednesday: M&M, Buffalo General Hospital 7 am
• Every Thursday: Department of Surgery Grand Rounds, 6:45am
• Quarterly: Bariatric M&M [fellow presents 1-2 cases & literature review]
• Quarterly: MIS Journal Club

Additional Educational Opportunities (including, but not limited to…)

• Outcome Project
• Attendance at National Meetings: SAGES
• Present monthly at Adv Upper GI conf (First Tues, 5p) OPTIONAL
• FUSE certification
• Educational seminars deemed appropriate by the PD, such as:  courses sponsored by SAGES, Annual MIS & Bariatric Fellows course hosted by Cleveland Clinic, MIS Fellows courses hosted by J&J, Bariatric Course, etc. 

Participation in Teaching Activities

*great for meeting ASMBS requirements!

•  Article Review w/ Residents and Medical Students
• Teaching/walking rounds
• Fellow-led journal club (quarterly)
• Fellow-led lap skills practice sessions

Check out our program director Aaron Hoffman, MD, & 2022 fellow Marissa Novack, MD, in the May 2022 Spotlight of Bariatric Times: https://pub-press.mydigitalpublication.com/publication/?m=54664&i=746479&view=articleBrowser&article_id=4265424&ver=html5